4 more chickens went in a day a while back. Gertrude is the last one alive. I kept her in the coop for about a week (with plenty of food and water) but could not figure a way to fence out whatever can take chickens that stealthily and leave no trace other than a few feathers.
I'm not going to build Fort Knox for poultry. The investment is crazy high and the odds of it working crazy low. Keeping a chicken strictly inside is not humane. So, after several days we had a chat, Gertrude and I (I did most of the talking), and I told her she was on her own to be wily and careful. So far so good! And she laid a couple of eggs again. She shut down after the trauma of losing 4 companions in a day.
Here's hoping she remains OK but for now, she's living her best hen life.
