First Death

[ChickyCh00k]

I am so sorry you had to experience this tragedy, there is no better place to come to than this site, as we love our chickens as much as you do your own flock. Nothing I can say will help, so I'll just pray that you find comfort in the rest of your flock and that they seem to have a great place to live out their lives with you.

I do recommend overhead netting, highly recommend it. We sectioned off a 50x50 area for our girls to roam free that is fenced in and netting above them. Heavy duty netting isn't too expensive, but the weight of knowing they are "safer" with it than without is worth the expense. We have 2 cameras that we keep an eye on them as well, we love our girls and I know you do as well. Hug a chicken today, best therapy around.

Thank you! I hugged all the chickens that would allow it (3 of the 7 left will jumpnup on my lap when I sit near them, lol). I have purchased overhead netting: Two 25x100 rolls(supposed to be here Monday) and I'll figure a way to cover our entire chicken yard (probably with 8' t-posts set up to drape the netting over)... I definitely will be doing everything in my power to ensure that hawks can't get at my girls. There were 5 circling my property just now! I have cameras in the run and the coop, but will be adding more, in order to see the chicken yard better.

I appreciate the advice and sympathy!

 

[SchwartzLakeFarmNC]

Thank you! I hugged all the chickens that would allow it (3 of the 7 left will jumpnup on my lap when I sit near them, lol). I have purchased overhead netting: Two 25x100 rolls(supposed to be here Monday) and I'll figure a way to cover our entire chicken yard (probably with 8' t-posts set up to drape the netting over)... I definitely will be doing everything in my power to ensure that hawks can't get at my girls. There were 5 circling my property just now! I have cameras in the run and the coop, but will be adding more, in order to see the chicken yard better.

I appreciate the advice and sympathy!

That sounds like a great plan. I think 8ft post would work, we ended up using 4x8 wood posts with a board at the top to help support the middle, but T post could also work as our section was attached to a shed and then to our fence so I had issues with keeping it high enough to walk under.

Your chickens have a great flock leader and owner in you. Wish you all the best.

 

[RedHillChicken]

Thank you, Fluffy . I'm absolutely gutted about it. I hate the thought of them having to be locked in the run (the girls are also not happy about it - they're all just standing by the door like,"it isn't bedtime..."), but I also don't want to risk losing anymore - I love them so much. Overhead netting is the next step, I guess.

I'm not even certain it was a hawk, but I can't think of anything else in my area that would've left her like that. We have raccoons and coyotes around here, but I think there would have been more carnage and less chicken left if it was one of those animals. Uuuggghhh, I'm just horrified.

Could have been a raccoon. We've had an attack that left one dead with just its throat cut. If you put up overhead netting, be aware that the plastic stuff is a waste of money, time, and doesn't protect. I'd get the heaviest duty, close weave netting, or better yet, use hardware cloth. Metal is the best so protect your flock.

 

[21hens-incharge]

@ChickyCh00k have you thought about building a chicken tractor to range them in?

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Could have been a raccoon. We've had an attack that left one dead with just its throat cut. If you put up overhead netting, be aware that the plastic stuff is a waste of money, time, and doesn't protect. I'd get the heaviest duty, close weave netting, or better yet, use hardware cloth. Metal is the best so protect your flock.

It could have been a raccoon, but I'm fairly certain, now, that it was a hawk. I think a raccoon would've done way more damge to the fencing (the spot where she was killed theres no way a racoon's hand would have fit through and there were no holes or damage to the fence, no place where it could have gone under). I think it MUST have been an overhead attack, as we have several of them circling our property today.

My run is covered in hardware cloth, but unfortunately, I can't cover my whole fenced in chicken yard in HWC and I'm not willing to keep them locked in the run forever - they would be miserable. We'll put the overhead netting up, enclosing the chicken yard, and hope that it is hawk prevention/deterrent.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

@ChickyCh00k have you thought about building a chicken tractor to range them in?

I hadn't....until yesterday. I wouldn't rule it out completely, but I don't love the idea of having them in such a small, confined area for long periods. Depending on how well the overhead netting situation goes, the tractor will be on the *list* for sure!

 

[rlschroeder]

I lost my first chicken today. My husband found her in a pile of feathers with her head hanging by a thread. I'm just devastated. I assume it was a hawk as the netting/fencing around the chicken yard was completely in tact and none of the other chickens were harmed.

Is there anything else that would have left the body that way? She was my heaviest bird, so I assume the hawk wasn't able to take her once it killed her(?)

I feel just awful. They're only a year old. I have locked the rest of the flock up in the run. I knew this was a risk of letting them be out in the yard. It's terrible not knowing what did it.

RIP, Loki

So sorry for your loss! I too just loss my first hen, also a Barred Rock. She was so sweet and mild-mannered. We don’t know what really happened either… a neighborhood dog got loose and into our yard and chased her into the woods. When we caught the dog, he didn’t have her. We searched for hours, high and low but nothing. The next day I went even further and found her feathers. No body, nothing. Just feathers. So heartbreaking Needless to say, the rest of the girls are staying in the run for a while. Hope your heart heals soon

 

[ChickyCh00k]

So sorry for your loss! I too just loss my first hen, also a Barred Rock. She was so sweet and mild-mannered. We don’t know what really happened either… a neighborhood dog got loose and into our yard and chased her into the woods. When we caught the dog, he didn’t have her. We searched for hours, high and low but nothing. The next day I went even further and found her feathers. No body, nothing. Just feathers. So heartbreaking Needless to say, the rest of the girls are staying in the run for a while. Hope your heart heals soon

So sorry about your hen! It really is a terrible feeling. We do so much to prevent unexpected death/injury, but the simplest mistake (or something not as much in our control, like a loose dog) forces us to learn the hard way. My husband and I are STILL covering our chicken yard with netting - a much more difficult endeavor than we expected, and the hawk is still circling our property every day. I'm letting my hens into the (mostly) covered area of the yard, but only when I am outside. They HATE being in the run for so much of the day, so I'm trying to find that balance between their health/happiness and their safety until we have completed the overhead netting project. I hope you're able to find that balance as well!

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

oh I'm so sorry it's so sad to lose any pet. sending hugs.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

oh I'm so sorry it's so sad to lose any pet. sending hugs.

Thank you for that. It has been a very sad and eye-opening time in my (fairly new) chicken-keeping journey.