FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[LVMet]

Hi everyone. I am in Umatilla.  I have 3 Barred Rocks ...who ROCK.  They are young still, so they aren't laying yet. Hoping to add some more varieties to our family soon (frizzles, silkies, and especially Mille Fleurs)... yep, it's a chicken addiction. 

I'm in Eustis and I have some beautiful Silkies. Contact me and you can see them if you're interested.

 

[LVMet]

Has anyone been having problems with birds dying for no discernible cause? I just lost another cochin for no visible reason- so upset!!!!  She was eating fine the night before last, then when my son went out to show off the chickens to his friend yesterday morning- she's in the nesting box and is dead. No mites, no bites, no wounds, not seen any signs of illness, they get fresh water 3x a day at least, seemed to be eating and drinking well and was chasing around in the pen with her sisters the evening before. *bangs head on wall* This is now FOUR of my babies I've lost for no reason we can find. (Don't have the money to have the autopsy done on them, sadly. Although if this keeps up we might just have to find the money!!)

So sorry for your loss. I had lost some Wheaten chicks the same way. They would grow to a certain point then just die. I just gave up on getting more. I hope you figure out what it is.

 

[Wednesday]

Thanks for the info... I've already buried the bird at the back of the property, but if another gets sick/dies I will certainly get it looked into. We have wondered if squirrels getting into the pen and stealing food could expose them to diseases that kill them? (Haven't seen any, but the top half of the 9 ft. tall pen is the larger opening/ rectangular mesh wire- 3 inch long by 2 inch wide opening) I'm just getting upset because we keep losing hens, before they even get to laying age (these cochins are now about six months old and are so sweet- they are my babies!!) We've had some stolen, and then lost four for no reason we can figure. I've cleaned nesting boxes, water bowls, food bowls, changed hay in the pens/boxes, raked out the whole pen and coop, separated the OEG hen from the cochins in case she's bullying and we just can't see it through the fluffy feathers, *sigh* I'm running out of ideas of what it could be and/or how to prevent it.  I'd be sad if I lost them to a raccoon again, but at least I'd have an explanation! /end rant Sorry... just very frustrated.

Your frustration is very understandable. I hope you figure it out. You may want to contact Jennifer in case it happens again but before it does so she can have a case open. I know some people want nothing to do with the state and totally understand if you don't want to go that route.

 

[CyndiChick]

That's almost the point I am at (of not getting more). Very sad and frustrating! I haven't seen snakes back there and no signs of them but it could be. I didn't feel broken bones or anything but it could be something I missed.

 

[CyndiChick]

Your frustration is very understandable. I hope you figure it out. You may want to contact Jennifer in case it happens again but before it does so she can have a case open. I know some people want nothing to do with the state and totally understand if you don't want to go that route.

I might do that actually, make it easier and/or faster to get answers if it does happen again. Thank you!

 

[Bangarang64]

Has anyone been having problems with birds dying for no discernible cause? I just lost another cochin for no visible reason- so upset!!!! She was eating fine the night before last, then when my son went out to show off the chickens to his friend yesterday morning- she's in the nesting box and is dead. No mites, no bites, no wounds, not seen any signs of illness, they get fresh water 3x a day at least, seemed to be eating and drinking well and was chasing around in the pen with her sisters the evening before. *bangs head on wall* This is now FOUR of my babies I've lost for no reason we can find. (Don't have the money to have the autopsy done on them, sadly. Although if this keeps up we might just have to find the money!!)

Cyndi,

I had this problem last year and it turned out the breeder I got them from was breeding back to the same Rooster for too many generations. In other words, inbreeding was the problem. There wasn't enough diversity in the genetic pool and my birds were dying at 6 months old. I have since fixed the problem and even got hold of some spare males from other states. This is so I can breed my hatches to them so it won't be a problem for anyone else.

 

[clousert]

That's almost the point I am at (of not getting more). Very sad and frustrating! I haven't seen snakes back there and no signs of them but it could be. I didn't feel broken bones or anything but it could be something I missed.

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. I'm sure it's devastating. Rat snakes are very popular in FL, are normally nocturnal feeders so may be coming in the middle of the night, and from what I've read they rarely break bones while killing their prey. Seeing the one attack attack my rooster was probably one of the most horrific things I've ever witnessed. I felt completely helpless as I couldn't tell what kind of snake it was, was trying to keep the others that were in the run away while trying to shoo the snake to get it to let go of the rooster. All while the rooster was running, flapping, flopping, squawking and me empty handed with no shoes or gloves on. Those chicks are my babies and in the short 6 wks of their lives I've already become extremely attached. Thank god it finally let go and the little rooster was fine. I looked him over to be sure as the snake slithered off. I kept checking on them every hour all night and throughout the night I ended up finding 3 of those darn snakes back in the chicken run looking for my chicks. Thank goodness they were up in their coop. This time I was not empty handed and those are 3 snakes that won't be bothering my chicks again. I hate to kill anything but I will do what I have to in order to keep them safe. In the darkness of night I was not going to attempt to catch them by myself to relocate them and take the chance that I would miss, allowing it to get away and come back to feed another night. Sunday morning I was at Lowes buying snake away and moth balls. Hate the smell but if it works I will live with it. Only been 2 days but so far there have been no more snake sightings. Before Saturday night I had never seen a snake in my yard in the 7 yrs I've lived here, but then again I'm not usually out in my yard in the middle of the night. Non venomous snakes have never bothered me too much if it's during the day. I just go the opposite direction because I know they're great for keeping rodent populations down but in the dark, slithering around on the ground and above my head on the run, makes my skin crawl. Even then, if they weren't bothering my chickens, I wouldn't bother them. But I will not stand by and allow them to harm my babies. Sorry for the long winded post. I hope you're problem is something as simple as a snake, or whatever it is, you're able to figure it out quickly.

 

[NewbeeDoo]

I think that is unusual...though I've only known 2 Wheaten roos (I own one splash wheaten) and my experience is that they're incredibly docile and take great care of the ladies...call them over for food and water, crows for hawks, even watchs them lay sometimes. I wanted one after reading good reviews since I have toddlers no nasty bird is worth the risk to me. Hope you figure it all out!

I just recently hatched a bunch of blue wheaten Ameraucana. They are awesome looking, but i am finding the males quite aggressive, is this usual for this breed, (they are my first ameraucanas) They are also much bigger than i expected. At 8 weeks they are outpacing my Marans boys!!!!

this weekend one of the little guys jumped up and tried to peck me! so i grabbed him up and held him for a while then he ran off looking all embarrassed.

 

[cmom]

Has anyone been having problems with birds dying for no discernible cause? I just lost another cochin for no visible reason- so upset!!!! She was eating fine the night before last, then when my son went out to show off the chickens to his friend yesterday morning- she's in the nesting box and is dead. No mites, no bites, no wounds, not seen any signs of illness, they get fresh water 3x a day at least, seemed to be eating and drinking well and was chasing around in the pen with her sisters the evening before. *bangs head on wall* This is now FOUR of my babies I've lost for no reason we can find. (Don't have the money to have the autopsy done on them, sadly. Although if this keeps up we might just have to find the money!!)

How old are the birds that died?

 

[cmom]

I don't know how old the birds are that you have found dead. If you have lost some younger birds say around 8 weeks old more of less. It could be coccidiosis (cocci). I have lost young birds to this. I have gone out to their pen to find a dead chick and can see no signs of anything wrong then maybe a few days later find another dead chick. The drugs on the market specifically made to treat cocci are Corid and Sulmet. I use Sulmet 12.5% (sulfamethazine) in the water 2 tablespoons per gallon of water for 3 to 5 days as their only source of drinking water. Sulmet is a good general purpose antibacterial. Corid is specifically for treating cocci.