HEEEEELP PLEASE!

[Carol Thomson]

View attachment 2679828
Is this normal? Is it ok?

View attachment 2679828
Is this normal? Is it ok?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

By the time I got home, it had gotten all the way out of the shell but was dead. The chick was just barely under my hen’s wing. It had ants all over it. I sprayed the coop with vinegar and water for the ants. This is the 2nd chick that I have found dead under her. I thought the 1st one drown in her water bowl (which I removed) but now I’m wondering if she’s rejecting them. This is her 1st time, and my 1st time too

I just had an epiphany as to what i think happened to that crushed egg/dead chick in your photo. The issue of "ants" did cross my mind when i saw the crushed shell with exposed membrane. But i was concerned ants would attack the egg After it was crushed. Based on my experience this past summer, i dont think your broody is at fault with either chick.

I have tons of ants at my place, & after reading about ants attacking hatching chicks on byc, i have ALWays dusted the perimeters of broody pens with Sevin dust. Had never had an ant attack issue through many years and hatches. UNTil this past summer 2020, when i ran out of Sevin dust. A very experienced 6 year old easter egger was due to hatch that day, but i figured it would be ok just that once to not "protect the perimeter."

It was not ok. I came outside the next morn to check on mama hen, & discovered ants crawling all over a just hatched, still wet, but dead chick underneath the broody. Ants were swarming all under mama hen. There was another "egg baby" that looked EXactly like your crushed egg!!! Mama hen had accidently crushed the egg Only because the ants were crawling all underneath her. I immediately got her out of that nest box into another, and put the remaining eggs back underneath her. She was not disturbed in the least by the move, since she was/is an old pro broody.

You are going to need to act fast in order to save the remaining eggs as they hatch. Her nest box needs to be treated asap with something to deter the ants. Permethryn or something similiar to effectively treat mites. (Not DE). Sevin dust is better than nothing if thats all you have. Go to walmart, a feedstore, etc asap and get Something! If thats not possible tonight, you will need to relocate your broody and remaining eggs to an ant-free area. Otherwise, the ants will attack and kill every single remaining chick as it hatches. And sting your poor broody too!

 

[Carol Thomson]

Have you used diatomaceous earth? Apple cider finger straight around out side coop? Maybe this will help. Carol

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Have you used diatomaceous earth? Apple cider finger straight around out side coop? Maybe this will help. Carol

DE wont deter the ants, especially since the ants have already found the nest. It will take a stronger chemical to keep them away now. Strong enough that the ants will not attack the chicks lest they die themselves.

 

[birdlover2]

I agree with the others here, the ants are the culprit! Get some diamatacaceous earth or something similar immediately! I would relocate the hen too, just to be safe. Treat wherever you are going to put her at with whatever stuff you get to kill the ants (non-toxic like DE or stuff others have suggested). If you want to be extra safe, maybe even move her and the eggs into the basement if you have one and can.

 

[birdlover2]

DE wont deter the ants, especially since the ants have already found the nest. It will take a stronger chemical to keep them away now. Strong enough that the ants will not attack the chicks lest they die themselves.

Ah, didn't know that. Don't have alot of experience with ants, mostly use it for fleas and mites. How can you use the chemical safely around the chickens though?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Ah, didn't know that. Don't have alot of experience with ants, mostly use it for fleas and mites. How can you use the chemical safely around the chickens though?

Ive never used DE for mites because so many experienced people on byc claim it doesnt work. I personally use permethrin dust. It also comes in a spray. Permethrin as well as most other insecticides has low toxicity to birds, but high toxicity to fish and insects including honeybees, so should be used with caution. It can be applied directly to chickens. I also dust their nest boxes, & occasionally apply it in their dust bath holes.

There are other effective bird-safe insecticides too. I use the Sevin dust specifically on the perimeters of broody hens to protect chicks from ants. Sevin Dust also has low toxicity to birds, but is overall a much stronger chemical. Not saying my way is the only way, or even the best way. But i know my way works, & many people say DE does not. There is a lot of info in the "predators and pests" forum about mites, lice, etc, where people discuss effective (and ineffective) treatments.

 

[birdlover2]

Ive never used DE for mites because so many experienced people on byc claim it doesnt work. I personally use permethrin dust. It also comes in a spray. Permethrin as well as most other insecticides has low toxicity to birds, but high toxicity to fish and insects including honeybees, so should be used with caution. It can be applied directly to chickens. I also dust their nest boxes, & occasionally apply it in their dust bath holes.

There are other effective bird-safe insecticides too. I use the Sevin dust specifically on the perimeters of broody hens to protect chicks from ants. Sevin Dust also has low toxicity to birds, but is overall a much stronger chemical. Not saying my way is the only way, or even the best way. But i know my way works, & many people say DE does not. There is a lot of info in the "predators and pests" forum about mites, lice, etc, where people discuss effective (and ineffective) treatments.

AH, I see! I didn't know that they could be highly toxic to insects and only low-level toxic to birds. Good to know! All I know is DE has worked effectively against fleas on our cats (though we stopped using it because it irritated the lungs of our male cat). It was also used to dust chickens for mites a few times. But with a serious problem chemicals would probably work best, especially for determined critters like ants.

 

[Ryguy3684]

AH, I see! I didn't know that they could be highly toxic to insects and only low-level toxic to birds. Good to know! All I know is DE has worked effectively against fleas on our cats (though we stopped using it because it irritated the lungs of our male cat). It was also used to dust chickens for mites a few times. But with a serious problem chemicals would probably work best, especially for determined critters like ants.

We always use Permethrin when we've had lice or mites. It works fast and flawlessly. If you ever use it, there is a mixing ratio for spraying on the birds directly, and a stronger ratio for spraying the coop/run. I use DE for preventative dusting, but permethrin if there's an active infestation.