Death of bantam

[Kearns]

Hi - we have (had) 10 bantam hens. We are relatively new to this - only started keeping hens in April. We have had one or two cass of red mite which we sorted quickly.

Sadly, without any warning, we found one of the hens dead today in the nest box, clearly not attacked by anything, and I wondered if anyone might have any idea why - or could point me in the direction of clues.

Or......is this just one of those things, something that can happen for no reason??

Obviously I'm worried about the rest of them.

Thanks
Justine

 

[Eggcessive]

It could have been many things, but I would check to see if she was egg bound. An exam with a finger inserted 1 inch inside the vent (wear a rubber glove) can check for egg binding. A 7 month old also could have a heart ailment that suddenly killed her. Mites can cause serious anemia and death, and can be very difficult to get rid of permanently. Mite eggs can hatch every 4-7 days, so repeated dusting of chickens, and cleaning out/spraying of coop, nest, and roosts is required to keep under control. Worming your flock with a good dewormer such as Valbazen may help if worms are a problem. The best way to diagnose what was wrong is by having a necropsy done by your state vet (if in the US,) or a local vet if not. Sorry for your loss. Here is a link for vets: http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf