Help with what to do now!

[TGM]

This is my 1st post, although I have been reading for months.

I never desired anything to do with chickens, and although we live in a small town, we are city dwellers. One day my 6 year old daughter talked me into buying her a chick from the local feed store. I was told the store didn't want to sell me just one b/c she would be too lonely, so I bought 3 - one for each daughter. I didn't plan ahead about what we would do when the chicks grew up....

Well, The entire family fell in love with these chickens. I NEVER would have guessed chickens made great family "pets". The girls (ages 4,6,8) go out and play with their chickens every day. I found this website/forum while researching about the chickens. I built them a coop, and we have been looking forward to gathering eggs which should be coming in a few weeks!

We decided to free range the 3 chickens in our backyard, that is completely protected by a 10 foot brick wall. We never had any preditors in the backyard except a stray cat every now and then, which our cat chases off immeditally. Our cat would sometimes play with the chickens, chasing them, and then letting them chase him. He seemed very loving toward the chickens, which he has been exposed to since they were days old.

Because we live in the city, and I have never seen any wildlife around, We got lazy about closing the chicken coop door at night. We just let the chickens go in at night and come out in the morning as they wanted. This went on for the last 3 months without any problems.

This morning, my 8 year old daughter ran up to our room in tears crying loudly. After calming her down, she explained that she went out to play with the chicks and found my 4 year old's dead in the yard, and she could not find hers.

Upon investigation, I found there had been a fight in the coop, the water tower had been overturned, the wall to the nest box had been knocked over, and there were feathers scattered about. About 6 yards from the coop were more feathers, two wings, a picked clean rib cage, and one foot. In searching for another chicken, I found the main body (minus the feet and head), with much of the insides eaten on top of the brick wall nearby. Our one remaining survivor (an easter-egger) shows no sign of injury, however was scared to return to the coop tonight.

Our girls are completely devastated, as are my wife and I. About midnight, our cat was acting strangly wanting to go outside VERY bad! I didn't let him out because I was going to bed and didn't want him to stay out all night. Now I wonder if he knew something I didn't.

Now here is our problem - What is the best thing to do for our one lonely survivor? I know she doesn't want to live alone, but what is the best thing to do for her now? We don't want to give her away to a local farmer and have her pecked to death by a new group (she was the top of the pecking order of our little flock). And We don't know if introducing new chicks here at home would be good either...

Any advice about what killed our pets, and what to do with our lone survivor would be a great help. In the mean time, I will be spending tomorrow building a bigger, better coop with a completly covered run.

 

[Imp]

Gosh that's hard. Sorry for the loss and your family's grief. I think once you get a stong coop. You can either raise more chicks, and in a few months be able to put them together, or look for some older pullets closer to your ee's age.
As far as what got your chicks, hard to say but maybe raccoon or possum. Try asking your neighbors if they have seen any animals around.
I would be a little hesitant letting your cat out at night if there's a predator around. Although it could be a friend to your cat.
3 months is a little older but other people have given their little chicks a stuffed animal for companionship.

Good luck with everything

Imp

 

[nnbreeder]

Posting your general location would help to narrow the culpret down too. The predator list varies from one part of the country to the other.

 

[TGM]

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We are in Laramie, Wyoming - In the mountains about 2 hours north of Denver, Colorado.

 

[TGM]

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So if we go with more chicks - we can't put them together for several months! Wow - what would happen if we put 5-6 weeks olds with the 5 month old?

 

[nnbreeder]

Unfortunatly she would kill them trying to establish the pecking order.

 

[Judy]

There is no predicting what will happen if you try to integrate new birds in your flock. There will be some pecking, as they establish who is in charge. Sometimes it can just be allowed to happen, and sometimes it raises blood and leads to worse, even cannibalism.

 

[Judy]

But nnbreeder is correct that this could very well be how it turns out.

 

[TGM]

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Well, glad I asked!!!!

The girls want to replace them now, and the only older chickens I find online are $50 each. I guess we can build the new coop and run, and raise the chicks in there for a few months while letting our survivor continue to free range in the yard and lock her in the old coop at night.

My 8 year old wants a gun now. I promised her anything eating our chicks will come well past her bed time.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Here's three

for your three girls and the loss they've suffered. I am so sorry, but am glad to hear you're planning to continue chickeneering, learning the hard way, like so many of us have had to do.

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Surprisingly, there are many populations of animals whose numbers are INcreasing due to development. They learn to live among people and take advantage of the abundance of food easily available in garbage cans & pet food dishes left out 24/7, and their main predators, being more wary, have been chased away.

Here in South Fla we have an overabundance of raccoons & opossums. You may have them too in Wyoming, also skunks, weasels, & maybe fisher cats.

Build yourself a better, more secure coop, maybe with night lighting or electric wires. Also make sure you & your neighbors are keeping your garbage cans tightly covered and all pet food dishes brought in at night.

I wish you success with your flock in the future.