Possum killed a hen last night - the rest ran off. Do they ever return?

[sumu]

Does anyone have experience with this?
I live in a suburban neighborhood. Last night a possum got my favorite hen and killed her. The other 3 ran off and I am wondering if they will ever return. It's cold and windy so I can't imagine they will survive long - especially with raccoons, possums,hawks and if they wander into to a yard with a dog, I've been calling them all day....nothing. I feel that I have completely betrayed them and made them feel unsafe so they won't come back.
I am so sad about this. I miss those silly hens!

 

[Duckopolis]

If they are still scared, you may have to look for them. The best thing to do would be to keep the raccoon away and maybe they will feel more at home.

 

[sumu]

Thanks. I have been looking all day. I can't really go into other peoples' yards and many are fenced (for dogs and people, but not for chickens!). I don't think driving around will help much as hens are not likely to be in the street. I don't know where the possum is so I can't go after it except by setting a trap. It was completely unperturbed when I hit it with a stick and shovel. It just waddled off as I tried to save my poor hen.

Thanks!
S.

 

[Oscarsgravett]

 Does anyone have experience with this?
I live in a suburban neighborhood. Last night a possum got my favorite hen and killed her. The other 3 ran off and I am wondering if they will ever return. It's cold and windy so I can't imagine they will survive long - especially with raccoons, possums,hawks and if they wander into to a yard with a dog, I've been calling them all day....nothing. I feel that I have completely betrayed them and made them feel unsafe so they won't come back.
I am so sad about this. I miss those silly hens!

Keep up hope. Chickens quickly get into a routine when feeding them. They might come back when there hungry. Mine did the same thing with a fox in the evening And came the next day in the afternoon at feeding time.

 

[Duckopolis]

Good point.

 

[sumu]

Well, they never returned. I wonder where they would go in a neighborhood...Now to try and find more Marans.
Thanks anyways for your suggestions!

 

[gauthierpeeps]

Do you have any special treats that you give them? I give mine dried mealworms and I shake the plastic jar and they come running when they hear the noise because they know it's treat time. Good Luck!

 

[cafarmgirl]

Since you have possums and raccoons it would be a good idea to seriously reinforce the coop before getting new birds so you don't have to go through this over and over. Don't loose hope yet on your other birds. Although being lost in a maze of backyards would probably be very confusing to them. You might let as many neighbors as possible know you are looking for lost birds, some might turn up yet.

 

[poodlechicks]

Thanks. I have been looking all day. I can't really go into other peoples' yards and many are fenced (for dogs and people, but not for chickens!). I don't think driving around will help much as hens are not likely to be in the street. I don't know where the possum is so I can't go after it except by setting a trap. It was completely unperturbed when I hit it with a stick and shovel. It just waddled off as I tried to save my poor hen.

Thanks!
S.

You might want to try stopping by your neighbors and asking if they saw chickens in their backyards. I wouldn't give up just yet. It's not been that long, so they might still go back home to you. Good luck! I had 2 opossums in my chicken run one night, but that was when I had forgotten to close the coop door and to bring the feeder back inside. I went there as soon as I remembered and there they were. One of them had its head buried in the feeder and the other was just under one of the hens. That night I brought my chickens to the basement because the opossums wouldn't budge. They stopped coming once they realized they couldn't come inside the coop anymore, but they did go back to check for a couple of nights.

 

[Telecaster68]

In the future you should invest in a .22 long rifle. Sounds mean, but after having my hens harassed for a few weeks I sat put one night just to see who would show up. I bagged an opossum and missed a racoon. You would be surprised how many predators know about your chickens