Hi there, I had nine chickens, six white, two tan, and one brown. Sorry I don't remember the breeds. We got them last June as chicks and they have thrived. Since they stayed laying we get 6-9 eggs per day. This New England weather has been quite challenging with wind chills in the below 20's and we have at least four feet of snow out there. The chickens have a two story coop with a run outside. We have provided them water, non gmo feed, and a fed warming light. Although they have the run they have not been able to go outside due to the snow. On the sunnier days I have kept the door open for them but they prefer to stay off the snow. Today I found one white chicken dead in the coop. Last night had wind chills in the below 20's so not sure if that is the reason the chicken died. We are new to raising chickens so not sure what to do it if we shoukd be concerned about an illness in the birds or if we should be eating the eggs. I also feel like giving up. Maybe I was not meant to be a chicken farmer after all?
Is your coop well insulated? Did you notice any symptoms before it died? Was there any damage to the body?
I'm curious as well. Just lost 2 yesterday. One had been sick so that wasn't unexpected but the other had been fine up until last night. She was gone by morning.
I did not notice anything different although we are only out there once per day to feed then since it has been so cold. The body looked ok to me
Sometimes they just up and die for no apparent reason. I know there is always a reason, but it's not always obvious to us. Especially if there were no signs or symptoms of illness or injury. First let's talk about the weather. Your chicken did not freeze to death. Windchill factors mean nothing if your chickens are not out in the elements. I live in MN and we've had some brutally cold temps here, too. Twenties below zero at night, highs at zero or in the single digits. Is your coop ventilated, or sealed up tight? Plenty of good airflow is your friend. Chickens are far better off cooler and with dry air in their coop than warm with too much humidity. A coop without ventilation can lead to respiratory problems. Added heat can prevent them from acclimating to the colder weather, causing them to become VERY cold if you were to lose power or your heat source were to quit working. If your other chickens aren't showing any signs of being ill, I would not be afraid to eat the eggs. As far as whether you should be a chicken farmer.... Chicken keeping can have a steep learning curve. As I said before, sometimes they just seem to die for no reason. Losses will happen. Sometimes you can go for years at a time, and sometimes it seems like every time you turn around you've lost another one. Even the most experienced chicken keepers here on BYC will lose them now and then. Have you checked for lice, mites or fleas?
