I had 3 hens and 5 couple month old chicks....one hen left :(

[2emma2]

I am new to this and rescued 3 hens and 5 chicks a few months. I believe they all came to us around the end of May. Everything was going great and then all of a sudden a week ago they started to die. At first we thought maybe a hawk got them. Though some were still there and a few we never found. We were able to bury 3 of them. There is still one alive. A week and a half ago I gave them half a watermelon that was a few days old. Could this have killed them if the watermelon was going bad? I miss my chickens

Now I feel bad for the only one left and need to get her some friends soon. Although I am worried that she won't make it much longer either!

 

[jnkir7]

i really dont think it was the watermellon

 

[2emma2]

They are now confined to an area completely enclosed and I can not find any holes anywhere going in or out of the run. At the beginning of the week they had access to an area with no coverage from above but since this incident we have given them less space but still plenty and put netting over so that a hawk can't get them. I wanted to let them roam anywhere in our yard but still want them to be around for a while.

 

[froggiesheins]

How hot is it where you live? They can get over heated and die from the stress. Worms, external bugs can also kill them. Possibly something growing where they forage could have been poisonus, but NOT watermelon. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[2emma2]

They were abused. Though, last night we figured out the problem. We saved our last chicken from a raccoon. We didn't see how it was possible for an animal to get in but we found it. We fixed the problem late last night after being woken up by the raccoon trying to get our chicken. We rushed up as soon as we heard and scared it away and fixed the problem. I am so thankful to save this chicken. Still so sad about the others but I guess this is how you learn. Now I need to get some friends for my lonely hen and fast!