Dead rooster?? Need help/advice!!

[abraga]

I keep food and water inside and out. At night I pick up the bowls and put them in the coop. I lock my birds up at night to to every predator imaginable where I live. deer...bunnies..and varmints like he chicken food to. Plus..in the morning they can peck at the food to give them something to do b4 turnout..and while they wait there turn for a fab. Nest box. My coop is 8 x 12 for 20 chickens...however...we free range our birds..so they only use the coop to lay eggs and sleep.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I keep food and water inside and out. At night I pick up the bowls and put them in the coop. I lock my birds up at night to to every predator imaginable where I live. deer...bunnies..and varmints like he chicken food to. Plus..in the morning they can peck at the food to give them something to do b4 turnout..and while they wait there turn for a fab. Nest box. My coop is 8 x 12 for 20 chickens...however...we free range our birds..so they only use the coop to lay eggs and sleep.

What do you do when it snows?

 

[abraga]

I have an 8 x 12 wood shed we converted to a coop. We just open the doors and let them out...snow...rain..they still prefer to go out and free range. Our coop has wood floors and it' up on blocks. When it' hot..they will hang underneath during the day or when it' snowing/raining...but they alway return at b4 dark. We started them in there as chicks. They were in the wood shed for about a month b4 we turned them loose.

 

[abraga]

What do you do when it snows?

Brahma chicken5000...aside from our free range egg birds..i raise brahma to! I keep partridge and dark brahma. Those are in thier own runs..they love the cold!

 

[chickendreams24]

Okay I haven't seen where the OP said they were. I'm leaning towards possible predator attack as well. Mink and weasels can easily fit through chain link fence and find small holes to get through.

If the coop doesn't get closed(I don't remember if this was answered) and the run isn't covered than any number of predators could be to blame but my gut tells me a mink or weasel is probable.

Now about free ranging. We live on a country road that the speed limit is 55 and yes once in a while our birds go out on the road or the shoulder. If it were say a blind corner I might say it could be a hazard but our birds are pretty good about moving and people tend to slow down when they see them out by the road.

Free ranged chickens live a much more natural and healthy life in my opinion. They will go out in the fields and forage as well as around the yard. They're great for ticks(especially guinea fowl). Now you do need to be aware that free range chickens even with someone watching them can get picked off by predators. If you decide to free range it's imoirimpo to know and understand that. Steps can be taken to protect your birds but sometimes there's just nothing you can do.

Now it's unfortunate you misunderstood the suggested minimums for space requirements. You absolutely need to address that problem before you even consider adding any more birds. Think big and add more than you need, as much as you can. Chickens are addicting and they're delightful to keep.

Chicken math is a real thing. 1+2=10 LOL

Our chickens free range all year long barring a severe blizzard or extremely low temps. The thing with having chickens in winter is ventilation. Without making it drafty it's better to have too much rather than too little. That is to say if the coop is cold that's okay as long as there isn't a moisture build up.
Ventilation is also extremely important in hot weather.

Now if you do choose to free range you will also need to realize that chickens are not so good with boundaries. Flower beds and gardens mean nothing to them. They will dig dust bathe and eat just about anything. It's worse if they're bored or there isn't a lot for them to do.

Also the grass immediately around their coop will usually be eaten to the bare ground it's important to draw them away from that area if you wish to keep the grass nice and neat.

Free ranging chickens can also be a great way to save some money on feed. Chickens are sitting ducks to aerial predators when out free ranging so it's very important that they have places they can hide these can be natural or man made. Bushes shrubs low trees there are also plans to build a covered feeding station etc on byc and the internet. Any number of things can work.

One more thing if a predator was to blame for your cockeral's(a male chicken under a year old) death it will be back.

I hope this helps and I hope you continue to do some more research.

 

[dirtroaddarlin]

Yes, I saw that earlier.

A lack of blood suggests that he was not killed by chickens. It could have been by a predator that just broke his neck, or by a disease. I'm thinking disease, as you posited originally. If it's a disease, you should probably figure out what so that it doesn't spread to the rest of the flock. If it was a predator, you need to secure your coop.

But something pulled out those feathers, and that suggests predator. An animal will grab feathers, only pull out a few, and might account for the scattered feathers in the picture if they weren't there before today (and they do look fresh and new.) Hens tend to pull them out over a period of time, slowly escalating. If those feathers weren't there before today, then it might have been a predator that did it.

Are your girls acting "shocky?" That would indicate a predator. Are you missing any chickens? (I realise that counting 36 can be difficult, but are you sure you aren't missing any? I didn't see a post where you said you did a headcount.)

I'm sorry if I'm being a "loud" poster, or annoying.

You’re fine, I appreciate you trying to help. I counted tonight and I have 35.

 

[lazy gardener]

How long were they out of food and water?

 

[bobbi-j]

I think my husband is going to help me add to it this weekend. You don’t know what you don’t know and im learning the hard way.

This chicken keeping thing does have a steep learning curve. You are reading here, taking advice and learning. Your chickens will appreciate it.

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, 4 s.f./bird in coop is bare minimum. Add a roo or more to the mix, or cockerels, and you need MUCH more room. Previously stated 1 s.f./bird is factory farming standard, truly deplorable and leads to cannibalism.

 

[Chickens like to peck me]

it could of been dehydration or he started molten and died or mites...