Dead rooster.....

[Davis5454]

My wife heard the hens making their "oh my gosh sound the alarm" noise.....then she went in to quiet the hens.

She looked over......and one of our favorite roosters was laying there dead!!!

No blood.....no signs of a struggle......just a dead bird and some FREAKED OUT hens.

The roo is about 15 months old (was about 15 months old)........

Any idea what might cause this? Was it a natural death causing the hens to freak? Was it something that got him?
I saw no signs of snakes or copperheads.....no signs of weasels.....just a dead roo and a broken egg next to several that were ok.

Thoughts?????

 

[babyblue]

sounds like the rooster caught an egg theift in action and got into a fight with the culpret.

 

[bobbi-j]

Could've been a weasel. They can kill a chicken leaving only a small bite mark where they puncture the vein then drink the blood. DH says a mink will do this, also. I know that weasels don't need a very big space to get in the coop.

 

[Davis5454]

Whats the best way to stop a weasel? Can they fit through chicken wire? If not....I can close up the back wall.

 

[bobbi-j]

Well, they're pretty small, so they don't need a very big space to get in.

 

[Davis5454]

Well....I lost a hen today!!!

I couldn't find a mark on her either!!! 2 birds....no marks!!!

BUT....there were feathers between the boards that look like an animal tried to drag the bird into the crack.
Several feathers.

Still a weasel? or something else? I'm going to TSC tomorrow to get some traps!!!

 

[Davis5454]

Could it be a snake? we have copperheads in the area? but no marks?!?!?

 

[jjthink]

So sad. So sorry. Better get the remaining birds somewhere else immediately - until the place is an absolute fortress - or you'll lose more. And they've already endured way too much terror.
JJ