All of my chickens died over night.

[lollyhoops821]

I'm very new to raising chickens. I have/had just two hens. I check on them every day and give them food and change their water. They both hadent laid eggs in aabout 2 days. But sometimes they skip a day or 2. I went into the coup today and both of my hens were dead. I live in upstate New york I'm not sure if the cold had something to do with it but they have survived through much colder nights,the water had not froze over which happens on the worst nights. My coop is well insulated and there's always a heat lamp on. Any thoughts on the cause.

 

[LittlePip21]

Can you give me any specifics on the bodies? Like, how were they laying/were there abdomens squishy or hard/ anything abnormal at all?

 

[lollyhoops821]

They were both laying on their sides. One was kind of burrowed under some gay and had a sore or a cut on her wing. But I hadent checked their stomaches

 

[Pyxis]

! and sorry for your loss

You actually shouldn't keep a heat lamp on, they don't need it, and if it goes out suddenly and plunges them rapidly into cold temperatures it can kill them. any chance this happened?

Or did you change the bulb recently? Any bulb that is marketed as shatter proof has a coating that is toxic to them and when heated up when the the bulb is on will release fumes that will kill them.

Did you see any further injuries besides the wing wound? Could have been a weasel, they will break into a coop, kill all the birds for fun and maybe drink some of their blood, and then just leave the bodies.

 

[Teila]

Howdy lollyhoops821

I am so very sorry to hear of your loss

As LittlePip21 has mentioned, some more information might be helpful in hopefully working out what went wrong.

If the bodies show no signs of injury, my first thought would be poisoning of some description. Did they eat anything out of the ordinary beforehand? Do they free range? Asked because they may have found something to eat that they should not have. No chance that they ingested some mould? Old, damp food etc?

Any chance, with the heat lamp they got too hot or it was too stuffy in the coop, no change to air flow etc from previously?

Are you able to check them over thoroughly? Any chance it could be snake bite?

Sorry, I know I am probably not being much help and have more questions than answers but just trying to rule out some things and narrow down the field of possible causes.

 

[lollyhoops821]

So upon further inspection it was deffiently a predator. The chicken who was sort of under hay, the head was missing. I just needed to open my eyes and look. Maybe a fox dug under last night. But thank you.

 

[Teila]

So upon further inspection it was deffiently a predator. The chicken who was sort of under hay, the head was missing. I just needed to open my eyes and look. Maybe a fox dug under last night. But thank you.

Aaaw, so sorry!

 

[lollyhoops821]

I'm extreamly new to this. And my boyfriend and I have just kind of been winging it. But this page helps a lot. Looks like when all this snow melts im going to have to make my coup a lot safer.

 

[lollyhoops821]

Aaaw, so sorry! 

it must have been horrible, just trapped in there. Poor Debbie and Carla

 

[LittlePip21]

I'm so sorry! That must be terrible to loose them like that, I hope you will have a better turn out next time around!