Sad day after a predator attack... advice needed

[(sub)UrbanCoop]

We had a predator invade our hen house last night. Through a tiny 2.5" hole a raccoon(our guess) was able to get it's hand in a pull 2 of my hens out piece by piece. Pretty scary stuff.

I do have a third hen that survived the attack. She does not have any obvious wounds, except that one of her eyes is now missing. It may have come from one of the other two hens that were freaking out during the attack. At this point she will not let me handle her and she is just laying around in the run this morning. She did drink some water, but has not eaten any food. I figure she is very traumatized and really shaken up.

Big mama (my survivor) is approx 4-5 months old, and at this point very skiddish (who can blame her).

My concerns are...

Will she calm down? I know she will never be the same, but she is my favorite hen since day 1 and I do not want to lose her.

Will it be safe to introduce new (probably younger pullets)? I have enjoyed having hens and can not see myself with out them now. I know Big mama can not live as a single chicken, but will she attack newer, younger chicks that come in?

Lastly, will she produce any eggs now with this trauma?

Thanks for your guidance on this matter.

 

[teach1rusl]

First things first, get that opening wired over with hardware cloth!!
Your hen will lay again, although between healing physically and getting over the trauma of the attack may take several weeks.
Yes, she will most likely attack newbies - most chickens will. Some will just give a little chase and peck here and there, while others seem out to get blood. It really depends on your birds' temperament and how much space you have. The more space they have they easier these things seem to go. I would add a younger pair. If she's 4-5 months old, I'd add a pair 3-4 months old. I'd be worried that they'd gang up on her if they were older than her, especially since she'll have the disadvantage of limited visability. I'd also wait until she heals before adding anything.
Good luck - hope Big Mama pulls out of this okay (I have a Big Mama too).

 

[(sub)UrbanCoop]

Thanks teach1rusl.

Hole was covered over at 7am this morning while I was cleaning out the hen house.

Big mama always ruled the roost in the hen house so I guess I am a little concerned she may be on the attack when adding new hens.

Thanks again for the advice, for now I am closing monitoring her.

 

[Baochickenbaobao]

I'm terribly sorry for your lost.

I'm pretty certain Big Mama if given the love you already give her will recoop and be back especially if you bring some pullets in. You may want to wait a while for her though as she is probably still traumatized. Chickens are flock animals and do better with a few nearby. If she's around 4-5 months it would be better I'd say sooner then later.

I'd say your number one concern would be to catch/trap or however you want to deal with the predator that got your other 2 chickens tonight, since almost always will a predator be back to a food source. You probably have figured out you need to full proof your enclosure if it was the 2.5" hole. You would most likely see feathers and sign around the area they were taken.

About the egg production, it's hard to say. I think personally all chickens are different and deal with trauma differently. If she's in the right environment and not having to worry about that predator who like I said, will be back, she'll definitely have a better chance at being a good layer. If it were me, I'd be waiting with more then a trap. Not saying violence resolves all matters but you can get so attached to your chickens, it's a terrible thing to lose them. If you want to deal with predator humanely of course is your decision.

Hope everything works out for you and Big Mama.

 

[Autumn D]

i belive it was a weasle, but raccons are know for chewing holes right through a coop. look for hairs around the hole, which may tell you what the predator was you should predator the coop instantly as they will come back for seconds. by examing the hair you can tell what animal it was. if it was striped and long it is most likely a coon. if plain brown then it is most likely a weasle. you might want to house your bird somewere else tonight, such as in a cage in the garage and set a trap for the coon in/ next to the coop. put a dead chicken in it, dog food and an apple or something else that might work. your chicken will problelly get back to her old self in a few weeks.

 

[(sub)UrbanCoop]

Thanks for all of the advice. It seems like we are on the right track to healing.

I already have our large dog crate cleaned out and fresh bedding put into for tonight in the event she will not go into the hen house. And I had my husband install a motion sensor light facing directly at the hen house and run. We also have a large animal trap en route from a friends farm. I hope the culprit comes back to the scene of the crime. I'd love to trap it and dispose of it quickly so we can more past this.

I guess all that is left to do is keep an eye on Big Mama to make sure her eye does not get infected and to see if she calms down over the next few days.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[apostoliclady]

So sorry for your loss!! I am excited that you are getting a trap. I keep one baited at all times around my coops!! I don't wait for a predator to attack first! Honey buns work great on coons As for adding in new birds. I'd put some younger birds in there with her once she heals a bit, maybe a week or so. I always say there is safety in numbers. She won't mess with them too much of there are several of them. I'd put at least 3 in there. The more young ones you put in, the less likely she'll attack them. They will still have to work out their pecking order, but it won't be deadly.