Broken necks

[suenami]

I’ve lost two hens this week both appeared to have broken necks. Any ideas?

 

[gtaus]

More information would be helpful, such as the age of your birds, coop and run setup, etc... At any rate, I'd suspect a predator attack and be looking at making everything more secure.

 

[sourland]

Is something spooking them and causing them to fly into something and break their necks ? I had a similar problem when a Great Horned Owl was harassing a pen of ring neck pheasants.

 

[cmom]

Do you have any game cameras? Most likely whatever it was will be back.

 

[wildwestcoast]

I’ve lost two hens this week both appeared to have broken necks. Any ideas?

Any bite marks or signs of a struggle?

 

[Darlene E]

Last year (when my RIRs were about 6 months old) I was working in the yard and heard a very loud thump. Went to check on the chickens and one was laying beside the coop dead with a broken neck.

I don't know what spooked her unless it was the other hens chasing her (she was the smallest of the 4 and they tended to chase her around the run sometimes).