spencer rifle
Grandmaster
We used to have 4 ISA browns:
On the night of June 3 something broke into the chicken pen (by digging under the fence) and killed 3 of the 4. One was dragged off and never found. Two others were dead - no blood or obvious wounds. The fourth was barely alive - unable to walk or stand or feed herself. Likely suspects: cats, weasels, raccoons. Most likely guilty - opossum. We found a baby opossum (still pouch size) dead in the pen. Family members suggested just butchering the remaining chicken, but I wasn't so sure. She laid an egg two days later, but then no more. After about a week of hand feeding greens and water along with some chicken feed, she started trying to stand. After three weeks she started standing and trying to walk. Now, a month later, she is walking and scratching and getting her own food, and has laid two of the last 3 days.
She was never very friendly, but now she runs away from everyone else but me. When ever she sees me she talks to me and runs over. Never though of chickens as being resilient, but that is one tough old bird.
On the night of June 3 something broke into the chicken pen (by digging under the fence) and killed 3 of the 4. One was dragged off and never found. Two others were dead - no blood or obvious wounds. The fourth was barely alive - unable to walk or stand or feed herself. Likely suspects: cats, weasels, raccoons. Most likely guilty - opossum. We found a baby opossum (still pouch size) dead in the pen. Family members suggested just butchering the remaining chicken, but I wasn't so sure. She laid an egg two days later, but then no more. After about a week of hand feeding greens and water along with some chicken feed, she started trying to stand. After three weeks she started standing and trying to walk. Now, a month later, she is walking and scratching and getting her own food, and has laid two of the last 3 days.
She was never very friendly, but now she runs away from everyone else but me. When ever she sees me she talks to me and runs over. Never though of chickens as being resilient, but that is one tough old bird.