How long will my chicken mourn?

[babychicky]

I had 2 5 week old RIR and a 6 week old Welsummer that had been raised together. I made a terrible mistake today and forgot my dog in the backyard. By the time I remembered where she was, it was to late. I looked out the back window and caught her with one of my RIR in her mouth and the Welsummer dead nearby. She had broken a part of the fence on the coop. I found the surviving RIR (who has since been renamed Lucky) in a small wooden box hiding.(I only found her when I called out and she called back) She had seen the whole thing and was terrified.

I put her in the henhouse while I dealt with the others. I know a lonely chicken is a sad chicken. She cried and cried and just kept looking for the other ones. It was really heartbreaking. I also have 6 2 week old Golden Comets, I had recently been working with my older 3 ones to accept the younger ones and was making progress. So I put the 2 Comets that were the biggest in with Lucky hopeing the company would cheer her up, she would sniff them and walk away, not wanting anything to do with them,going back to looking for the others that had died. How long will it take her to get back to being her happy self? And will she remember the incident?

 

[cheshie]

That's so sad. I sure hope you and your precious Lucky are able to forgive and move forward after such a traumatic event.

 

[babsbag]

How Sad. I am sorry about your hens. I don't know how long she will mourn, I never thought that chickens would even notice. I learn more about them all the time. I hope she takes to your little ones soon.

I did the same thing with my dogs once. I had the chickens out for their first free range day and they wandered into the dog's yard from the garden and I didn't know it. I let the dogs out of the house and they saw the chicks before I did. One chick ran for the fence and made it out, the other headed into the chainlink dog run...not a good outcome.

I only had the 2 hens at that time, so one was all alone. I took her down to live with my goats and she has been with them ever since. She hangs with my new chickens during the day, but does not sleep in the coop with them. She sleeps with the goats and even rides around on their backs, pretty cute. The dogs don't go into the goat pen-electric fence makes sure of that so my chickens are safe in there.

I hope she finds a new friend soon.

 

[tammyd57]

She'll recover in just a few days. Chickens don't have very long memories. You can take a sick one out to isolate it and when you return it a few days later the rest have forgotten who she is and act like she's a stranger.
A lone chick will not be happy and will accept new buddies quite readily in a day or two.
I'm sorry you lost some of your babies.

 

[Jen71]

Oh, this is so sad. I am sorry for your loss.

When we bring our chicks inside, one at a time, they cry and cry until they are back together again. I can only imagine what it must feel like to have one chicken crying like that for hours/days. I hope you find relief soon.

Hugs to you.

 

[SkyWarrior]

Sorry to hear this.

Hopefully she'll cover around soon.

 

[Kim_1970]

How very sad.

Hopefully she will bond with the babies soon.