| Author | Content |
town2country
Carthage, TN
September 05, 2007
12:09 PM Post #3940051
| I transferred my 25 chicks to their hen house this past weekend. They're 5 weeks and have most of their feathers. Everything was great, they were running around loving their new home, roosting on the roosting bars and having no problem running up and down the ramp from the enclosed run to the coop. Then this morning I go out and tradgedy. Two were outside the run, free, but unhurt, one has a cut across the side of its head but seems okay, another is cut acrosss one eye and seems to be dying, one is missing and two were in the run dead. I feel so bad, I thought we had seal up any cracks where anything could get in, but something obviously got to them. The people who lived in our house before had chickens and told us a racoon was stealing the eggs. We thought we figure out that he slipping under the hen house into the run and then going up the ramp into the hen house. We blocked under the coop with chicken wire filled it in with dirt and then blocked it with heavy rocks. Now we see a small space around a pole beam in the ceiling of the coop and we are thinking maybe a racoon got in through there. The space is kind of shaped like this: OI with the O being the beam and the I the board next to it. The space between the board and the beam where they are closest is about two inches but the beam is round so the edges have more space maybe 4 inches. Could a racoon sqeeze between a small space like that? My dh is going to block it off just in case.
The other mystery is how the two chicks got out. The small hole is in the ceiling 8 ft up with nothing for them to hop from so I really don't see how they could have gotten out of there. The run is completely enclosed in chicken wire.
Did I move them too soon? Should I have left them in the brooder box longer? Also, what should I do for the injured ones. The one that had it's eye cut we have in a box in our house because she isn't moving and we don't want the others to hurt her. She's just laying down breathing heavy. We put water in a small dish for her but she hasn't drank anything. I'm afraid to put anything on her cuts because I don't want to hurt her more. The other one is still walking around but has that gash on her head. Should I put peroxide or antibiotic oinment on her head? I'm afraid the pain of disinfecting it will make her worse.
Any advice or commiseration will be welcome.
Jenica
|
brigidlily
Lumberton, TX
(Zone 8b)
September 05, 2007
03:39 PM Post #3940794
| Jenica, I'm afraid all I can give you is commiseration. I'm SO sorry about your chicks! That is truly heartbreaking. The scary thing is the one with the eye wound could also have some internal injury. I hope someone comes along with some advice soon. Do you have a vet that treats poultry? |
jylgaskin
Williamsburg, MI
(Zone 4b)
September 05, 2007
03:59 PM Post #3940870
| If you have antibiotic ointment, you can treat the cuts. If it is a gaping wound, clean it out with saline solution (Contact lense saline is fine), treat with antibiotic and put a small piece of tape closing it. Even without antibiotics, wounds on birds heal well. They often look worse than they are as their skin is so thin and tears easily.
I really don't know what could have gotten into the coop, a coon is possible, but so is a weasel. The slash marks though, sound more like a cat and a cat could certainly get in that opening.
For the severely wounded chick, just keep it quiet and warm (Or cool if it is very hot there), offer water and food near by. You'll just have to wait and see. There probably isn't much a vet could do either.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. There isn't much fairness in raising chickens. When you are at the lower end of the food chain, life is rough. |
town2country
Carthage, TN
September 05, 2007
04:44 PM Post #3941056
| Thanks for your help. I took the less wounded one from the coop also because the others were pecking at her wound. I have both of them in a cardboard box on my kitchen table (I keep the ac at 82 and use ceiling fans to cool off so I think the chicks won't be too cold in here). The less wounded one was upset to be taken from the coop and chirped for a while but she helped perk up the other a little. I made them some oatmeal and the less wounded one ate some but the bad one is just sitting there. I did get her to drink a little water by bringing the dish of water to her beak and wetting it. I'm encouraged that she's still alive, I thought she only had a couple hours left to live.
I'm going to do the saline and antibiotic ointment thing now and hopefully they won't get infections. The vet's around here barely treat dogs never mind chickens. Being a rural area most people here see farm animals a lot less emotionally than I do.
I never thought about a cat but that makes a lot of sense, they can squeeze through the tinest holes. There is a cat that we've seen in our lower field so maybe that's it. Well, my husband blocked the gap better so hopefully we won't have a problem.
Wish me luck I'm off to play chicken doctor. |
jylgaskin
Williamsburg, MI
(Zone 4b)
September 05, 2007
06:21 PM Post #3941428
| If you want to watch something to cheer you up, enter "Terry Bradshaw Chicken" in your search engine. (I'd have sent it to you in a link, but never have figured out how. It's well worth it. |
town2country
Carthage, TN
September 05, 2007
09:07 PM Post #3941993
| That did the trick for sure. Hilarious. My husband and I were both cracking up. Thanks, we needed that.
Here's a link if anyone else wants to see it http://www.jibjab.com/view/24177 |
Patchouli78
Foley, MO
September 05, 2007
09:46 PM Post #3942176
| I'm so sorry for your loss Town2Country. I had a similiar tragedy this summer but lost all but one of my twenty five chicks. We strongly suspected cats. Hopefuly the DH fixed the problem. |
jylgaskin
Williamsburg, MI
(Zone 4b)
September 05, 2007
11:34 PM Post #3942603
| I think my favorite part is the Arkansas ICU. I have watched that clip at least a dozen times and still love it. |
town2country
Carthage, TN
September 06, 2007
05:47 PM Post #3944891
| Well the two injured chicks made it through the night. It's amazing, the one I thought was going to die yesterday morning is now on her feet and walking around with one eye open. The only thing that's still making me wonder if she is going to make is she is acting slightly brain damaged. I held a shot glass with water up to her beak and she drank some water but she can't seem to figure out where it's coming from. She swallows what she gets when I put her beak in it but then she bobs her head up and down trying to find it. I thought maybe she wasn't seeing out of the one open eye but she looks up at me when I stand over the box. She also goes over to the waterer (the same kind I've been using since I first got the chicks) and tries to get at the water by pecking at the top of it. It's like she's completely forgotten how to eat and drink.
Is this just chick amensia or is she so brain damaged that she's can't even eat or drink by herself. The funny thing is it's her throat that the injury is on, not her head. I'm hoping that by tomorrow she'll recover enough that she'll figure it out. I really hope she makes it but I can't see myself force feeding a chicken for the rest of her life.
The chicks in the coop made it through the night with only one scrape on the butt of one of them. After thinking about it and reading up on predators I think it was a racoon swiped at them from outside the run yesterday. All of their injuries were right at the head or neck and going for the head seems to be the MO of raccons. I think he was outside the run because otherwise I should have had more fatalities and injuries (although 3 dead and 2 injured is enough for me). The chicken wire of the run was stapled at ground level to a 1x6 board that was half buried into the ground. This meant that the chicken wire was pretty much at ground level so a racoon didn't need a long arm to get to chicks sleeping near the edge of the run. My husband put more boards around the sides of the run so now the racoon would have to strech his arm about eight inches down to touch the ground inside the run. I think that's why only one got it's butt swiped. Hubby is going to put one more layer of boards around the run so our little coon friend can't reach my babies with his grubby little hands.
Patch, that is horrible!! I was ready to cry with only three gone. You must have been devastated. |
jylgaskin
Williamsburg, MI
(Zone 4b)
September 06, 2007
06:33 PM Post #3945050
| Give the chick a little more time, she will probably recover her "memory".
I can just picture that coon last night, up to his armpit in chicken wire and trying to reach the chicks. You are right though, coons will pull a bird through the wire piece by piece if they can. |
MistyMeadows
Payneville, KY
(Zone 7a)
September 07, 2007
09:20 AM Post #3946971
| Town, Where are you feeding them? Is there feed in the pen where they sleep? We lost 350 chicks one night. Could find no trace of them for a long time. Then cleaning out the straw, we found a "hole". It appeared that rats were taking the chicks right into the hole. Killed everyone of them. That one hurt. At almost a dollar a piece and you can only write off the cost of the chicks.
Kathy |
Patchouli78
Foley, MO
September 07, 2007
11:42 AM Post #3947486
| It was terrible. You are probably right about it being a coon in your situation, but don't forget that cats do the same thing. They will eat heads and necks, and just kill for sport.
This message was edited Sep 7, 2007 9:44 AM |
town2country
Carthage, TN
September 08, 2007
12:10 PM Post #3951245
| Well, looks like the hurt chicks are going to be able to leave the ICU soon. They are both eating, drinking and very active this morning and from the speed in which they dirty the paper liner, their digestive systems seem to be working fine. I'm just waiting till their scabs heal up better because the other chicks like to rip off any scabs they see, as both me and my husband can both painfully attest.
The last two morning there were no more injuries in the coop. Hopefully whatever was after them has given up. So it looks like my total loss was only three chicks, which after hearing some of ya'lls stories, I'm realizing isn't that bad.
Thanks so much for all your advice and support. |
mgsuzette
ras tanura
Saudi Arabia
September 10, 2007
11:31 AM Post #3958367
| In 2000, I ordered from McMurray and began my fascination with these beautiful birds. In 2004, I came to work in Saudi Arabia and had to give my chickies to my Master Gardener buddies. I sure miss them, but can really sympathize with your loss. Opposums were my biggest headache. It is really important to make sure there is no opening for anything to get in. And although our town had a leash law, some irresponsible dog owners let their animals out early each morning, and they killed several of my most beautiful roosters. Take heart...keeping chilckens is worth it, but just as caring for any pet there is sometimes loss involved...but it really is worth it and I plan to have them again when I return to NC in three years! |
DargerFarms
Greenfield, IN
September 20, 2007
01:31 PM Post #3997600
| I stumbled onto this web site today - and laughed out loud at the chicken lady from Arkadelphia! So I had to subscribe . . .
We learned the hard way about skunks. They are in the feline family, and will return until they wipe out every chicken and duck. They are pretty sneaky as well - not showing themselves sometimes like a racoon might do.
We were successful in letting them( we've had 2) stay there a day or so, until it sort of gave up and quit pacing back and forth - it just tucked its head under its tail. Then we had a tarp ready, snuck in quietly, and shot it. They always spray, so we threw the tarp to avoid getting spray in the wood of the chicken house walls. Later, we just threw the tarp away, and the smell was gone in about a day. But we've lot huge Buffs, Pekins, australops, hamburgs - you name it. Good luck to you and your babies! |
whatsupdoc
Gainesville, FL
May 15, 2008
09:19 PM Post #4957455
| Sorry to hear about your loss, but glad the two are better .
My goodnes, I didn't know so many things went after yard birds . Guess i will have to chain my dog beside them for a few nights . But already she is checking them out .Walking around cage . She even pointed at them a couple times [bird dog].Sheknows not to touch our things though . I told her they were hers and mine .
Rats, who would have known !
We have plenty coons,rats, bears,panthers,owl,hawks and other predetors around here . Another reason I gave away my equine because I couldn't afford or take care of another donkey . Nothing came into yard when donk was here, not even our dog and cats after first couple of stomping fits .My genny guarded the outside perimeter.
I will really check out the pen tomorrow ,the chicks are inside ,but the ducklings are in the pen . |
MollyD1953
Canandaigua, NY
(Zone 4b)
May 15, 2008
10:00 PM Post #4957612
| I had a snake try for my chicks yesterday and today I spotted a Kestral Hawk eyeing them . It's going to be tough keeping them safe.
MollyD |
whatsupdoc
Gainesville, FL
May 15, 2008
10:29 PM Post #4957750
|
Molly we have to be much more careful this go round with them.
I just went outside to check on ducks. Do you think maybe I should bring them in with the chics?
They don't like closed places at all, but it may be better than other possibility .
This message was edited May 15, 2008 9:30 PM |
janastasio
Walpole, NH
May 15, 2008
11:36 PM Post #4958047
| Sorry to hear about your experience, but in ways we learn from them. My first experience with chicks was 3 years ago. Had a dog pen with an undercover shelter underneath. Kept my 6 babies in the house until about 5 weeks as well, and then put them out in this area but inside a dog crate with a heating lamp. Went out the next morning, a chicken was gone. I looked all over for it, no signs. So being naieve I thought maybe it slipped out and we will find it. Next morning 2 decapitated chickens in the kennel. At this time I am panicked. I raced up to get my husband who brushing if off as i no way anthing can get in there. That night we put chicken wire in on the enclosed part all the way around. Had everything tight as a drum! Checked on the birds next morning, 2 more decapitated, feathers everywhere. One poor traumatized bird quivering in the corners. She was dropped off at a friends house who had similar age chickens and where she is still residing happily. We poured over nook and crevice of that building and sealed it off, and knock on wood, no problems since! Heart wrenching first time experience. Thankly it was the only one or I would not own chickens now! Sorry for your losses and hope all is better now. -Jaime |
MollyD1953
Canandaigua, NY
(Zone 4b)
May 16, 2008
06:47 AM Post #4958727
| whatsupdoc I think it depends on how secure you feel the ducks are. There comes a point when we have to leave them out in their shelters and hope we've got everything covered.
Jaime something must have been able to reach inside their cage. Racoon maybe? I hear they're very nimble.
MollyD |
RuthE
Earl Park, IN
June 02, 2008
04:57 PM Post #5042190
| Sorry to hear of your lose. My daughter had a dove in a birdcage in the barn and some thing got in and ate her head off. Maybe you can get a haveaheart trap and set it up outside of the chicken yard with tuna in it. If you get anything you will have to check with your village on the procurers. Maybe check with village first they may have a safe trap. Have fun!! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
TamaraFaye
Fritch, TX
(Zone 6b)
June 03, 2008
12:32 AM Post #5044617
| hello Ruth, what in the world is that beuatiful blossom?
we have it narrowed down to a fast snake or a large rat taking our chicks. hunting some more tomorrow...
tf |
granny_goody
Luther, MI
(Zone 4b)
June 03, 2008
09:43 AM Post #5045595
| TF, that looks an awful lot like a passion flower, although in a different color.
GG |
wren107
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 8b)
June 03, 2008
09:54 AM Post #5045640
| That looks like a flower of a tulip tree.
I don't have ducks or chickens, live in city but like to read about every thing. So you may see me around |
TamaraFaye
Fritch, TX
(Zone 6b)
June 03, 2008
09:49 PM Post #5049101
| cool! we love to entertain the chicken-less  |
wren107
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 8b)
June 03, 2008
10:47 PM Post #5049459
| I may not have chickens or ducks but I like birds. Read my threat on bird watching "slave!" and "potted up" |
TamaraFaye
Fritch, TX
(Zone 6b)
June 03, 2008
11:24 PM Post #5049682
| i don't have that forum on my favs, can you post a link? |
wren107
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 8b)
June 03, 2008
11:42 PM Post #5049924
| I am new at this computer stuff but one is http://www.davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/854614/
and the other is http://www.davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/855319/
if this does not work just go to the community screen and then to forums screen and the click on bird watching in the leisurely pursuits.
hopes that works |
TamaraFaye
Fritch, TX
(Zone 6b)
June 04, 2008
09:27 AM Post #5051195
| that was too funny! you are slaves to wild birds like we are to poultry!
tf |
seabob21
Greenfield, MA
July 02, 2008
03:10 PM Post #5193881
| If you have roosters with your chicks. Roosters kill baby chicks. So if you want to keep the hens with them though, just let a few go. And they'll get the other chickens to let them in when they're adults. |
Deedee555
Waupaca, WI
August 16, 2008
02:20 PM Post #5422996
| Chickens coccidiosis- We had a terribly wet spring and two of our older hens were sick, we lost one before we figured out what it was. The flies got at them and yuck. I found a site that had old time farm wisdom, always put a tsp of vinegar in their water and if they get 'runny butt' sprinkle Epsom salts on their food. Not a lot, just like if you were salting your food. It worked. I had to clean up the maggots too, gross. Iodine cleared up the wound. |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 16, 2008
04:45 PM Post #5423443
| town2country,
The chickens should be roosting on wooden bars that are NOT within reach of a raccoon ... in other words ... 24 inches from any fence or wall with holes adjacent where the raccoon might reach from. Solving that situation ought to remedy deaths from the reaching raccoon. Just because the raccoon can no longer reach them from the outside ... does not mean it will not succeed in another method of killing. Burglars and raccoons usually have a backup plan. If it were me ... I'd look at the 2nd most vulnerable spot to see if I couldn't remedy that as another way for the raccoon to kill. If you can get the raccoon out of your community ... you'll be a lot less worried about it killing any more of your precious chickens. I too have had chicken and duck calamity this spring/summer. You have my total empathy. Best wishes
Kelly in Moxee |
chiwee
Hammond, LA
August 26, 2008
08:14 PM Post #5471862
| Hi to all, I am so glad to find this site. We have backyard chickens and a rooster. Three of the chickens are about 10 weeks old. Late this afternoon I noticed one of the chicks was dragging a wing as if it is broken. I have isolated the chick in a pet crate, but I am not sure if I should wrap the injured wing. I am afraid if I wait until I can get to the vet the wing won't mend correctly.
We do have cats (good mousers), old kittens and dogs, but our dogs aren't allowed to roam loose with the chickens. I suspect it was attacked by one of the old kittens.
Does anybody have suggestions? |
Catscan
Lodi
United States
August 26, 2008
08:45 PM Post #5472029
| That is a good question, chiwee. Should one try to tie (wrap) a bird's wing to its body to stabilize it before seeking treatment? |
MollyD1953
Canandaigua, NY
(Zone 4b)
August 26, 2008
09:45 PM Post #5472340
| Wouldn't it depend on how fast you can get it to medical attention ?
MollyD |
chiwee
Hammond, LA
August 26, 2008
09:56 PM Post #5472405
| The injury was discovered too late to get to the vet. I checked on the chick, Rusty Patches, a bit ago and Rusty seems to be okay other than the wing. |
TamaraFaye
Fritch, TX
(Zone 6b)
August 26, 2008
11:40 PM Post #5472871
| if youare still up, i would wrap it for the night to prevent further injury. but do it snugly where Rusty won't hurt himself. Ace bandage or vetwrap.
glad he had no other injuries. something for muscle pain would help, any kind of rub, like blue stuff or something, as long as there is no cut that it would burn... |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 27, 2008
12:02 PM Post #5474321
| Here's my experience with cats. Slight injuries to chickens and guineas seem to have a way of disappearing. Time heals all (or most) wounds.
Cats / kittens and chicks / chickens do NOT mix. Cats will end up eating your chickens instead of the mice since chickens are much easier to catch than mice. Long term ... keeping them quite separate is best because grown-up cats feast on grown-up chickens. I've had cats here eating the chickens for 6 years. I'd estimate 6-10 chickens eaten by cats every year. The cats are the neighbors ... but they find my live box traps with cat food and tuna bait to be terribly inviting. So do the skunks. Both end up in the same place once they find my live trap box. It costs $10 + $6 gas to drop a cat at the Humane Shelter ... and 2 cents to shoot a skunk. The Humane Shelter kills the cats "humanely". We do the best we can for the animals on the land.
Kelly in Moxee
This message was edited Aug 27, 2008 1:10 PM |
Catscan
Lodi
United States
August 27, 2008
01:14 PM Post #5474571
| I have a yard full of cats and chickens. My own cat who was feral when I moved into this house is terrified of the chickens--although I imagine she would take a young chick if given the opportunity. The feral cats here are also afraid of the chickens--in fact having chickens is the only way I have been able to rid my yard of the neighborhood cats. But the cats move in as kittens and are immediately set upon by full grown and very brazen pullets.
If you have young chicks--they probably are very vulnerable to predation by any cat--nice flufffy toys. I also worry about my little nankin bantams and keep them in a covered pen--although they are excellent flyers. Larger birds and cats may be a matter of individual discretion. Barn cats and chickens have been together for eons. |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 27, 2008
01:48 PM Post #5474678
| My experience has been very similar to Cats' Our kittens tried to play with full grown hens and got pecked on the nose. Now they play more respectfully, occasionally rubbing up against the puzzled chickens. I do introduce them to the chicks at a very young age and keep the motherless ones separate, as they have no hen to protect them, but I try to make sure to be there when they first meet so that the cats KNOW how bad it gets if they even look at my babies the wrong way. My BC's are also always on patrol and keep things from getting out of hand. For me just making them know that I expect them to get along and making sure all creatures see me handling each of the rest has kept the peace. The other Kelly (in Moxee -tease!) has had a really rough time with all sorts of predation though and experience dealing with the rough stuff if that's what you find yourself confronted with. |
luvs2garden2000
(Tia) Norman, OK
(Zone 7a)
August 28, 2008
07:07 AM Post #5477584
| my cat was out by the pen yesterday, I let all the chickens out and then opened up the pen on the inside so the turkeys could get a little more room. Well Miss Kitty was out there looking at the turkeys and would look at the other chickens and then at me with this look like, HOLY COW what is that, she is huge. I laughed so hard I was crying. The turkey was looking at her like, dont even think about it sister, I would have you for a snack. |
brigidlily
Lumberton, TX
(Zone 8b)
August 28, 2008
09:57 AM Post #5478094
| I'm trusting that, since I plan on getting HENS and not chicks, my kitties will be intimidated by the huge 2-legged cats with their 2 big teeth on the outside of their faces.
(They're such pussies.) |
luvs2garden2000
(Tia) Norman, OK
(Zone 7a)
August 28, 2008
10:02 AM Post #5478115
| my cat has been around the chicks when they were 2 weeks old and as far as i know she never bothered them. |
grownut
Clarkson, KY
August 28, 2008
10:23 AM Post #5478216
| Mine always looked hard and decided that chickens were beneath their dignity (and possibly bigger and meaner but what cat'll 'fess up to that?). |
Photographer
Moxee, WA
(Zone 4a)
August 28, 2008
06:34 PM Post #5480127
| My flock of adult guineas followed a feral cat down the driveway this morning ... screaming at it all the way till it walked under the neighbors fence and then jumped the creek.
Kelly in Moxee |
Patchouli78
Foley, MO
August 30, 2008
12:15 PM Post #5487024
| LMAO! I bet that was hilarious to watch. |
luvs2garden2000
(Tia) Norman, OK
(Zone 7a)
August 30, 2008
12:54 PM Post #5487186
| I would have fell over laughing. That would be to funny. I cant wait for mine to get big and protect. |
chiwee
Hammond, LA
September 08, 2008
06:38 PM Post #5526161
| Thank you everyone for your replies. I did wrap the wing and in a couple of days it was no longer dragging. I know the wing is okay because he is back to roosting up high in the fig tree. I had to wrap the wing several times because he would work and pull until the wrap was removed.
The cats don't seem to be bothering the chicks anymore. I guess they have gotten big enough to peck. I also keep a squirt bottle out in the yard so when the cats start chasing I give them a few big squirts of water. The cats take off running because they hate to be squirted. |
brigidlily
Lumberton, TX
(Zone 8b)
September 09, 2008
12:17 PM Post #5529466
| It's the only thing that works! Churchill said dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, and pigs treat us as equals. I think he was right. |
chickengrl
sydney
Australia
November 03, 2008
03:22 AM Post #5746440
| hi
I live in suburbia and got two babie chickens to hatch six months ago. at first they grew really well and had absolutly no probs at all.
Until one of them began to crow...
So now he is living back at my schools agriculture plot and is totaly oblivios to the fact that my teacher is soon to kill him.
The sadest thing is not knowing when they will kill him. You see he is like a bro to me. i raised him and loved him and now hes gunna be killed. :(
I know I sound like a huge whinger but i really dont want hin to be killed.
Can any body in NSW Australia posibly have place for a lovely ,tame Rooster ( also very attractive, lovely white colour with a large brown sploge on the end of each wing)?
if any body needs a roo i am sure my teacher would let me buy him back and you could have him for free of me.
Thanks for reading
Chicken girl |
brigidlily
Lumberton, TX
(Zone 8b)
November 03, 2008
12:34 PM Post #5747455
| Sure hope someone helps you out, Chicken girl. |
ZZsBabiez
Lodi, CA
(Zone 9b)
November 03, 2008
11:32 PM Post #5749821
| You should start a new thread Chickengrl, I just stumbled on this by accident!
I think you would get better results.. I wish you luck.. |
Lazy_Ladies
Vancouver, WA
(Zone 8a)
November 04, 2008
12:06 AM Post #5749939
| what about Josh? hes in australia, right -- wonder what part? |
chickengrl
sydney
Australia
November 04, 2008
11:18 PM Post #5753742
| Thank you i will start a new thread, but at first i couldnt work out how to :) and if you could give me some way to contact josh that would be great! |
kassy_51
Pulaski, WI
(Zone 4b)
November 05, 2008
05:21 AM Post #5754404
| We have been raising chickens for a little over 3 years now. We have lost one to a neighbors dog, almost lost one to a hawk. Cats never bothered the chickens. We had leghorns that would chase stray cats out of the yard.
We have had a friendly neighbor cat come through the yard to stop by us outside and greet us, and it ignored the chickens completely.
And we have one chicken that I call our nursing home chicken. At some point she must have had a stroke. She can't see out of one eye, couldn't walk at all on one leg, but now limps on it some. We have to keep her in a pen away from the rest of the chickens, or they would pick on her. And she has still been laying eggs for us.
Remember, chickens will pick on any one that they single out as being weak also.
This is Mitties who we lost last month, with one of our 5 week old chicks. She would never hurt any of out baby chicks or adult chickens.
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
