ChickadeeJack
Hatching
- Jun 30, 2017
- 2
- 0
- 2
Just found three out of our four 2ish-month old chickens dead in the coop yesterday with little bugs flying all around them. I had a hunch it was the bugs that killed them but seemed so odd to me that it would happen in the only 8 hours that they were outside --- I have still been bringing them into a cage in the garage at night, away from the "big girls."
For some reason I figured the big hens would be fine, since I'd never noticed any problems with them before. Then I noticed one had missing tail feathers today --- odd, I though, but still wasn't putting things together. Tonight I went out to the coop to close it up and noticed the girls weren't roosting. They always roost, of course. Then I saw all these little gnat-like flying (a tad bigger then gnats) bug still all over one side of the door to the nesting box; some were flying about as well. I suddenly realized that all three hens must be on the other side of the door. Yep - all three of them crammed into one nesting box flicking and snapping at the air. Poor things. I closed it back up feeling helpless about what else I could really do tonight, and ran inside. A few of the bugs had gotten caught up in my fuzzy hair and it took me a bit to feel like I was bug-free.
Any idea what these nasty little creatures could be and how I can get rid of them? Has anyone heard of had a bug like this killing some young chickens so quickly?
Thanks for any help!!!! We are supposed to leave for vacation tomorrow at noon for 9 days. Hoping I can work like crazy tomorrow morning to clean the girls and the coop up??
For some reason I figured the big hens would be fine, since I'd never noticed any problems with them before. Then I noticed one had missing tail feathers today --- odd, I though, but still wasn't putting things together. Tonight I went out to the coop to close it up and noticed the girls weren't roosting. They always roost, of course. Then I saw all these little gnat-like flying (a tad bigger then gnats) bug still all over one side of the door to the nesting box; some were flying about as well. I suddenly realized that all three hens must be on the other side of the door. Yep - all three of them crammed into one nesting box flicking and snapping at the air. Poor things. I closed it back up feeling helpless about what else I could really do tonight, and ran inside. A few of the bugs had gotten caught up in my fuzzy hair and it took me a bit to feel like I was bug-free.
Any idea what these nasty little creatures could be and how I can get rid of them? Has anyone heard of had a bug like this killing some young chickens so quickly?
Thanks for any help!!!! We are supposed to leave for vacation tomorrow at noon for 9 days. Hoping I can work like crazy tomorrow morning to clean the girls and the coop up??
