Just lost our little red hen

[Bigbluefrog]

We found our hen 30 feet from the coop dead with no visible wounds.
What would cause this?
I also have an automatic door that closes 20 minutes after sunset. The door was broken- so we think she was crushed?
And moved 30 feet? Is that possible?
We did find blood by door. A small amount. Door is dismantled and being revamped to be less dangerous and timer reset to 30 minutes after sunset.
Those with automatic doors what time do yours close?
I am sad today- I was thinking of locking them up earlier and she would of been alive. But I didn’t. I thought about adjusting the timer yesterday but didn’t get to it. So I take responsibility for her death- and this makes it harder.
Lessons learned the hard way!

 

[chickenlittle21]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Nothing is perfect, and automatic doors do have problems sometimes too.
Here we don't use those doors, but go out there to let them outside every day, then close them in at night, checking for visitors in the coop, and doing a bird count. It's not a perfect solution either, if we can't get out there at dusk.
There are trade-offs, unless your birds are never let out to free range, and that's still another risk for them.
Mary

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Nothing is perfect, and automatic doors do have problems sometimes too.
Here we don't use those doors, but go out there to let them outside every day, then close them in at night, checking for visitors in the coop, and doing a bird count. It's not a perfect solution either, if we can't get out there at dusk.
There are trade-offs, unless your birds are never let out to free range, and that's still another risk for them.
Mary

We free range. We still go out twice a day. Once in the morning to feed them and evening to do a head count.
I like the automatic door for nights we are away. Before this I would of just shooed them in early and locked the run. That worked too.
I am sure it is my error that ended her life- I am sad about it.
I didn’t realize the timer runs multiple programs at same time.
So a hard lesson to learn.
I am looking for options to reconfigure the automatic door to be safer.
I have it unplugged for now going back to the manual. We only been using it for few months.
I now have 6 chickens-
Would you believe me if I said one hen seems to be grieving? She went right to the spot the hen died. Then came to me asking or clucking. And has been acting odd all day- she lost her buddy. I saw my husband holding her. She seems to know her friend is gone- they are smarter than most think.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I go out myself and let them in and out. This has of course meant some days they aren't closed up until late. I always worry and kick myself when this happens, but I've read horrendous reviews on various automatic doors of hens being crushed by the door. I am so, so, sorry that this happened to you. If it were me I would set the timer until an hour after sunset to be safe and try to check on them before it's due to close. I opted, for now, not to buy one and instead build a preditor proof run. I feel your pain though. This type of thing scares me every day. I feel it is probably inevitable though.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

I go out myself and let them in and out. This has of course meant some days they aren't closed up until late. I always worry and kick myself when this happens, but I've read horrendous reviews on various automatic doors of hens being crushed by the door. I am so, so, sorry that this happened to you. If it were me I would set the timer until an hour after sunset to be safe and try to check on them before it's due to close. I opted, for now, not to buy one and instead build a preditor proof run. I feel your pain though. This type of thing scares me every day. I feel it is probably inevitable though.

This never occurred to me that a chicken would get crushed - the worst would be locked out. Kinda why I still do the night checks.
We were planning a long vacation before covid- and my chicken sitter- (my daughter) is not a morning person. I don’t think I would of bothered installing an automatic door otherwise. Well covid came and the vacation to the Grand Canyon was canceled. I have not seen my kids and grandkids in 2 months.
I hope this ends soon- and in the meanwhile I guess we shall revamp the chicken coop door again.

so can a dead chicken really move 30 feet after death? The whole thing is bizarre and surreal
thanks for being kind
They are really easy to get attached to-
(Don’t name the chickens)

 

[humblehillsfarm]

This never occurred to me that a chicken would get crushed - the worst would be locked out. Kinda why I still do the night checks.
We were planning a long vacation before covid- and my chicken sitter- (my daughter) is not a morning person. I don’t think I would of bothered installing an automatic door otherwise. Well covid came and the vacation to the Grand Canyon was canceled. I have not seen my kids and grandkids in 2 months.
I hope this ends soon- and in the meanwhile I guess we shall revamp the chicken coop door again.

so can a dead chicken really move 30 feet after death? The whole thing is bizarre and surreal
thanks for being kind
They are really easy to get attached to-
(Don’t name the chickens)

All of my chickens are named.... I'm way too attached. Yes I think it could be possible, either a delayed death or muscle spasms after death, but I am not an expert. I would have thought if the door tried to close it would have stayed close? Or did it open again after not being able to go fully shut?? I'm so anxious about my birds I bought a Wyze camera from Amazon. It was cheap and incredibly easy to set up. This way you can monitor the flock (and also make sure your gate keeper mind the gate). If I hadn't read Amazon reviews, I wouldn't have known either. It's not the doors fault really. Or yours. She could have been late for curfew and it just happened. I'm sorry it did happen though.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

All of my chickens are named.... I'm way too attached. Yes I think it could be possible, either a delayed death or muscle spasms after death, but I am not an expert. I would have thought if the door tried to close it would have stayed close? Or did it open again after not being able to go fully shut?? I'm so anxious about my birds I bought a Wyze camera from Amazon. It was cheap and incredibly easy to set up. This way you can monitor the flock (and also make sure your gate keeper mind the gate). If I hadn't read Amazon reviews, I wouldn't have known either. It's not the doors fault really. Or yours. She could have been late for curfew and it just happened. I'm sorry it did happen though.

Me too- I thought of a camera but ithe coop is located far from the home- and our internet is horrible. We have to turn off all WiFi and maybe we can watch a movie -
Almost doesn’t pay to even have internet

 

[aart]

so can a dead chicken really move 30 feet after death? The whole thing is bizarre and surreal

Not likely, unless something else moved her after the fact.
And you don't even know she got crushed by the door closing on her.
Almost impossible to tell what really happened.
What kind of auto door is it?

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Not likely, unless something else moved her after the fact.
And you don't even know she got crushed by the door closing on her.
Almost impossible to tell what really happened.
What kind of auto door is it?

We designed the door using some specs I found on here.
it runs off a timer- I have been manually closing it now. I am thinking of dismantling door bar and contacting a rope - not sure yet- back to old school methods for now