Back to back hen deaths in 24 hours

[Treatment Guy]

Hello everyone,

We're in NH. So this morning my poor husband discovered one of our original hens (2 years old) dead in the chicken run, right under the hanging waterer. She was on her side, had no noticeable wounds other than some reddish marks on her neck. My husband assumed it was from the other hens pecking her after she died.

Since we haven't seen any signs of disease or sickness, I brushed it off as maybe a sudden death type thing, heart attack or what have you. I have no reason to think she was egg bound as we had just gotten an egg from her the previous day.

Cut to this evening, my husband goes outside with the dogs and the dogs act interested in the chicken run, something they don't usually do. On inspection my husband finds 4 hens (out of 9 chickens, the rest were in the coop) still out in the run, on a perch we have out there. And, surprise, another dead hen. This time one of our <1 year olds. She too was on her side, red marks on neck (looked like pecks) but no more signs of wounds. There was however a small pool of blood and some random blood splatter.

So, I know weasels could be a possibility...our run is heavily secured against bigger predators, but not weasels. This to me lines more up with why some of the hens were acting funny and not going into the coop. I know they can kill for sport, but I've never had a predator kill just 1 hen at a time, and not take at least a bite out of them. But the other thought my husband had was that a few weeks ago a wind storm had broken a mirror we had outside (a relic from a failed attempt at trying to get guineas to stay in the yard.) And he wonders if maybe some of the glass had gotten into the run, and maybe the hens had found it after this recent thaw and ate it. I would think they would act weird, at the very least, before just dropping dead from something like that.

If anyone has had an experience that is familiar to this, let me know. I appreciate any insight.

 

[Treatment Guy]

I have never seen what you describe. However years ago I read a book about weasels. It did describe the situation you observed. As I remember it, the book said that weasels will eat about every four hours, usually a fresh kill. When they kill a much larger animal like a chicken, they will sometimes just drink some blood and get the energy they need from that. As little as four hours later they may return to your coop. They will prefer another fresh kill to the old kill. In a worst case a single night may see multiple dead chickens.

 

[woodmort]

Weasels usually eviserate and often more than 1 at a time. It could also be a rat. Periodically I sadly find 1 like that of mine and I know I hat a rat issue I am trying to get under control, so I guessing rat. Good luck and so sorry for your loss...

Actually weasels are very territorial so there is a pretty good chance if you eliminate the one that will take care of the problem unless another moves in.

 

[bizziemonkey]

Hello everyone,

We're in NH. So this morning my poor husband discovered one of our original hens (2 years old) dead in the chicken run, right under the hanging waterer. She was on her side, had no noticeable wounds other than some reddish marks on her neck. My husband assumed it was from the other hens pecking her after she died.

Since we haven't seen any signs of disease or sickness, I brushed it off as maybe a sudden death type thing, heart attack or what have you. I have no reason to think she was egg bound as we had just gotten an egg from her the previous day.

Cut to this evening, my husband goes outside with the dogs and the dogs act interested in the chicken run, something they don't usually do. On inspection my husband finds 4 hens (out of 9 chickens, the rest were in the coop) still out in the run, on a perch we have out there. And, surprise, another dead hen. This time one of our <1 year olds. She too was on her side, red marks on neck (looked like pecks) but no more signs of wounds. There was however a small pool of blood and some random blood splatter.

So, I know weasels could be a possibility...our run is heavily secured against bigger predators, but not weasels. This to me lines more up with why some of the hens were acting funny and not going into the coop. I know they can kill for sport, but I've never had a predator kill just 1 hen at a time, and not take at least a bite out of them. But the other thought my husband had was that a few weeks ago a wind storm had broken a mirror we had outside (a relic from a failed attempt at trying to get guineas to stay in the yard.) And he wonders if maybe some of the glass had gotten into the run, and maybe the hens had found it after this recent thaw and ate it. I would think they would act weird, at the very least, before just dropping dead from something like that.

If anyone has had an experience that is familiar to this, let me know. I appreciate any insight.

Do you have rats over there ? Had rats kill 5 of my six buff orp hens over a three week period. Not many of the normal predators kill one at a time, but rats will.