"Kel, There's a fox in the garden." :'(

[kellysmall87]

Last night I lost all my beautiful flock. Only one was left injured but alive. All my baby silkies: Stanford, Lucky, Ducky, Snowy ... My cockerel: Bert <3 and his sister Gert... My broody Gloria who was sitting on an egg... Penny, my rescued Hyline.... And lollipop - Glorias chick that I hatched myself. All gone because I fell asleep and forgot to lock the coup. The first night I didn't lock up. So sad.

My one remaining chicken, Henny, is injured as I said - cut foot and bite wound to chest although its not deep. I've treated it but don't foxes carry rabies? Will she be ok? Her poo is white liquid and shes not eating or drinking - she's in shock and wont move and her mouth is open like she's panting. If I put her in garden she just hides. Help?

 

[sumi]

I'm so sorry to hear about your chickens. It's terrible

. Heck, what a day to start the day.

I'm afraid I can't advice you on what to do with Henny. But I'm sure someone here can and will. In the meantime just cuddle her and keep her somewhere she feels safe. It would be good if you could maybe get her to a vet as well.
Good luck.

 

[kellysmall87]

Thank you. The one night I fell asleep and didnt lock them up. Foxes are sly... I bet it waited for the opportunity for me to forget to lock them up. Hatched them all myself and my garden feels empty. I'm getting Henny to a vet like you advised and thinking about getting her a companion as when shes in the garden she just hides. So we've put her little coup in the garage and keeping her there. If I get any more chickens I may keep them in the garage at night as I can't go through this again. I bet people think Im so silly crying over chickens but they give you so much love, especially when you've hatched them yourself. Thanks for the reply...

 

[sumi]

Believe me, I know how you feel. A dog got my favourite hen 2 years ago after I forgot to secure her little broody spot, where she was sitting. I'll never forgive myself. And I'm still sad about losing her.
You are right about predators being sly, not just foxes! We had a chick grabbed right by our back door one morning with my husband moving around outside. He barely had his back turned when it happened. I was so mad! I loved that chick.
We lost quite a few chicks to predators around here and it got so bad that we set a trap. When we caught the first one, my husband said he stood there looking at it, feeling a bit sorry for it, but then he remembered how devastated I was when I lost the chicks and....
I came home to find the beastie hanging on the washing line, still attached to the trap. Like a trophy. It's hard to feel touched and horrified at the same time! Since then we caught about 7 of them and we haven't lost a chicken for awhile. Sad that we had to do this, but my flock was their soup kitchen. I'm guessing we lost between 30 and 40 chickens in total. 2 hens and the rest chicks.
I think it's a good idea getting Penny some new friends. Let us know how she's doing. Poor thing!

 

[Hamstery]

I'm really sorry for your loss. I don't think you are silly for being upset, for what it's worth. We've lost hens and it's very upsetting.

 

[kellysmall87]

Sumi and Hamstery: Thank you so much for your posts. Sorry about your chickens too... it's horrific to put all that time and effort and love into the flock and then BAM... just gone in a flash. I just keep crying! Lol! Feel a little pathetic for bursting into tears everytime I look out into the garden. I feel a bit bad that I had to put the chickens in the bin and not bury them.. I thought if I buried them then the fox would only dig them up.

Henny has had her trip to the vets, she's had some kind of rehydrating fluid pumped into her and some pain killers, and she is on antibiotics for the five days and she's eating. So fingers crossed! Feel very lucky to have her. I don't know how she survived that massacre!

Currently looking for a chick that is the same age as her.

 

[NovaAman]

Be sure to give her a bit of heat too... It usually helps... I am so sorry you lost them. I have accidently forgot to lock my coop up before also. It happens. but I was lucky... Then....

I know how you feel. I just lost my silkie hen Leila, her 4 chicks and her wyandotte foster chick. Only think left of that coop was Roger, my silkie roo, who is a little worse for wear featherwise, he put up a good fight, and the other 3 wyandotte chicks they were raising. A coon found a weak spot in my coop. You can see all along the fencing where it was trying to get in, and it finally found a spot. Was a very very hard morning. All my silkies....

 

[kellysmall87]

Be sure to give her a bit of heat too... It usually helps... I am so sorry you lost them. I have accidently forgot to lock my coop up before also. It happens. but I was lucky... Then....

I know how you feel. I just lost my silkie hen Leila, her 4 chicks and her wyandotte foster chick. Only think left of that coop was Roger, my silkie roo, who is a little worse for wear featherwise, he put up a good fight, and the other 3 wyandotte chicks they were raising. A coon found a weak spot in my coop. You can see all along the fencing where it was trying to get in, and it finally found a spot. Was a very very hard morning. All my silkies....

Thank you for the reply. My silkie roo was my treasured one... I wish he had been saved like yours. I think the fox carried him off. He was a big cockerel though, I bet he didn't half poke that foxes eyes out!

Time to start again.. but it wont be the same.

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

I'm so sorry! And do not think you are silly... You loved them, and you show that. And don't blame yourself -- we all have accidents. How's Henny doing?

 

[featherz]

Don't feel bad. I have auto doors or I would forget to lock them.. And I let one coop of chickens out the other day when I knew we had had fox problems, but heck I was sitting right there so what could happen? just a few minutes later, poof, chicken gone. GRR. Now everyone on strict lockdown and I don't care how much they whine.