Dead 10 week old Splash maran

[Sberrie]

Went out to check my chooks this morning. Have 4 year old hens, 10 10 week olds, and 1 rooster. I counted everybody running out but was missing one. Went in and found upside down behind the feed bin. Her head and neck were stretched out and she had blood around her beak. Her head and neck feathers were matted down, like a snake had tried to swallow her. We did have a bad storm last night with lots of thunder, so my question is, is it possible she could've freaked and then ending up breaking her neck and then the snake tried to swallow her?
She was the sweetest little thing. Being one of the biggest peeps but still had the quietest actual peep. She'd come running across the pen and yard to come see me and loved to be held. It broke my heart to find her like that this morning.
My question is,

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We did have a bad storm last night with lots of thunder, so my question is, is it possible she could've freaked and then ending up breaking her neck and then the snake tried to swallow her?

Sorry for your loss.

Thunder storms are scary, no doubt... for the animals.

Upside down behind the feed bin does sound like a terrible accident. I have had birds hang themselves by accident on my dog kennel. I don't think it broke it's neck... but more likely asphyxiated.

Can you post a pic of the matted down feathers? Or your feed bin set up? Did you inspect for any puncture wounds? You already know that you have snakes accessing your coop?

Glad your others are okay!

 

[ColtHandorf]

I've lost half a dozen birds that age and older to snakes this year. If the bird was wet down to about the breast bone it is entirely possible that a snake tried to eat it. Although I didn't notice blood on any of mine.

 

[Sberrie]

I didn't take any pictures and she's already buried. There weren't any puncture wounds that I saw.
I didn't notice any signs of struggle or anything so I'm really hoping it was quick and not being asphyxiated by a snake. And she was a big girl! Almost as big as my Ameracauna hens.

 

[Sberrie]

Sorry for your loss.

Thunder storms are scary, no doubt... for the animals.

Upside down behind the feed bin does sound like a terrible accident. I have had birds hang themselves by accident on my dog kennel. I don't think it broke it's neck... but more likely asphyxiated.

Can you post a pic of the matted down feathers? Or your feed bin set up? Did you inspect for any puncture wounds? You already know that you have snakes accessing your coop?

Glad your others are okay!

Oh but yes I have found and disposed of snakes in the coop before after eggs were going missing.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[Sberrie]

*update*
Decided to check on them at 11PM and found 2 black snakes in there! One was on a top perch with the big girls and another was trying to get to the chicks!
This makes me really sad because it probably means she was asleep on the ground, where she's been before, and a snake came and tried to eat her and couldn't.

 

[That_australian_lad]

so sorry for your loss p.s lost a cat to a snake 2 years ago we had to cull her

 

[ColtHandorf]

I was having a really bad time with snakes. I discovered they were living under the pine shavings in the chicken house and basically making an appearance to eat eggs throughout the day and then popping out at night to go after the younger birds. I always set them up on the roost before bed, but babies have a way of making it back to the floor. I've been keeping the whole yard and fifty plus feet out into the pasture heavily mowed and removed all the bedding from the hen house. It's just dirt now. Well maybe there's a very thin layer of shavings I couldn't get out, but since then, I haven't seen any snakes in the hen house and I've been getting eggs. I'm still not letting the seventeen Lavender Orpingtons or my Silver-laced Orpingtons out of the cage I'm raising them in just to be safe, but hopefully my snake problems are over with.