Chicken died *GRAPHIC**

[Jlee27]

i found that my young easter egger dead by the coop. I dont know if its because of pecking order or not. Anybody have an idea as to what caused the death? I do have five older fully mature hens, but they have been living together for two weeks now. I also live by a forest but there is no way for animals to get in from the ground.

 

[Eggcessive]

Did you check to see that your chickens were locked up inside their coop last evening? When did you last see her alive? She looks like she was pecked or attacked, hard to know. Have you checked for cuts and puncture wounds? Was she low in the pecking order? If you are next to woods, there could have been a number of predators around at night. We have bobcats, fox, raccoons, coyotes, hawks, and oppossums. Many of those would have carried off the body. I would lock up your chickens for now, and try using a game camera to see if something comes around your coop. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Skyle]

Especially the last two wounds showed make me think about a predator. Maybe a hawk got her if you said ground predators can't reach the chickens.

 

[Jlee27]

Did you check to see that your chickens were locked up inside their coop last evening? When did you last see her alive? She looks like she was pecked or attacked, hard to know. Have you checked for cuts and puncture wounds? Was she low in the pecking order? If you are next to woods, there could have been a number of predators around at night. We have bobcats, fox, raccoons, coyotes, hawks, and oppossums. Many of those would have carried off the body. I would lock up your chickens for now, and try using a game camera to see if something comes around your coop. Sorry for your loss.

Especially the last two wounds showed make me think about a predator. Maybe a hawk got her if you said ground predators can't reach the chickens.

Thank you! We usually keep our chickens in a cage but we leave the coop door open, and the run is also open but only from the top. I saw her alive yesterday night in the coop with all of the other chickens. All of my younger chicks were fairly low in pecking order because of their age, but this one laid down a lot. I wasnt sure if she was sick or not but she lived for three weeks since i got her from tractor supply. Her neck has the puncture wound and her eyes were all bloody but it couldve been from the crows that were scavenging. Ive locked my other chickens inside and left her outside to see which animal it could have been. Thank you for your help!!

 

[Eggcessive]

With your run open at the top, an owl or other nighttime predator could fly right in. I would cover the top of your run, especially if you cannot lock them inside the coop or let them out early in the morning. There are a lot of coop and run designs to see on BYC. I cannot locate the section on coop and run designs, but here are a number of threads about coops:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance.9/

 

[Jlee27]

With your run open at the top, an owl or other nighttime predator could fly right in. I would cover the top of your run, especially if you cannot lock them inside the coop or let them out early in the morning. There are a lot of coop and run designs to see on BYC. I cannot locate the section on coop and run designs, but here are a number of threads about coops:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance.9/

Thank you!! Ill try it out