First Death: What to Do?

[Mrs. K]

Instead of you turning the bedding - throw scratch on top of it, and the next day it will look like brand new bedding! Especially as it is summer and you are 32 weeks along and counting!

Do know a good life and a quick end, is pretty darn good way to have it.

This is a reality of keeping chickens that a lot of people struggle with. It happens, and happens fairly often. As my granddaughter says, "It sucks...but not we can get chicks!"

Best wishes all around

Mrs K

 

[Dreammaker]

Instead of you turning the bedding - throw scratch on top of it, and the next day it will look like brand new bedding! Especially as it is summer and you are 32 weeks along and counting!

Do know a good life and a quick end, is pretty darn good way to have it.

This is a reality of keeping chickens that a lot of people struggle with. It happens, and happens fairly often. As my granddaughter says, "It sucks...but not we can get chicks!"

Best wishes all around

Mrs K

Thank you. I totally agree--she was loved, cared for, and just 2 days ago was meandering the yard, eating beautiful grass, herbs, and bugs. I'm glad that whatever this was, it was quick.

I do sometimes use the scratch on the bedding technique. My husband has been taking care of that chore lately, thankfully. But yes, it's amazing how they turn it over looking for bits to eat.

 

[SchwartzLakeFarmNC]

I am also so sorry to hear about your loss, you're amongst family here as we all have shared in these experiences, so we sympathize with your recent loss. I have buried many a chicken and to be brutally honest, it sucks. You do what you feel is best, no one here has the simple answer nor will we ever, but there is plenty of good advice to go around.

My favorite girl, Gidget a Speckled Sussex also died very young, sent her off to determine cause of death, came back as fatty liver. I still miss that chicken....
All of God's creation is precious, and I'm glad your girl have a good life with you and your family, grieve your own way, we are here for support when you need some.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you. I totally agree--she was loved, cared for, and just 2 days ago was meandering the yard, eating beautiful grass, herbs, and bugs. I'm glad that whatever this was, it was quick.

I do sometimes use the scratch on the bedding technique. My husband has been taking care of that chore lately, thankfully. But yes, it's amazing how they turn it over looking for bits to eat.

I'm sorry you lost a bird.
Please please make sure you limit treats. Fatty liver disease is probably much more common than a heat attack.

Treats, no matter what the treat is, should never be more than a tiny tablespoon worth per bird. If you are feeding more than that amount then you are over feeding treats.

Fatty liver disease is caused by what a bird eats. Thin egg shells are another sign the birds diet may not have been the best.

 

[Red Mangrove]

It may be too macabre for most people, but a convenient way of dealing with corpses is hanging a 5 gallon bucket up in your chicken area with 0.5" holes drilled in the bottom. The meat bucket will continually drop maggots for about a week

It's a nice way for recycling predators on my farm. I tossed a possum in there last night that had eaten a clutch of developed eggs

Honestly this seems more logical than burial or cremation, even for humans

 

[Dreammaker]

I'm sorry you lost a bird.
Please please make sure you limit treats. Fatty liver disease is probably much more common than a heat attack.

Treats, no matter what the treat is, should never be more than a tiny tablespoon worth per bird. If you are feeding more than that amount then you are over feeding treats.

Fatty liver disease is caused by what a bird eats. Thin egg shells are another sign the birds diet may not have been the best.

Yes, we try to make sure at least 90% of their diet is good quality feed. They rarely get treats (ex: grubblies, vegetables, fruit, etc)--maybe once every couple of weeks we'll throw a palmful in the run. They also get crushed eggshells about once a week (I fill a small container that hangs on the wall of the run so they can pick at it as they wish). When free ranging, they're really only out for 30 minutes maybe 2-3 times a week; it's not true free-ranging, more just "hey, let's hang out after dinner and admire the chickens walking around." So yes, it's true that in that time, they're grazing on grass and eating bugs and nibbling herbs (through hardware cloth we have around the planters), but overall, I think their diet is pretty good. And fresh water in a 5 gal. bucket with nipples, so the water is always very clean and replenished every week or two.

Everyone else's egg shells are beautifully hard. She was the only one whose shells were ever a problem. I truly think she was just born with a sub-optimal shell gland or something. She never had those really nice, hard egg shells that break into two neat halves. And as I mentioned, was always the most stressed by heat. I can't rule out fatty liver, as I won't be doing an autopsy. I hadn't really considered it, to be honest, but will be mindful in the future.

We'll be keeping an eye on the others and are truly hoping this was just a one-off incident. I'm thankful there was no sign of predators, as I'm sure that would be horrific to witness and traumatic for the other birds.

 

[Dreammaker]

It may be too macabre for most people, but a convenient way of dealing with corpses is hanging a 5 gallon bucket up in your chicken area with 0.5" holes drilled in the bottom. The meat bucket will continually drop maggots for about a week

It's a nice way for recycling predators on my farm. I tossed a possum in there last night that had eaten a clutch of developed eggs

Honestly this seems more logical than burial or cremation, even for humans

I give you credit for being able to do that. I personally wouldn't be able to handle it. It is a dark subject matter, but I appreciate that in death, animals (and humans) can give back to the planet.