Lost a hen yesterday

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The Lazy L

Old Cowpoke
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Eight Golden Buffs. Average eggs per day: 8

Monday, gathered 7 eggs. Didn't do my normal head count when I checked the feeder and waterer. One of the eggs had a lot of blood on it, two other eggs had blood splatter. In the past we did have a double yoker, thought I'd see what Tuesday's eggs looked like. Monday evening something spooked the hens, they weren't in the run and "hiding" in the coop. Not unusual for the neighbor's dogs to visit and eat any leftover cat food. Dogs have never bothered the hens. Just before dark a few hens are back in the run, short term spooked?

Tuesday, gather 7 eggs. None of the eggs had blood on them. Unusual to have only 7 eggs two days in a row. Head count, 7 hens. Found #8 dead in the back corner of the run. Vent was bare of feathers and looked like it had been severely pecked.

This is flock #3 and have never had any predators penetrate the coop or run.

We'll see what the future brings.
 
I have a new chicken. It showed up a few days ago and has hung around. It is the ugliest chicken I have ever seen. Half the top of it's head has been chewed off and it's rear end is mangled up. All the injuries are healed and it's doing what chickens do so I guess she'll live. I think she came from the neighbors house and maybe she will go home.
 
I lost one last month. Found it under a pine tree that grew up around the pastire fenceline. Looked like something tried to pull it through the fence. Husband went along the fence and cleared away all the brush and limbs . its not our pasture or fence so we never thought about it before. But now the cows are always right by the fence lol. I'm afraid the big bill might knock it over when hes scratching...and 2 of the more recently born were play fightimg really close and inwas sure they were coming throuhh .
 
that sounds bad. do hens kill their own hen friends?
Sometimes if a hen is weak or already injured other hens will peck them to death. Sorry to hear that you lost a hen, I know how that feels, we lost 6 hens and a mild mannered rooster to a small coon and then we had a really hot week and we lost all but one hen and a nasty rooster, those two in now being taken care of by our dear friends about 1/4 mile west of us, they bought 23 Barred Rock chicks and gave them to us, three were not robust enough and got piled on and died, the remaining 20 are almost adult size and are very healthy. One or two of them are crowing so I may not have to get a rooster from our friends, I'd just as soon never have that nasty rooster back, he nailed me in the ankle one time and I knocked him silly, that didn't stop him from trying to sneak up behind me and try to nail me again, I always carried a walking stick when making sure the chickens had food and water, funny thing is, that rooster gets along with our friend's husband and has never tried to spur him.
 
This is why I installed a padlock on our hen house, all I've had to keep the door closed was two old roost poles and a 2X4 leaning against it, a bear, cougar, coon or dog could knock those over and wipe out our chickens.
 
2 of our hens are molting. One is really lost all feathers on her back.
 
I lost my flock this summer over about 3 days to a fox. I hadn't had any predator problems before and with all my overtime this summer, I didn't have time to check them everyday. I thot they were just hanging out in the weeds. Found the hole patched it up and restocked from some folks I know.

Betwen the dogs and the crow protecting our from the air and the yard the only problem we've had were snakes a couple years ago. Crows will gang up on the hawk in flight and crash into it. Dogs watch hens in pens at night.
 

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