one missing chicken has caused chaos

[chumomabbick]

everything was going so smoothly. the chickens would go home every night to roost in the coop. they were happy and would fly across the yard.

a little back story is that i bought three rhode island reds. one ended up being a rooster but it was working. they were like a team of three, doing everything together. talking chirping.

i have a pretty secure backyard so i felt safe letting them out to roam and leaving them when i went to work. after about 3 months of them having a rule of the back yard, i returned from work to find one missing.

now the other 2 are in absolute depression, panic mode. they won't roost in the coop. they want to go onto the fence, trees at dusk. one pecked me bloody trying to move it back into the coop. i really don't know what to do.

the coop is extremely secure being an old shed with concrete. i made sure to give it plenty of air, lots of ramps, water, food, perches, nesting boxes....

 

[Pennys Mama]

It will just take time for those two to recover from the shock of losing their buddy, and not to mention they probably witnessed a traumatic event too.

 

[PioneerChicks]

A couple of times I have had really friendly hens, they loved me at let me pick them up and everything, but then they witnessed a racoon attack on their friends and have never been the same since. I have made some progress with them but it is like they are entirely different chickens. They act like I am going to hurt them if they come to near.

Sorry about your loss

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I am sorry for your loss, and for their trauma.