I guess I'll start at the beginning. Back in March, we found one of our Orpingtons out in the run dead. We examined her and found no outward sign of any injury, pecking, attack etc. We buried her, kept a close eye on the rest of the flock and hoped it was just a fluke. Fast forward to 2 nights ago... I was closing up the coop for the night, "tucking" everyone in and wishing sweet dreams to the girls and noticed one of my non-broody hens was in a nesting box. I thought it was weird and picked her up and put her on the roost. I didn't notice anyone acting weird yesterday except for last night when I went to close up the coop again, I found the same hen snuggled up for bed under the poop board in the pine shavings. None of my chickens sleep in their bedding so I thought this was weird. I decided I would let her stay. I made a comment to my husband about this strange new behavior and hoped it was just a new quark
I wasn't able to get down to the coop this morning because I was dropping my son off at camp and packing for a trip to VA, so after I put my youngest down for his nap, I went down to the coop/run to give the girls their treats. When I went in to check on Big Mama, our desperate wanna-be momma, I noticed Gaby, the cuckoo maran, died under the poop board where I saw her nestling in for the night last night. Same situation with my orpington. No outwardly sign of attack, pecking, injury, etc. In fact, all the other girls, except Big Mama, were outside enjoying their treats. My question is... are these 2 deaths related? My whole flock is about 1.5 years old. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I feel so guilty for not knowing she wasn't doing well and wonder how many others may be next? Is it normal to lose chickens like this and at this age? Any advice is welcomed.
RIP Gaby Girl!!!! You will be missed terribly. I hope you are pecking around and dust bathing in the sun with Coco in heaven
RIP Gaby Girl!!!! You will be missed terribly. I hope you are pecking around and dust bathing in the sun with Coco in heaven
