All my birds are dead… but one

[izzieschickies]

Yesterday at some time in the night a fox has gotten into my coop and absolutely massacred my poor babies, some only 2 years old others seniors.
I believe my bossiest hen died protecting her family as she was just that type of girl.
Im Devastated as I hand raised most of them for months and it was very unexpected given my suburbian location but that’s what happens

I miss them and it constant grief every time I see a food they’d like or hear the deafening silence of my yard.

10 lost, one fighting

 

[LaManuka]

Yesterday at some time in the night a fox has gotten into my coop and absolutely massacred my poor babies, some only 2 years old others seniors.
I believe my bossiest hen died protecting her family as she was just that type of girl.
Im Devastated as I hand raised most of them for months and it was very unexpected given my suburbian location but that’s what happens

I miss them and it constant grief every time I see a food they’d like or hear the deafening silence of my yard.

10 lost, one fighting

Oh how awful, @izzieschickies! I'm so sorry for your devastating loss, that must have been such a dreadful shock! My deepest condolences go out to you. Sending many hugs to you, and prayers for your little fighter to pull through

Godspeed to the Rainbow Bridge, precious ones, until we all meet again

 

[izzieschickies]

Oh how awful, @izzieschickies! I'm so sorry for your devastating loss, that must have been such a dreadful shock! My deepest condolences go out to you. Sending many hugs to you, and prayers for your little fighter to pull through

Godspeed to the Rainbow Bridge, precious ones, until we all meet again

Vet had such little hope she would survive the first night that he only gave her enough pain meds and food for that night, but she pulled through and surprised us all, my mother helped me find a crop needle to feed her with (which was a very difficult task, not a single vet within 2 hours of us nor pet shops had any - except one country bird shop that had absolutely no online advertising) she’s getting sassier again each day and I pray she keeps fighting because she’s shown just how strong she is, she started her first antibiotics today and is still in rough shape, pretty sure vet thinks I’m crazy for trying but she deserves just as much a chance as a dog or a cat and the look she gives me makes me want to fight with her, she’s still there and she wants to be!
Her name is Hayley

(Honestly keeping her in her covered box is very stressful because it’s like a schrodingers chicken, I never know what I’ll find when I open it )

 

[saxguy64]

I'm so sorry! I've been exactly in your shoes, so I get it. Our first four hens, also hand raised as pets, not just livestock, were attacked by a raccoon one heavy rainy night. It got in through the nest box, and killed two of them in the run, and the rain was so hard there was mud everywhere, and it was hard to even see their bodies in there. A third one was dragged off across the yard, and we only found her by the trail of feathers. Clearly she fought for her life, but the miserable predator prevailed, and left her at the edge of the woods, minus her head. Our fourth baby survived somehow, but was in rough shape, caked with mud. We nursed her back to health, and borrowed another hen from a friend to keep her company. They really are social birds, and apparently don't do well all alone.

Several baby chicks later, we're up to 12 of all different kinds. And yes, they all have names, and they have free range time in the yard and come on the porch to visit with us every day

Sending many prayers for you and Hayley

 

[LaManuka]

Vet had such little hope she would survive the first night that he only gave her enough pain meds and food for that night, but she pulled through and surprised us all, my mother helped me find a crop needle to feed her with (which was a very difficult task, not a single vet within 2 hours of us nor pet shops had any - except one country bird shop that had absolutely no online advertising) she’s getting sassier again each day and I pray she keeps fighting because she’s shown just how strong she is, she started her first antibiotics today and is still in rough shape, pretty sure vet thinks I’m crazy for trying but she deserves just as much a chance as a dog or a cat and the look she gives me makes me want to fight with her, she’s still there and she wants to be!
Her name is Hayley

(Honestly keeping her in her covered box is very stressful because it’s like a schrodingers chicken, I never know what I’ll find when I open it )

Oh good for little Hayley, God bless her!! I'd be fighting to keep that little sweetheart alive too if it was me! Of course she deserves every chance at life, and bless you for working so hard to give it to her too Oh I hope she makes it!!

 

[SailBoat]

Huge, Warm Amazon Feather Hugs.

We are all far too comfortable with the false security that life in a suburban location can provide. Sadly, as you have found, all the predators of the open lands that exist beyond our comfort zone, all visit and live along side us.

So sorry for you loss.

 

[izzieschickies]

Huge, Warm Amazon Feather Hugs.

We are all far too comfortable with the false security that life in a suburban location can provide. Sadly, as you have found, all the predators of the open lands that exist beyond our comfort zone, all visit and live along side us.

So sorry for you loss.

Absolutely, nearly 20 years of safety and one night they’re gone

 

[izzieschickies]

I'm so sorry! I've been exactly in your shoes, so I get it. Our first four hens, also hand raised as pets, not just livestock, were attacked by a raccoon one heavy rainy night. It got in through the nest box, and killed two of them in the run, and the rain was so hard there was mud everywhere, and it was hard to even see their bodies in there. A third one was dragged off across the yard, and we only found her by the trail of feathers. Clearly she fought for her life, but the miserable predator prevailed, and left her at the edge of the woods, minus her head. Our fourth baby survived somehow, but was in rough shape, caked with mud. We nursed her back to health, and borrowed another hen from a friend to keep her company. They really are social birds, and apparently don't do well all alone.

Several baby chicks later, we're up to 12 of all different kinds. And yes, they all have names, and they have free range time in the yard and come on the porch to visit with us every day

Sending many prayers for you and Hayley

I’m going to get her at least two friends if she survives but my dad doesn’t really want more chickens, he likes to travel lol

 

[izzieschickies]

She’s doing so much better and goes feral for corn!
Still not out of the woods yet though
At least a third of her neck is covered in dark green bruises and cuts

 

[LaManuka]

Oh that poor sweet baby Hang in there precious little Hayley, we're all praying for you!

 

[BirdyBee]

I'm so sorry, that sounds horrible! I hope your remaining birdie makes it.

 

[Rozalka]

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss . I know a similar tragic story which happened to a bird breeder who bought two bourkies from me - he had A LOT of birds - parrots, pheasants, peacocks and more, I don't even know how were called some birds. For years everything was fine (unfortunately my bourkies passed away somehow but the rest was fine)... until one night when a fox killed almost all birds. Only parrots survived because they were in a cage which was too high for the fox. But the rest was gone, no survivors.

Fingers crossed for Hayley

 

[Ledagcc]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It's a terrible feeling.
Hayley you are brave! Say good job to her! Fingers crossed!

 

[Terry57]

Sending prayers to Hayley that she will come through this, and more to you because I cannot even imagine how devastating that was.
I am so very sorry for your losses.

 

[izzieschickies]

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss . I know a similar tragic story which happened to a bird breeder who bought two bourkies from me - he had A LOT of birds - parrots, pheasants, peacocks and more, I don't even know how were called some birds. For years everything was fine (unfortunately my bourkies passed away somehow but the rest was fine)... until one night when a fox killed almost all birds. Only parrots survived because they were in a cage which was too high for the fox. But the rest was gone, no survivors.

Fingers crossed for Hayley

Oh that’s terrible!
Ours had just come into lay as well

 

[izzieschickies]

She took her first steps in days today!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Thank you for your bravery in sharing your story, and thanks to little Hayley for reminding us all of the spirit of survival and love that we can share with our birds.

 

[Chrissiejingles]

I am so very sorry for your loss..
Sometimes the natural instinct of predators takes our most precious babies from us, and it is very hard to bear.
My thoughts are with you and little Hayley. She is clearly a fighter. I pray that she pulls through.

 

[izzieschickies]

I am so very sorry for your loss..
Sometimes the natural instinct of predators takes our most precious babies from us, and it is very hard to bear.
My thoughts are with you and little Hayley. She is clearly a fighter. I pray that she pulls through.

I believe it was a mother fox as I know they tend to ‘complete the job’ because they’re teaching babies how to survive but very mad that she chose suburban chickens rather than the overflow of rabbits (glad she didn’t get my bunnies!)
Thank you for your kindness

I can’t blame the fox for doing it but I sure can be mad at it

 

[izzieschickies]

Thank you for your bravery in sharing your story, and thanks to little Hayley for reminding us all of the spirit of survival and love that we can share with our birds.

When I first took her to the vet we prepared to lose her in the night, he didn’t do much for her with future in mind just what he could do to put her at ease (pain meds, food, fluid)
He wasn’t even going to seal the wounds but one on her neck we only saw once she was being put back in her box to go home and he though it was bad enough to staple a dying bird poor baby

The vet wasn’t in office the next day so we had to scavenge to find her some pain meds that would be okay - we found some cat meloxicam and gave her the dose we found online and hoped for the best still expecting to lose her the second night

Giving her Non prescribed meds was risky and scary but I knew that night that pain was her body biggest enemy, she just looked so sore and could barely lift her neck
The next day the vet called to book an appointment for her after seeing the updates we left for him with the nurses
we showed up at the vet at the earliest appointment possible and shocked the poor man!
This time he took a swab of her smallest but worst looking wound because it had turned green

He wasn’t sure if it was bruise or infection (hence the swab) and he gave her more meloxicam and antibiotics and fed her again with the crop needle. ( which we have been doing twice a day, I guess I can put crop feeding adult chickens on my list of skills now lol - it is not easy!)

She can still bite quite hard when she misses the corn!