- May 15, 2014
- 12
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Hi There
I am a small back yard chicken lover. I bought five 18-mo chickens from a local person whom I know. 4 Red Stars and one White Lace Wyandotte. Over the last 5 months since I bought them, one at a time they just drop over dead for no apparent reason within a 24-hour period. Fine one day, gone the next. NO trauma, no feathers. (WEll, one died because she was too young to be with the bigger hens and they pecked her to death. I did not even know they DID that sort of thing as I am new to this.) But the others got along fine. They have a nice CLEAN, moveable coop with pine shavings. They have freedom during the day in a fenced large yard with shade and shrubs and trees and dirt and grass. Feeding Nutrena chicken feed with a little bit of oyster shell and Manna-Pro vits mixed in occasionally. Clean water in a sealed tank. Meal worm treats every couple of days. Sometimes they just die in the yard, sometimes in the box. I am now down to one chicken - the Wyandotte, "Cruella" who is was my ONLY egg layer the whole time that I can tell. She seems fine and happy, even alone. Chickaletta died two days ago...again FINE and healthy, coming well out of her molt, and then found her dead the next morning in the nest. I took her for necropsy to OSU. The shrubs are large Rose of Sharon with some other drought resistant shrubs and one Crepe Myrtle in the porch area. It has cedar mulch, but it is well dried and aired out before I got the chickens. I rake and clean every day. Any ideas where I am going wrong? I feel like an idiot that I can't keep chickens alive, especially when I see how other chickens are living elsewhere. THANKS SO MUCH for any help.
I am a small back yard chicken lover. I bought five 18-mo chickens from a local person whom I know. 4 Red Stars and one White Lace Wyandotte. Over the last 5 months since I bought them, one at a time they just drop over dead for no apparent reason within a 24-hour period. Fine one day, gone the next. NO trauma, no feathers. (WEll, one died because she was too young to be with the bigger hens and they pecked her to death. I did not even know they DID that sort of thing as I am new to this.) But the others got along fine. They have a nice CLEAN, moveable coop with pine shavings. They have freedom during the day in a fenced large yard with shade and shrubs and trees and dirt and grass. Feeding Nutrena chicken feed with a little bit of oyster shell and Manna-Pro vits mixed in occasionally. Clean water in a sealed tank. Meal worm treats every couple of days. Sometimes they just die in the yard, sometimes in the box. I am now down to one chicken - the Wyandotte, "Cruella" who is was my ONLY egg layer the whole time that I can tell. She seems fine and happy, even alone. Chickaletta died two days ago...again FINE and healthy, coming well out of her molt, and then found her dead the next morning in the nest. I took her for necropsy to OSU. The shrubs are large Rose of Sharon with some other drought resistant shrubs and one Crepe Myrtle in the porch area. It has cedar mulch, but it is well dried and aired out before I got the chickens. I rake and clean every day. Any ideas where I am going wrong? I feel like an idiot that I can't keep chickens alive, especially when I see how other chickens are living elsewhere. THANKS SO MUCH for any help.
I would post on the Emergencies section to see if someone can help: 
and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about your flock, X2 on try posting in the Emergencies forum, I hope you are able to figure out what is going on.
Glad you joined the flock. Sorry to hear about your chickens dying. From what you have described it sounds like you have been taking very good care of them and providing them with all they need. You shouldn't feel like an idiot because of them dying it could be something that is out of your control 
I think I would I ask the person you got them from to see if they have any birds dying unexpectedly. Or if they have any disease in their flock which your birds could have also had. Also it could be something genetic with them that is bred into them unknowingly. With no symptoms it's very hard to tell so x2 on the posting in emergency disease injury section. Good luck with cruella and your future chicken keeping 
