Sad Chickens

[HenHouse2015]

About 2 months ago, a fox killed 4 of our 6 chickens. The 2 remaining have seemed flustered but okay until about 2 weeks ago, one of them was grabbed and carried quite a ways from our property but somehow made it back. She seemed fine besides some missing tail feathers for a week. She was wandering and eating and laying eggs. But now, she never leaves the corner of the coop and is always laying down. The other chicken is constantly pressed against her as this summer has been a bit chilly, and neither have laid an egg in a week. Is the one dying slowly from stress and the other is trying to comfort her only companion? This is really heart breaking to watch and I would love some tips. Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @HenHouse2015 Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry to hear about your losses.
Any photos of her?
It sounds like your Silkie may have suffered more injuries than missing tail feathers - if this was a fox, they crush, shake and can leave small puncture wounds, Silkies can easily have head trauma as well.
Can she walk, is she eating/drinking and pooping?

Inspect her closely from head to toe for any bruising, cuts/scrapes and signs of infection that may have been missed under all of her fluff.

Provide her with poultry vitamins, get her hydrated first, then see if she will eat a little chopped egg.

 

[LadyCluck77]

Sorry that it happened.


It is possible that she is either psychologically traumatized or she may have some injuries that she was able to hide well from the attack.
Sometimes, they will be very sluggish, but many do recover from injuries.
Did you nab the fox?
Some may keep trying to hunt again.

Your other hen is vey good to comfort her sister, some hens try to pick at/eat injured comrades. That is usually why chickens try to hide injuries.

My advice is to live trap for your predator, dispatch him, and hopefully your hen will recover. Scrambled eggs, extra vitamins, and moistened layer feed are good to help them recover. If she passes, when you feel ready, add another few hens to the flock.

 

[HenHouse2015]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I will try to provide a photo later. We live very far out in the country and foxes, coyotes, etc are abundant. After our 4 hens were grabbed, we started keeping them penned in for a while but started to eventually let them out here and there. A fox came running into our front yard while my dog and I were sitting on the porch to steal another chicken! My dog chased it away but thats how bold it is. I found the foxes den and of course, there were 4 kits in it. A mom trying to feed her young softened me but now I'm just getting frustrated at the young have grown. We may just have to keep them in all the time which stinks although my husband did build them a nice chicken yard. Could invest or build a chicken train too. Whats weird is she seemed completely fine for a whole week wandering around, eating, dusting, walking through the tall grass with her sister and then one day, she stopped coming out of the coop. If its something seriously internal I hope she doesn't suffer too long. She is eating cracked corn well and some regular chicken feed, some green bean caps, and tomatoes...but I don't think she has budged a tiny bit from the corner of the coop so whether she's pooping or laying in her poop I still have yet to assess. Her sister hasn't left her side and almost crawls on top of her and spreads her wings out when I try to pet her. Its just heartbreaking. I'll keep you updated on my findings today as I will try to move her. I just don't want to disrupt her too much or hurt her as she is eating. I have a shallow bowl of water next to her as well. I also am about to go feed her some egg.

 

[lazy gardener]

If she is not pooping, this does not bode well for her. What goes in must come out. I would continue with your comfort measures, check to see if she's pooping, be sure she doesn't get overheated. If you can, get some protein into her, including egg, diced meat. She may also enjoy some canned or fresh corn. At this time, any think she will eat is a bonus.

As for the fox, your soft heart will come back to kick you. That fox will be back, and she will bring her teen age pups to teach them how to hunt. First lesson will be: how to dig into the chicken run. She has been emboldened by her successful shopping spree at your expense, and will not stop until she's cleaned out the buffet. Your birds may be staying in the coop b/c the vixen is frequently prowling around the run. If you are not comfortable shooting or trapping, I suggest that you at least put a few hot wires around your yard/run/coop. Bait it with some yummy chicken fat so she makes good nose contact.

 

[HenHouse2015]

Here are the sweetest and saddest girls ever... and they've been that way for days. Thanks again for the ideas. I will check for her excretions tonight.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is she broody?

 

[HenHouse2015]

She's never been broody before, but maybe the trauma has turned her that way and the loss of her sisters? I could be analyzing this too deeply, but come to find out, there is an egg beneath her! Wondering why the other is so protective as well though...?

 

[mobius]

See electric fence thread in my signature.

 

[Chickassan]

Her color looks really good. Any poop yet?