- Aug 15, 2010
- 16
- 0
- 22
I got a call from my Son this afternoon that one of our hens was dead. He said that he got home from school, went to water the chickens and one was lying dead in their outdoor run. I told him to leave it because I wanted to look at it when I got home. When I got there she was laying with her head under the coop covered in ants. I called my Wife to let her know and she was amazed because she had been out with the chickens one hour before my Son got home and they were all fine. This is the second hen we have found dead in the past three weeks that were acting normal and had no signs of injury. Are there any small predators that will kill a full grown hen and just leave it? I cant think of any. The Our coop is an old shed that sits about 3 inches off the ground so if there is some type of animal getting them it would have to be real small to squeeze under the coop. Our Dog was out and acted normal when he got home. Usually if there had been something in the yard she would have been acting very excited. Can't figure this one out. Both hens were hatched at the same time last year so it wasn't old age, and neither showed outward signs of sickness.