4 week old brooding in laundry room dead, water everywhere 8 others al

[nickie]

Just walked into my laundry room where I'm keeping my chicks until they are ready to go outside to find water everywhere and one chick dead. I think it may have a broken neck, but I couldn't fully examines her, my kids came with me to watch me do their nightly housekeeping. I'm so upset, so I'm babbling a little. My problem is something got in there but I don't know what. Will a black snake kill and leave it? The chick was laying on the oposite side of the cage as there waterer but it was empty and all of their bedding was soaked. Now I am not only worried about something getting the rest of them u am worried about them getting sick from the possibly getting wet. There were spots in there that were dry, and I checked everyone's undersides they felt dry but they were all acting funny. There is a three to four hour window that all of this could have happened. I feel like I could have done something. I feel so terrible. Was it a snake?

 

[nickie]

Update: her neck is broken.

This leaves a question in my mind... How long do I use the chick feeders with the holes in top?

 

[southerndesert]

Likely not a snake....

 

[benjoycei]

bring them in the house

 

[welasharon]

What do you have them in? Does it have a top?................and I am not trying to be ugly...but....could the kids have been in there? How old are the chicks? As for being wet they probably didn't get as wet as mine....I turned the sprinkler on like an idiot and soaked my tolbunt polish chicks. I grabbed them up and held them in a towel till dry. I think they do okay as long as they don't get too chilled for too long.

ETA: Saw the age.

sharon

 

[allieloveschickens]

Do you have any pets? You should dry them off, change their bedding and bring them in the house or somewhere else safe until you can predator proof you brooder, so sorry you lost a chick

 

[Theapplechicks]

any other pets? could it have gotten stuck in the waterer or food dish? If your laundry room is indoors it's not likely a snake unless there is a way for them to get in and you know they have before? Pretty unlikely though and if it was I would assume it would have swollowed it. Snakes don't usually kill and leave their prey.

 

[kcfuerst]

Could the chicks have knocked over the water dish onto the little one pinning it down and breaking its neck? Maybe she survived long enough to get to the other side of the brooder.

 

[Cackling Hen]

So sory I say maybe just maybe the kids? How old are your children may i ask?

 

[nickie]

The chicks are 4 weeks old, hanging waterer, so it takes effort to spill it all. The chicks are inside my house in a laundry room that is locked to all but me. I have toddlers so they are not allowed near the chicks without me. That is why it it such a mystery. They are inside, away from my kids (who cannot open the door), away from my dogs, in an old dog kennel (extra large). I have heavy duty construction grade floor paper wrapped around the bottom portion on the kennel to help keep warmth and bedding in. I can't figure it out.

The chick was a silly one, always jumping and flapping if all of the others were standing together. She got everyone running around and flapping. She had a larger rounded head so I'm wondering if she didn't get it caught in her feeder and flailed until she did it or if she tried to Chase a fly and got stuck in the bars of the kennel.

I took the led off of their feeder, re applied new paper and taped any areas where they might be able to get heads through. I checked my laundry room for access points for outside animals ( I have had a few snakes in there in the past). After that I don't know what to do.