Another Fatality :(

[musikfan]

Good evening all. I posted about this orginally in another forum because I thought it might be odd chicken behavior but now I'm beginning to wonder if it's not a predator.

I went out to the coop this evening to check water and food and found another one of my girls dead in the coop. It appears that she was pecked all over the side, but I'm wondering now if it might be a rat?? There were no signs of anything breaking through the wires or any kinds of holes being dug, but I do have a large enough space under the door that a rat could get in. What are the signs that it's a rat? I can't think of whate else it would be since everything else in the coop is intact. Or do you think she might have been sick and the other two pecked her to death?? I'm pretty confused now. This is exactly how I found my other hen a few weeks back. I'm stumped.

 

[cmom]

It may have been a natural cause. I have found birds dead in their coops for no apparent reason. One day the appear fine and the next day they're dead. And the other birds will peck at them. Also I have found one dead then a few days later find another bird dead in the coop and then you may go for a very long time with no issues at all. Are your birds large fowl or bantams? If you think predator you could put a camera up in the video mode and check the behavior and also look for any predators. Good luck...

 

[musikfan]

It may have been a natural cause. I have found birds dead in their coops for no apparent reason. One day the appear fine and the next day they're dead. And the other birds will peck at them. Also I have found one dead then a few days later find another bird dead in the coop and then you may go for a very long time with no issues at all. Are your birds large fowl or bantams? If you think predator you could put a camera up in the video mode and check the behavior and also look for any predators. Good luck...

I have Buffs. Thanks for your input. I have no idea what is going on at this point. This one was acting funny the other day. I will often feed grass to them through the chicken wire, and they all have always come running and fight with each other to get the grass from my fingers. The other day I did that and two of them came up like normal but the other one just hung back and stood there looking at me. I thought she was acting funny, so I'm wondering if she contracted something. She is only about a year two months old, so it's not old age. I'm still puzzled at this point....

 

[musikfan]

Well folks.....number 3 was found dead this morning. I most definitely have a critter of some sort....rat or weasel or skunk maybe? I'm going to have to try to plug up the space under the door....I think this is where they are getting in. Everytime this happens the food is all upset/spilled and you can tell there was a scuffle in the coop. I'm going to give my one last hen to a friend who has ten of his own. My poor little girl is distraught, I think. I don't want her alone or she'll mostly likely be the next victim, plus I think it's not good for her to be alone. I went out this morning and tried to feed her some apple peels and she just stood off at the far end of the coop and wouldn't come over to me like normal. Poor thing is probably ultra stressed...

 

[musikfan]

Hey All. It's been a while since I've posted anything. Just an update to let you know that I finally figured out that it was most likely a weasel or a rat that was getting my chickens. After I found the third one dead, I decided to board up the space under the door in the run. I've had no issues since then, but my poor girl has been lonely now since the end of November. However, I'm in the process of getting three more birds from a friend, so hopefully she'll have some company in the near future. Poor girl! She was so traumatized at first. She just kind of stood there in the run and looked around. I guess I'd be traumitized if I witnessed three of my companions get murdered in front of my eyes. But she seems to be better now. At first she wouldn't take anything from me when I offered treats, but now she's excited to see me when I come out to the coop, running back and forth.

 

[Isadora]

Hey All. It's been a while since I've posted anything. Just an update to let you know that I finally figured out that it was most likely a weasel or a rat that was getting my chickens. After I found the third one dead, I decided to board up the space under the door in the run. I've had no issues since then, but my poor girl has been lonely now since the end of November. However, I'm in the process of getting three more birds from a friend, so hopefully she'll have some company in the near future. Poor girl! She was so traumatized at first. She just kind of stood there in the run and looked around. I guess I'd be traumitized if I witnessed three of my companions get murdered in front of my eyes. But she seems to be better now. At first she wouldn't take anything from me when I offered treats, but now she's excited to see me when I come out to the coop, running back and forth.

I'm glad you're getting her some friends.