HELP! sudden death of 15 chickens

[boothlake]

Woke up do 15 of our 18 baby chickens dead. They were of different ages and all old enough to be outside. They were in a large pen with chicken wire wrapped around the bottom and with mesh over the top so nothing could fly in. They weren’t kept with our older chickens.

Two were dead just laying flat on the ground. The other 13 were all found in the dog kennel that we kept in there with bedding for them to roost in at night. They all have fresh water and food.

I really examined them earlier and it looks like one in the big pile was torn up completely, feet not connected or anything. Another had it’s intestines hanging out. Those were the only two like that.

No feathers were found outside of the dog kennel. I have no idea what happened. If something got in the pen, I would think they wouldn’t all be piled together, wouldn’t they try to escape? If it’s an illness, why are two torn up?

Please help! I don’t want to lose anymore of our chickens

 

[Eggcessive]

A weasel or rat could have gotten in through the chicken wire. A raccoon can reach inside chicken wire and pull the chickens part by part thrugh the wire. Get some 1/2 hardware cloth fencing, and cover your brooder. The predator will be back again tonight. Very sorry for your loss, but chicks are very vulnerable to predators.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

It was a predator.. possibly raccoon or skunk...so sorry, you'll need a better cage! Welcome to byc!! Glad you could join the Flock! Let me know if you need anything!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Tough go I am sorry but something probably squeezed in the chicken wire it is not secure

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures of your coop or brooder would be helpful.

 

[MelissaRose]

Sorry that happened! Are the three that you have left somewhere protected? like @Eggcessive said the predator will probably be back, so you may not want the remaining birds where they have been living because the predator will be able to get back to them.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a link for the hardware cloth fencing, and you may find it for less at Home Dept or Lowes locally:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C89QJU0/?tag=backy-20

 

[Eggcessive]

Untill we see pictures it would be hard to say if you might put a solid piece of plywood in the bottom of your brooder, if it would help to keep out hands or amall predators. Using a motion activated camera ould be good to identify a predator and that way you could get a trap for the right size animal. I realize you are devastated about losing these young birds. Sometimes it helps to read a good chicken book for tips, or go up to the learning center here on BYC. Many people lose young pullets to raccoons the first year, like my neighbor did because they didn’t realise that their chickens were in danger.

 

[boothlake]

My husband thinks something got them too. We’ve put a trail camera out and the remaining three are in a closed dog kennel on our back porch.

Do you think the ones that didn’t have anything wrong with them, just died from fear?

We’ve had chickens/ducks for years and we’ve never had anything like this happen.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have never had anything come in like that and kill a bunch. They can become frantic and frightened if something was reaching in, so they might have piled up. The other scenario is that if it was a weasel, those can squeeze the necks, and take the blood. Can you get more chicks soon? I really hope that you find the predator.

One year we were keeping 3 roosters in a large pen, and raccoon came inside the barn looking for feed. We trapped 10 of them in 3 weeks by securing cans of tuna or snickers bars to the bottom of the Havahart trap. If they weren’t wired down, they would reach in and get the food from the outside. They also would turn the trap over to dump out the food. We had to put bales of straw around the traps to keep them upright.