- Jan 29, 2012
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Here is the situation and hopefully somebody has some good advice (sorry for the lengthy post):
I have/had a flock of 16 hens (four of five different breeds) that have been together for over a year without issue that I know about. In the last 6 days I have had four hens die. The coop and outdoor enclosure are fully protected against predators. The coop has had the large door closed at night with the chicken door open to the enclosure. The coop and enclosure are located in my backyard which has a four foot split rail fence with wire around the entire yard to keep my two German Short Hair pointers in (they sleep in the house). The enclosure has heavy chicken wire on the walls, light chicken wire on the roof along with a partial solid covering. The base for the walls is a pressure treated beam extending 1 foot into the ground. The floor of the enclosure has chicken wire with a sand covering.
Here is what happened:
1. Last Thursday morning my wife found 2 dead silkies
2. Last Friday morning at 4:45 I heard a loud commotion coming from the hens. I investigated, saw a bunch of feathers but nothing else, a quick count seem to indicate that all the hens were alive, however I could have possibly miscounted. Later my wife found a white leghorn dead on top of the outdoor enclosure. I found a small gap in the wire roof where it met the solid roof, the hen escaped through that space and died from its injuries.
3. This morning, at 4:45 my wife told me that she heard a commotion from the hens at 10:45 PM and thought that a hen was dead (no idea why she did not wake me). I investigated, found a dead golden comet and noticed in several places where the wire roof was pushed up, indicating that the hen most likely was trying to escape. What is interesting about this dead hen is that entrails where exposed indicating a fight and that it was missing many feathers from the base of her back. Previous to this morning I had noticed the bare spot on the hen getting larger over several months.
Any suggestions on what is killing my chickens?
1. I find it hard to believe that a fox is causing the damage, seriously doubt it could get to the chickens, let alone get past the fence around the yard and get back out. Several years ago, a fox did come into the yard and could not get out. My male GSP found it.
2. If a fox was climbing on the enclosure, I don't think this would scare the chickens. I have 2 GSP's that bark at hens, jump against the enclosure wire and the hens pretty much ignore them.
3. Would a snake cause the hens to panic? It could be possible that one is hiding in the coop under the nesting box. I live in Maryland, doubt it would be a large snake
4. Do I now have some predatory hens or hens asserting their dominance? The dead hen this morning with the missing feathers over time could indicate a problem. This seems the most likely scenario. Would it be unusual for the hens to fight at night when they sleep? Also if this is the case, how do I identify the alpha and what do I do to solve the problem?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
I have/had a flock of 16 hens (four of five different breeds) that have been together for over a year without issue that I know about. In the last 6 days I have had four hens die. The coop and outdoor enclosure are fully protected against predators. The coop has had the large door closed at night with the chicken door open to the enclosure. The coop and enclosure are located in my backyard which has a four foot split rail fence with wire around the entire yard to keep my two German Short Hair pointers in (they sleep in the house). The enclosure has heavy chicken wire on the walls, light chicken wire on the roof along with a partial solid covering. The base for the walls is a pressure treated beam extending 1 foot into the ground. The floor of the enclosure has chicken wire with a sand covering.
Here is what happened:
1. Last Thursday morning my wife found 2 dead silkies
2. Last Friday morning at 4:45 I heard a loud commotion coming from the hens. I investigated, saw a bunch of feathers but nothing else, a quick count seem to indicate that all the hens were alive, however I could have possibly miscounted. Later my wife found a white leghorn dead on top of the outdoor enclosure. I found a small gap in the wire roof where it met the solid roof, the hen escaped through that space and died from its injuries.
3. This morning, at 4:45 my wife told me that she heard a commotion from the hens at 10:45 PM and thought that a hen was dead (no idea why she did not wake me). I investigated, found a dead golden comet and noticed in several places where the wire roof was pushed up, indicating that the hen most likely was trying to escape. What is interesting about this dead hen is that entrails where exposed indicating a fight and that it was missing many feathers from the base of her back. Previous to this morning I had noticed the bare spot on the hen getting larger over several months.
Any suggestions on what is killing my chickens?
1. I find it hard to believe that a fox is causing the damage, seriously doubt it could get to the chickens, let alone get past the fence around the yard and get back out. Several years ago, a fox did come into the yard and could not get out. My male GSP found it.
2. If a fox was climbing on the enclosure, I don't think this would scare the chickens. I have 2 GSP's that bark at hens, jump against the enclosure wire and the hens pretty much ignore them.
3. Would a snake cause the hens to panic? It could be possible that one is hiding in the coop under the nesting box. I live in Maryland, doubt it would be a large snake
4. Do I now have some predatory hens or hens asserting their dominance? The dead hen this morning with the missing feathers over time could indicate a problem. This seems the most likely scenario. Would it be unusual for the hens to fight at night when they sleep? Also if this is the case, how do I identify the alpha and what do I do to solve the problem?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
