- Apr 22, 2011
- 41
- 0
- 22
hi everyone-
we lost our first chicken yesterday, and i haven't been able to figure out a reason- i was hoping someone could shed some light on my situation?? we have (had) 6 seemingly healthy pullets that are all laying and quite happy. they free range for the most part, but are offered layer feed, scratch, grit, scraps, and fresh water every day. the weather here has gotten nasty the last couple of days, lots of snow and was around 10 degrees yesterday. i went out a couple of times to check their water and give them food. all the girls were perky and acting normal. i did notice lucy laying on the ground near the water when i first went out, but she jumped right up when i threw in some scratch for them to snack on. i went out again much later to shovel snow and switch out water and she was still laying by the water but gone. i looked her over but this is my first go with chickens, so i really have no clue what to look for. i noticed her feathers right on her "stomach" area were gone. there was a tiny bit of dried blood near her vent. i felt her stomach and it was hard- but that could be because it was cold out or because she was dead. the rest of them look fine...other than concerned she's missing. is there a cause that i'm missing? did i do something wrong? any info is much appreciated.
thanks!
we lost our first chicken yesterday, and i haven't been able to figure out a reason- i was hoping someone could shed some light on my situation?? we have (had) 6 seemingly healthy pullets that are all laying and quite happy. they free range for the most part, but are offered layer feed, scratch, grit, scraps, and fresh water every day. the weather here has gotten nasty the last couple of days, lots of snow and was around 10 degrees yesterday. i went out a couple of times to check their water and give them food. all the girls were perky and acting normal. i did notice lucy laying on the ground near the water when i first went out, but she jumped right up when i threw in some scratch for them to snack on. i went out again much later to shovel snow and switch out water and she was still laying by the water but gone. i looked her over but this is my first go with chickens, so i really have no clue what to look for. i noticed her feathers right on her "stomach" area were gone. there was a tiny bit of dried blood near her vent. i felt her stomach and it was hard- but that could be because it was cold out or because she was dead. the rest of them look fine...other than concerned she's missing. is there a cause that i'm missing? did i do something wrong? any info is much appreciated.
thanks!