icanhazchikn
In the Brooder
- Nov 17, 2016
- 26
- 8
- 32
In the spring I had three of my original eight hens left. We got brave and let them free range outside of the chicken tractor, and they'd be out all day while I was at home or work, then I'd put them back in at dark. Closer to summer, I was out mowing and a coyote was running as fast as it could in my backyard towards a chicken. I drove it off, pulled her out of a bush where she was cowering and got her in the tractor.
I only found piles of feathers where the other two chickens were killed, and our hen has been lonely ever since. She also hasn't laid a single egg since the attack and I'm assuming she never will again, even though she hadn't even been laying eggs for more than a year. We feel really bad since she is in the tractor all the time now, and has been for a few months. We visit, come down and let her free range a little with supervision. We saw at Tractor Supply that they have baby chicks in again, and I was thinking it would be fun to get some baby chicks and they could be raised in the tractor with the hen.
I saw where people created safe spaces with kennels to prevent bullying, with separate food and water inside it for them and with the door wedged so the hen can't get in. Are there any other issues that I need to worry about? I would think she'd be happy just to have other chickens again and wouldn't try to hurt the chicks, but this is still my first time raising chickens. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I only found piles of feathers where the other two chickens were killed, and our hen has been lonely ever since. She also hasn't laid a single egg since the attack and I'm assuming she never will again, even though she hadn't even been laying eggs for more than a year. We feel really bad since she is in the tractor all the time now, and has been for a few months. We visit, come down and let her free range a little with supervision. We saw at Tractor Supply that they have baby chicks in again, and I was thinking it would be fun to get some baby chicks and they could be raised in the tractor with the hen.
I saw where people created safe spaces with kennels to prevent bullying, with separate food and water inside it for them and with the door wedged so the hen can't get in. Are there any other issues that I need to worry about? I would think she'd be happy just to have other chickens again and wouldn't try to hurt the chicks, but this is still my first time raising chickens. Any help would be greatly appreciated.