The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[normanack]

aoxa, I don't mean to detract from your situation - and before I start writing, wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss.

Before I read your post, I was outside taking photos of what I came home to today. Thankfully my story hasn't turned out like yours - at least yet.

When I got home I went out to gather eggs - around noon today. As I was walking out there I see this:





You can see these are under the edge of the electric netting. I did kind-of pull some of the feathers toward the camera but when I first came out they were more concentrated right under the net.

So I'm thinking - great...something tried to reach under ...or a hawk...and I was imagining having to go hunting for a body. However when I went inside, they were all there but one of the BRs was in the nest. I waited for them both to get out of the nests and have been observing them but don't see anything obvious. If there weren't feathers on the ground I probably wouldn't have noticed anything - they are both behaving like normal. It looks possible that some tail feathers are missing from one of them.

Now, after having come in and read aoxa's post and the comments that folks have made about not seeing any blood or anything obvious, I'm thinking I should probably remove them from the roost tonight and see if I can get down to skin level and look for any signs of broken skin, etc. I guess it could be possible that she got too close to the netting - maybe sticking her head through?? And possibly got tangled up and thrashing around trying to get loose?

Not sure - anyone have any thoughts?

Big hugs to Aoxa!

Leah's Mom, something a bit similar here today. I was in the house and barely heard some chicken commotion outside -- alarm calls and someone (animal) screaming. I ran out as fast as I could and saw, from a distance, a hawk on a chicken. I yelled horrible things at it as I ran. It flew away, empty-clawed. When I got to the coop, all the chickens except one were inside. One quivering bantam mille fleur d'uccle was outside, hunched and shaking. She had a bloody head and swollen eyelid but I could not find other obvious injuries. She was clearly severely traumatized, though, and would not roost. She crawled under the space where the roost ladder meets the floor.

I went back outside and picked up her pile of feathers, and saw another pile of feathers -- lots and lots of barred feathers -- different bird. She was in the coop, not obviously bloody or injured, but I could not catch her as she's skittish and at that point the roos were being very protective, and everybody was already stirred up. Including me.

I don't know if the bantam will be alive in the morning, or if the barred hen suffered injuries I couldn't see, or if the bantam will be pecked by the other chickens. But I feel very lucky that the damage wasn't so much worse.

One hawk hitting two chickens -- and not immediately killing them -- I didn't know that could happen.

Tomorrow they're staying in the coop and covered run -- they'll hate that -- and Friday we're building some hideys and stringing a whole lot more fishing line.

Here's the bantam, the one on the left, before today.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I did wonder if it may have been a hawk. Interesting thing is that it must have happened yesterday in the late afternoon/early evening - not today. I realized I had closed the gate to the pen last night after they were all in. They couldn't get into the electric net this morning before I got home from work. When I got home from work and went out to open that gate was when I saw that pile of feathers so it must have been yesterday. It was dark enough when I went out to shut that gate last evening that I didn't see the feathers.

I noticed that after I opened the gate today I didn't see any of them go out in the net. Perhaps that's why. The pen has netting over the top; the net is open. If they stay in the pen, they have overhead protection. Of course, a hawk could fly into the gate if it was open.

Big hugs to Aoxa!

Leah's Mom, something a bit similar here today. I was in the house and barely heard some chicken commotion outside -- alarm calls and someone (animal) screaming. I ran out as fast as I could and saw, from a distance, a hawk on a chicken. I yelled horrible things at it as I ran. It flew away, empty-clawed. When I got to the coop, all the chickens except one were inside. One quivering bantam mille fleur d'uccle was outside, hunched and shaking. She had a bloody head and swollen eyelid but I could not find other obvious injuries. She was clearly severely traumatized, though, and would not roost. She crawled under the space where the roost ladder meets the floor.

I went back outside and picked up her pile of feathers, and saw another pile of feathers -- lots and lots of barred feathers -- different bird. She was in the coop, not obviously bloody or injured, but I could not catch her as she's skittish and at that point the roos were being very protective, and everybody was already stirred up. Including me.

I don't know if the bantam will be alive in the morning, or if the barred hen suffered injuries I couldn't see, or if the bantam will be pecked by the other chickens. But I feel very lucky that the damage wasn't so much worse.

One hawk hitting two chickens -- and not immediately killing them -- I didn't know that could happen.

Tomorrow they're staying in the coop and covered run -- they'll hate that -- and Friday we're building some hideys and stringing a whole lot more fishing line.

Here's the bantam, the one on the left, before today.

 

[Bulldogma]

Wow, everyone - sorry to hear about today's loss Aoxa... and the drama others have faced with attacks!

I hope all the surviving birds do OK.

Keep us posted!

 

[Leahs Mom]

PS: I hope yours recover okay! There's nothing like that feeling you get when you see something like that.

Big hugs to Aoxa!

Leah's Mom, something a bit similar here today. I was in the house and barely heard some chicken commotion outside -- alarm calls and someone (animal) screaming. I ran out as fast as I could and saw, from a distance, a hawk on a chicken. I yelled horrible things at it as I ran. It flew away, empty-clawed. When I got to the coop, all the chickens except one were inside. One quivering bantam mille fleur d'uccle was outside, hunched and shaking. She had a bloody head and swollen eyelid but I could not find other obvious injuries. She was clearly severely traumatized, though, and would not roost. She crawled under the space where the roost ladder meets the floor.

I went back outside and picked up her pile of feathers, and saw another pile of feathers -- lots and lots of barred feathers -- different bird. She was in the coop, not obviously bloody or injured, but I could not catch her as she's skittish and at that point the roos were being very protective, and everybody was already stirred up. Including me.

I don't know if the bantam will be alive in the morning, or if the barred hen suffered injuries I couldn't see, or if the bantam will be pecked by the other chickens. But I feel very lucky that the damage wasn't so much worse.

One hawk hitting two chickens -- and not immediately killing them -- I didn't know that could happen.

Tomorrow they're staying in the coop and covered run -- they'll hate that -- and Friday we're building some hideys and stringing a whole lot more fishing line.

Here's the bantam, the one on the left, before today.

 

[chickachee]

We have both named the new washing machine Moaning Myrtle....weirdest machine we've ever heard! It doesn't make a swishing sound like normal washers..just a moaning, whining sound~supposed to be a "quiet" washing machine.

We just think it's annoying...

Moaning Myrtle - good one. The only person I can't stand to watch in the HP movies - her voice causes me to grit my teeth and start to blink rapidly, lol.

 

[delisha]

It seems many will be thinking about getting GP's > I asked the DH yesterday..he said to put my poor Westie outside to live with the chickens.

 

[maryhysong]

Well now me too. Came home to a slaughter. 2 pitbulls probably about 9 months old in one of my pens. Lost my 3 barred banties and two of the BO pullets. Lost 2 Muscovy girls. I have 2 Muscovy ducks, a drake, my BO roo and two pullets in the house with severe injuries. Not really a lot I can do for any of them. Trying to get some molasses and ACV water down them for shock; washed off wounds and covered with NS> I have a light on them to keep them warm b/c they are all in shock

the dogs will not be going home

 

[Omtatsat]

sorry every one Im new and couldnt quite figure out how to ask a question soooo.... with your kind indulgence.I looks as if the gardner got one of our chickens with a weed wacker as right to the left of her throar she has a clean cur loss of feathers about 3 inches lomg , cut half the feathers off but not to the skin . Luckily not injury ... Wiill the fethers grow back or do they have to fall out or ? to grow back ? Tks Oppologies if Im in the wrong place

 

[Bulldogma]

Well now me too. Came home to a slaughter. 2 pitbulls probably about 9 months old in one of my pens. Lost my 3 barred banties and two of the BO pullets. Lost 2 Muscovy girls. I have 2 Muscovy ducks, a drake, my BO roo and two pullets in the house with severe injuries. Not really a lot I can do for any of them. Trying to get some molasses and ACV water down them for shock; washed off wounds and covered with NS> I have a light on them to keep them warm b/c they are all in shock

the dogs will not be going home

Oh no!!! Did you shoot the dogs? (I would have.) Unbelievable!!!!!!!!

 

[Omtatsat]

Sorry about the mispelled words etc was typing in the dark ....doen't look like a cat or animal attack just a clean cut half way down all the neck feathers parallel to the ground