Dead hen whilst nesting

[Forrest_Norm]

Thanks for this forum, wish I had found it sometime back.
I just had one of my hens die whilst she was sitting on some eggs. She had been sitting there for about 20 days. Being new to breeding chickens each time one of them has started sitting I've just kept food to them occassionally and just let them be. They have generally been no problems.

This poor girl seems to have tiny little redish mites over her body. Only about 6 weeks ago I cleaned out their whole hutch and replaced all the straw.

I'm worried I've done something to contribute?

What has caused this.

As a footnote, I now have about 6 eggs which by my reckoning should be just about ready to hatch. Any advice here?
Cheers

 

[Ridgerunner]

A University of Arkansas Ag Professor said that red roost mites kill more broody hens than anything else. Sounds like yours is one. This site will tell you about mites.

Ohio State – Mites and Lice
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

You need to treat your chickens and the coop for mites. There are several good products available. I use Sevin myself.

As to the eggs, you can try to make a haycher to finish the hatch, but it is risky. I can't be much help to you on that as I have not made one. You can try searching on home made incubator on this site for ideas. Since you only need it for a day or two, you might try a cardboard box, a light bulb, and a thermometer.

 

[Forrest_Norm]

Thanks so much for your assistance.

I've just kinda made up a temporary hatcher, but I'm not holding my breath. The eggs were under her all night (cold night) and seems she was dead for about 12 hours I would think. She was very cold.

RIP Mrs White

 

[caralouise1974]

Oh I am so sorry for your loss. Poor Mrs White.

I just almost lost a broody to mites myself so I really do feel for you. Our girl made it off the nest alive, but only had one live chick out of 11 eggs (the mites killed one as it hatched and another shortly after hatch) and she was pitifully thin and anaemic. She didn't eat for days and we thought she was going to pass away. However, she is beginning to improve now (the chick is three weeks old) as we went all out to remove the mites as soon as we discovered them (when the chicks were 48 hours old).

I dusted the chick, used ivermectin pour-on for the adult hens, and completely scrapped the housing, which was infested with mites. We moved the hens to another nearby coop, which we treated with Duramitex Plus, deltamethrin spray and a barrier red mite powder, after removing all the bedding and painting it inside and out with creosote. It was a lot of work, but I think it narrowly saved our mother hen and her chick. Momma is a beloved pet and I was distraught at the thought of losing her through my own inexperience/negligence.

I have learned some valuable lessons from this (my first experience of having a broody hen):

1. Don't be afraid to disturb her during the incubation in order to undertake basic housekeeping - check underneath her every couple of days for mites (put your hand into her bedding for thirty seconds and pull it back out and examine it - if there are mites you'll see them crawling around on your arm) and change her bedding once a week at least.
2. Keep her in a wire cage if possible, rather than a warm, dark, moist coop. Mites don't like daylight, so a wire cage in a secure sheltered indoor location (eg a barn, outbuilding or garage) will deter them. She doesn't need to be outside in the coop - she just needs to be in a mite-free, safe environment with merely enough room to house her nest and feed/water bowls, and for her to get off the nest and stretch her legs once in a while to poop and flap her wings. She'll be perfectly happy and safe.
3. Monitor her condition daily - we had completely hosed down and dusted the coop the day we set her on the eggs, but by day 21 she was at death's door. Problems with mites can develop fast, and because the broody is on the nest 24 hours a day, they can continuously feast on her and multiply far more speedily than usual, proving fatal incredibly quickly.

I'm just sorry I had to learn these lessons the hard way - and so sorry your girl didn't make it. It apparently happens far more often than anyone imagines.

 

[purpletree23]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

When you feel up to it clean out the coop again. If you didn't use a chemical bug killer thhe last time you definately should this time. Pyrethrun is very safe. The red mites hide in cracks in the walls and floor. The come out at night to feed on the chickens. You will need a liquid bug killer to spray the entire coop. I've heard of people putting the liquid bug killer in a pump sprayer to make the job easier with less hand fatigue. Please make sure you dust your chickens too and if you haven't get them on a worming schedule. Once in the spring and once in the fall.