Help! What to do with anxiety ridden chickens?

[millefleurlover]

About 1 month ago our neighbors dog dug under the fence and killed 8 out of my 12 chickens.

For the past four weeks they have refused to go outside of the coop unless I am out there with them, which is infrequent because I work 40+ hours a week. They have been eating just fine but they don't seem to be drinking. When I am out in the coop they drink like they are incredibly thirsty. I have tried putting water in the coop but they haven't touched it. All the water is fresh and clean. Yesterday I gave them tough loving and locked them out in the run all day, hoping they would get over their fear of being outside, which appeared to work ok. They seem slightly depressed and their combs are lacking luster (they appear dehydrated). I am fairly new at chicken raising (2 years) and have asked everybody in town what to do, with no help yet. I am hoping someone will enlighten me on some new ideas to try. I am going to get chicks in the spring which I am hoping will change the dynamics of the flock, but that is about 2-3 months away.

 

[perchie.girl]

A month seems like a long time to be in shock. Could the dog be coming back during the day and chasing them along the fence? What you might do is put up a visual barrier along the sides so they cant see out and a dog cant see in without hopping up. It could just be canvas or tarp..... temporarily. Does your run have a roof? meaning wire or mesh top? flying predators can make them nervous as well.

I had something similar happen to my goats. A pack of feral dogs came and ran the fence line making my goats nutzo and very worried. So I had the wall from one of those old standup swimming pools.... you know the kind that is hard plastic about two and a half or three feet tall. I fastened it to the chainlink along the fence line where the dogs were running and that stopped that. Dogs lost interest in the chase and Goats could relax.

Hang in there you will resolve it.

deb

About 1 month ago our neighbors dog dug under the fence and killed 8 out of my 12 chickens.

For the past four weeks they have refused to go outside of the coop unless I am out there with them, which is infrequent because I work 40+ hours a week. They have been eating just fine but they don't seem to be drinking. When I am out in the coop they drink like they are incredibly thirsty. I have tried putting water in the coop but they haven't touched it. All the water is fresh and clean. Yesterday I gave them tough loving and locked them out in the run all day, hoping they would get over their fear of being outside, which appeared to work ok. They seem slightly depressed and their combs are lacking luster (they appear dehydrated). I am fairly new at chicken raising (2 years) and have asked everybody in town what to do, with no help yet. I am hoping someone will enlighten me on some new ideas to try. I am going to get chicks in the spring which I am hoping will change the dynamics of the flock, but that is about 2-3 months away.

 

[millefleurlover]

Thank you! That sounds like a great idea. They do have a roof over half of the run, but I have noticed that they have reacted to far away bird calls even when I am in the run with them. They also react to the noise of when cars drive by on the nearby road (within 150 feet but totally blocked by trees). I will try the tarp idea

thank you!

 

[perchie.girl]

I hope it helps.... oh and

hee hee.