So so so sad -- dear Cluckie and so pretty.Sad day.
Dead hen.
It wasn't all because of the heat.
For the past few weeks, I've been not been seeing lots of eggs in the nest like normal. I thought it was just the summertime heat, but it was happening for weeks on end. Then Breezefeather got lodged in between two fence wires. I had never seen that before. Something had to have scared her. I watched the chook yard for a couple days at noon, and yesterday I caught a crow swooping into the yard! I ran out of my house screeching and having my hands at it, and when I got to the coop, I saw Cluckie laying on her back, breathing heavily. I brought her to her feet but she just stumbled onto the ground. Her feet didn't look injured, but I suspected the crow did something to her. I tried bringing her inside into the cool and putting water into her mouth. After a while her breathing went shallower. Then it just stopped. She had passed. I was sobbing so much. She had lived for 7 and a half years, just to die like this.
I really don't know how this death happened.... heatstroke or crow attack.
Rest in peace and fly high, Cluckie.
View attachment 3856708
We've had Crows in huge neighborhood murders (Crow flocks are called murders). Hawks are wiley at lingering/stalking/observing a chicken and territorial Crows hate intruding Hawks and will chase off Hawks. Our murders fly over our neighborhood chasing off Cooper's Hawks (chicken hawks), Crows land in the streets to eat food scraps that garbage trucks or school kids drop, jumping on lawns to drink dew, Crows sit on telephone poles observing our hens but never coming into the yard in our nearly 14 years of backyard chickens. Our chickens are not afraid of Crows. Our chickens spook then hide or give an alert when a Hawk is nearby but our girls are not afraid of the Crows. A few other chicken owners have said the same thing -- that their murders leave their flocks alone and they actually want Crows around to chase off Hawks.
Crows are carrion eaters -- eating dead, dying things or maybe in the wild try to snatch a wee duckling following a momma duck across an open field but avoid physical on-ground battle. It's possible but hard to imagine a Crow attack on Cluckie but it might've sensed she was close to death already and swooped in to see. Was there any scattered feathers or injury or blood on Cluckie to indicate any attack? If so, its possible a Hawk attack drew blood and the Crow was attracted to the smell then chased off the Hawk? Crows can smell death and your Crow may have seen Cluckie's weakened condition as a future meal?
You say Cluckie wasnt laying for weeks? Already a sign she wasnt well? Just asking questions to figure what happened without actually seeing or being there. If there are no injuries or blood or scattered feathers to indicate an attack on Cluckie then it may have been a stroke or natural death. I've lost a couple hens from heatstroke where I've tried to revive them and they just cant stand and fall over again and die. I had an older Silkie who was showing signs of slowing down walking up the coop ramp and one evening she didnt go up the ramp and huddled in a corner of the floor run. I took her into the house to gently inspect no injuries and she coo'd and talk w/ me as usual but she was weak. We put her to sleep in a soft towel and within the hour her wee heart stopped.
Never easy to lose a sweet hen. So many different personalities but we love 'em all.
So glad your mama is taking to her new babes.
