Mablethechicken
Songster
Ok so this past winter I lost 4 chickens and it remains a mystery as to what killed them.
Here are the facts:
-all 4 were found in the coup/run with what looked like pecking wounds ranging from severe to relatively minor
-prior to finding them dead I didn’t see any wounds on them which I should’ve if they were being picked on
-coup was reinforced with predator proof metal grid chicken wire with super tiny holes (did this last year after a raccoon reached to the coup and decombed one of my hens)
-they were all found in different spots some in the run and some in the coup
-all died within a period of about 5 or 6 weeks
-I had a heat lamp on in the coup every night for a couple weeks leading up to the first death
Ok so my initial thoughts when the first one died were that it was bullying. The first one to die was definitely lowest on the pecking order and was the only one who did have some evidence prior of feathers being plucked and minor pecking.
After the next two died I started to think maybe disease. Again they had wounds (on their backs just above their tail feathers) but they weren’t there prior. And these two were not really ones to get picked on. I couldn’t tell if egg production had slowed or ceased as an indicator of sickness because it was December and I live in the northeast so egg production in the winter is already spotty at best.
After that I had only 2 left. So I separated them for about 2 weeks. By this time it was January and we were having a relatively mild winter. No big snows and mild temps for my area. My black chicken who is the boss and most likely to be the bully continued to lay eggs pretty much daily. My remaining hen (an Isa Brown) wasn’t laying at all and appeared to have a bloody vent but otherwise seemed healthy and active. Their areas shared a common wall so they could still see each other and seemed ok with being separated.
I then brought them back together after her vent healed. I felt bad making the black one sleep in the makeshift structure in the run. About 2 weeks later I found the Isa Brown dead in the coup with injuries on her back.
What killed my chickens?!?!
I read after the fact that having perpetual light in the coup can make them go a little crazy and increase pecking behaviors because they don’t have the dark time that they need and also because with the light in there the vent can be seen while they are laying eggs and provokes other chickens to peck it. My last one to die did have a bloody vent which would point to this. The others didn’t.
We had a really mild and wet fall and winter and prior to that a REALLY wet summer. The coup was always dry but the part of the run that doesn’t have cover was always mucky. I did my best to build up the shavings and hay to keep it dry (we were using the deep litter method) but with all the rain it just got absorbed. I let them out most days though to free range so they really don’t spend all that much time in there. When locked up they usually hung out in the covered part.
could it have some bacterial thing caused by all the wetness? They aren’t exposed to any other chickens. The black one (still living) and my Rhode Island Red I’ve had for 2 years and the others were added in the Spring of last year purchased as chicks.
I read that pecking is a learned behavior and others will join in if one starts picking on another. Like ganging up or mob mentality. Could a pecking attack be fatal? Or did they die of something else and got pecked apart after death by the live chickens? Do they do that?
I’ve had the solo black chicken ever since. She’s a black sex link named Mable. She’s healthy active and lays daily eggs like clockwork. She doesn’t seem to be bothered being alone. She’s a forager and loves to destroy my mulch beds and sometimes follows me around the yard when I’m outside. I know she was the leader but I never noticed her being super aggressive. If it was disease or bacteria than why wasn’t she effected.
Is sweet Mable a killer?
Has this happened to anyone else?
I know this is long but I need to know. The reason I’m asking now is because I am hatching eggs in my incubator to add to my flock. I know it’ll be awhile before they are old enough to be integrated (assuming I have a successful hatch) but I’m scared that the same thing will happen to my new chickens once they are with her.
Any thought or advice would be super helpful.
Oh also, I cleaned out the entire coup and runs and filled them with wood chips which we’ll be using from now on as litter. I read that hay can be bad for chickens and the wood chips with allow for better drainage and less muck. It also takes longer to break down. I just use a little bit of the hay I have leftover to soften the nesting boxes. When that runs out I think we’ll switch to pine shavings in the boxes. So we’re good to go if it was a bacterial thing from all the wet hay and shavings.
forgot to add that I’ve had maintained a small flock for years now and never lost a chicken before other than to a hawk.
Here are the facts:
-all 4 were found in the coup/run with what looked like pecking wounds ranging from severe to relatively minor
-prior to finding them dead I didn’t see any wounds on them which I should’ve if they were being picked on
-coup was reinforced with predator proof metal grid chicken wire with super tiny holes (did this last year after a raccoon reached to the coup and decombed one of my hens)
-they were all found in different spots some in the run and some in the coup
-all died within a period of about 5 or 6 weeks
-I had a heat lamp on in the coup every night for a couple weeks leading up to the first death
Ok so my initial thoughts when the first one died were that it was bullying. The first one to die was definitely lowest on the pecking order and was the only one who did have some evidence prior of feathers being plucked and minor pecking.
After the next two died I started to think maybe disease. Again they had wounds (on their backs just above their tail feathers) but they weren’t there prior. And these two were not really ones to get picked on. I couldn’t tell if egg production had slowed or ceased as an indicator of sickness because it was December and I live in the northeast so egg production in the winter is already spotty at best.
After that I had only 2 left. So I separated them for about 2 weeks. By this time it was January and we were having a relatively mild winter. No big snows and mild temps for my area. My black chicken who is the boss and most likely to be the bully continued to lay eggs pretty much daily. My remaining hen (an Isa Brown) wasn’t laying at all and appeared to have a bloody vent but otherwise seemed healthy and active. Their areas shared a common wall so they could still see each other and seemed ok with being separated.
I then brought them back together after her vent healed. I felt bad making the black one sleep in the makeshift structure in the run. About 2 weeks later I found the Isa Brown dead in the coup with injuries on her back.
What killed my chickens?!?!
I read after the fact that having perpetual light in the coup can make them go a little crazy and increase pecking behaviors because they don’t have the dark time that they need and also because with the light in there the vent can be seen while they are laying eggs and provokes other chickens to peck it. My last one to die did have a bloody vent which would point to this. The others didn’t.
We had a really mild and wet fall and winter and prior to that a REALLY wet summer. The coup was always dry but the part of the run that doesn’t have cover was always mucky. I did my best to build up the shavings and hay to keep it dry (we were using the deep litter method) but with all the rain it just got absorbed. I let them out most days though to free range so they really don’t spend all that much time in there. When locked up they usually hung out in the covered part.
could it have some bacterial thing caused by all the wetness? They aren’t exposed to any other chickens. The black one (still living) and my Rhode Island Red I’ve had for 2 years and the others were added in the Spring of last year purchased as chicks.
I read that pecking is a learned behavior and others will join in if one starts picking on another. Like ganging up or mob mentality. Could a pecking attack be fatal? Or did they die of something else and got pecked apart after death by the live chickens? Do they do that?
I’ve had the solo black chicken ever since. She’s a black sex link named Mable. She’s healthy active and lays daily eggs like clockwork. She doesn’t seem to be bothered being alone. She’s a forager and loves to destroy my mulch beds and sometimes follows me around the yard when I’m outside. I know she was the leader but I never noticed her being super aggressive. If it was disease or bacteria than why wasn’t she effected.
Is sweet Mable a killer?
Has this happened to anyone else?
I know this is long but I need to know. The reason I’m asking now is because I am hatching eggs in my incubator to add to my flock. I know it’ll be awhile before they are old enough to be integrated (assuming I have a successful hatch) but I’m scared that the same thing will happen to my new chickens once they are with her.
Any thought or advice would be super helpful.
Oh also, I cleaned out the entire coup and runs and filled them with wood chips which we’ll be using from now on as litter. I read that hay can be bad for chickens and the wood chips with allow for better drainage and less muck. It also takes longer to break down. I just use a little bit of the hay I have leftover to soften the nesting boxes. When that runs out I think we’ll switch to pine shavings in the boxes. So we’re good to go if it was a bacterial thing from all the wet hay and shavings.
forgot to add that I’ve had maintained a small flock for years now and never lost a chicken before other than to a hawk.
Last edited:
