- Jul 31, 2011
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Hi Everyone
My backyard chicken ranch is in northern New Mexico. We have been raising chickens for about 4 years. Unfortunately we have been through several flocks since we let our chickens "free range" in the yard. It seems that we go along for a while and all the chickens are safe and alive--then we start to see them either disappear or find a pile of fluffy feathers (or worse)--or as this week--I have found two of my hens dead in the yard for no apparent reason. So at the beginning of the year we had 14 hens and two roosters--different breeds, different ages, acquired at different times (plymouth barred, lace wyandott, leghorn, orpington, polish crested, cochin etc). Currently we have four hens left--a Rhode Island Red, a Buff Orpington, a Polish Crested, & a Cochin). I don't think anyone lays eggs routinelly anymore.
I have five dogs--(golden retriever, plott hound, blue tick, cairn and chihuahua). The hounds basically live outside and "protect" (really just bark at stuff) our property. So, you would think that if there is something coming in to get my hens, they would intervene--. We do get smelly skunk critters both in the yard and in the neighborhood--but they're pretty small and I don't think they could harm the hens--just the eggs??
So--I have joined this forum because I was trying to figure our why my chickens seem to be dying for no reason--but it looks like that is the answer--they are dying for no reason--seems odd that two would die in the same week--but I suppose statistically it would make sense.
Anyway--if anyone has any other ideas--I would be interested.
Thanks
K
My backyard chicken ranch is in northern New Mexico. We have been raising chickens for about 4 years. Unfortunately we have been through several flocks since we let our chickens "free range" in the yard. It seems that we go along for a while and all the chickens are safe and alive--then we start to see them either disappear or find a pile of fluffy feathers (or worse)--or as this week--I have found two of my hens dead in the yard for no apparent reason. So at the beginning of the year we had 14 hens and two roosters--different breeds, different ages, acquired at different times (plymouth barred, lace wyandott, leghorn, orpington, polish crested, cochin etc). Currently we have four hens left--a Rhode Island Red, a Buff Orpington, a Polish Crested, & a Cochin). I don't think anyone lays eggs routinelly anymore.
I have five dogs--(golden retriever, plott hound, blue tick, cairn and chihuahua). The hounds basically live outside and "protect" (really just bark at stuff) our property. So, you would think that if there is something coming in to get my hens, they would intervene--. We do get smelly skunk critters both in the yard and in the neighborhood--but they're pretty small and I don't think they could harm the hens--just the eggs??
So--I have joined this forum because I was trying to figure our why my chickens seem to be dying for no reason--but it looks like that is the answer--they are dying for no reason--seems odd that two would die in the same week--but I suppose statistically it would make sense.
Anyway--if anyone has any other ideas--I would be interested.
Thanks
K
