Mrs

[vmccreath]

Hi, I lost a chicken on Sunday to a fox and my other chicken has not been the same since. The first day she still laid an egg and was in and out of her hut and seemed to want to free range but today she won't even come out of her hut. Is she depressed/pining? What can I do to help? Should I get her a new friend straight away? This is the first time this has happened and I have no idea what to do. Thanks

[Olly]

Hello, welcome to the forum, and sorry to hear of the loss of your other hen.

 

Are you certain that this hen wasn't injured in any way? It might be worth checking to see that there are no concealed wounds or injuries. If not, then perhaps she is just still shaken and missing her friend.

 

in answer to the second part of your question, yes I would strongly recommend getting another one or two hens as she will be very lonely on her own - they like to live as part of a flock. I would say the first thing is to find out how the fox got in (if he got into the run) and make sure that it can't happen again, but assuming all is secure then I would get her a friend or two.