Mourning loss

[Lumley Farm]

I woke up this morning to find my 6month old girl dead. Failure to thrive is what I think, no symptoms etc, but she was only as heavy as her feathers the last days, though she ate 5 crickets yesterday. My question is in managing an introduction of a friend for 'Ami'. Do I get an older girl, or is it ok to get a week old chick? Either way, I understand the importance of slow introductions. Any input is appreciated. I do know how to intro the older girl, but a new chick would be new to me. Days are very warm, coop and run in a shaded area, nights are down to about low sixty to high 50's/ I am a newbie BackYarder, but fast learner. I actually would like a baby, I always wanted to train a chicken as I am a dog trainer! LOL!

 

[nchls school]

What breed is Ami? Some breeds accept a younger bird more readily than others. If Ami is aggressive then an older bird is a better choice. But you can always get a chick and raise it separately until it's old enough to be with Ami.

 

[Lumley Farm]

She is an ISA Brown and her name comes from Amity, which means 'bond between two people or countries that get along well.'. I received a call from my girlfriend who is going to give me an Astralorp, who is about the same age, 6months, and is friendly. So I will get my dog crate out and introduce them over the course of a few days.

 

[aart]

I woke up this morning to find my 6month old girl dead. Failure to thrive is what I think, no symptoms etc, but she was only as heavy as her feathers the last days, though she ate 5 crickets yesterday. My question is in managing an introduction of a friend for 'Ami'. Do I get an older girl, or is it ok to get a week old chick? Either way, I understand the importance of slow introductions. Any input is appreciated. I do know how to intro the older girl, but a new chick would be new to me. Days are very warm, coop and run in a shaded area, nights are down to about low sixty to high 50's/ I am a newbie BackYarder, but fast learner. I actually would like a baby, I always wanted to train a chicken as I am a dog trainer! LOL!

Failure to thrive can cause the death of a less than 1-2 week old chick, but not a 6mo bird.
What was her normal diet?
Would be good to find out why she died before bringing another bird in.
You have one(?) remaining 6mo bird....is she in good condition?

As to adding another bird, chicks could be a good choice, but I'd get at least 3.
Bringing in an older bird(s) opens the risk of also bringing in pests and/or disease.

 

[aart]

Her normal diet was laying crumbles in the am, supplemented with occasional fruit, cabbage, apple, however, she never paid any mind to it.

Never paid any mind to the layer feed?
They should have a good fresh chicken ration available every hour they are awake, IMO.
Too many 'treats' dilutes the balance of nutrition in the ration.

 

[nchls school]

 

[Mrs. K]

Actually, I have had birds occasionally die at this time period. I have always assumed that there was an internal issue that did not work well enough to support a bird approach full size. It happens. If the birds with her are doing perfectly well, then I would not worry. If you start losing more of them, then you might need to reconsider.

Mrs K

 

[Lumley Farm]

Oh also, do the chickens have grit available at all times? What about oyster shell? Both of these should be available in separate dishes, apart from their regular feed. Is anybody laying eggs? Was this hen laying eggs? If so, how often? You say you feed layer pellets in the morning. About how much do you feed per chicken. Do you watch to make sure each chicken eats? Is it possible the other hen bullied this hen and did not let her eat?

Grit and the sand that is in the pen. Oyster shell yes, No egg laying, ever. I have a feeder and it was always full every am and holds about 5cups. no bullying. they were best girlfriends.

 

[Lumley Farm]

Actually, I have had birds occasionally die at this time period. I have always assumed that there was an internal issue that did not work well enough to support a bird approach full size. It happens. If the birds with her are doing perfectly well, then I would not worry. If you start losing more of them, then you might need to reconsider.

Mrs K

The other bird that shared the space, a small coop and a 10X10 chainlink enclosure, is fine. I will keep that in mind about others around her. I've read that ISA Browns are prone to kidney disease...? I have two more just about 8feet away that share another 10X10 enclosure and they are doing great. Laying eggs since I got them. Though I have noticed with the warm weather, they are not as excited about the crumbles or pellets. PS: I do not free range

 

[Lumley Farm]

Failure to thrive can cause the death of a less than 1-2 week old chick, but not a 6mo bird.
What was her normal diet?
Would be good to find out why she died before bringing another bird in.
You have one(?) remaining 6mo bird....is she in good condition? I have the other one, could be a Rhode Island Red, and the other older hens in second run are ISA Browns, 9mo old.

As to adding another bird, chicks could be a good choice, but I'd get at least 3.
Bringing in an older bird(s) opens the risk of also bringing in pests and/or disease.

Her normal diet was laying crumbles in the am, supplemented with occasional fruit, cabbage, apple, however, she never paid any mind to it. I started raising crickets for them because I noticed they enjoyed roaches etc.....Both of them were in a 10x10 enclosure, no free range.