Mourning loss

[BigBlueHen53]

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?

 

[Jedstar]

I would just feed them a nice chook feed scratch layer mix of a good poultry feed brand. I don't give mine treats. I just give mine my food scraps after cooking dinner sometimes. Fresh water. Heaps of water drink containers in the pen.

 

[Lumley Farm]

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.

Never paid any mind to any of it. Only barely picked at the crumbles, but her croup and the other girl, was almost always empty. The older hens are eaters! anything I throw at them, they eat. The only thing the younger ones ate with haste were the crickets.....Hope this is plain to understand.

 

[Lumley Farm]

Never paid any mind to the layer feed? Yep
They should have a good fresh chicken ration available every hour they are awake, IMO. They did...and do....
Too many 'treats' dilutes the balance of nutrition in the ration. Not too many treats...

 

[Lumley Farm]

Did the bird that died act sick in the days before she died? Had she been eating normally, drinking, pecking and scratching and being normally active? Or was she crouched and not moving much? Mostly she was inactive, but did scratch, drink, but didn't eat too much. I did smell her when I picked her up to bury, and there was a sweet smell. That's what made me think it was kidney failure, diabetic like.

 

[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.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you for those answers. This is very puzzling. To me, but I am a rank beginner. Let me call in a couple of helpers who are much more experienced than I, perhaps they may have some thoughts on this.
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Is there any way you could introduce the lone pullet to the other two hens in the other run? It is true that bringing in a chicken from another flock can introduce a disease. It happens every day, no matter if they are friends, family, or from Craigslist. I would get 3 new baby chicks from the feed store for the one run if the single hen can integrate into the runnwith the other two.

As far as the dead pullet, I would send her body off to the state poultry vet for a necropsy. Keep the body cold and wrapped in plastic in a cooler with ice. Here is a list of them:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Lumley Farm]

Thank you for the replies. about getting a necropsy, I have already buried the hen. The other older girls are the reason I had to originally separate and have two run. They are aggressive. Only good with one another. The breeder said the older girls grew up with each other. PS: My girlfriend gave me a black Australorpe. younger and has done well with Ami....the survivor. I quarantined her for three days.

 

[Lumley Farm]

Anyone out there with input on this theory: Do you think she may have died, because of her kidneys due to her getting fed Layer Crumbles? she started on them about 5 months old, which as I understand, is a little young before she was ready to be a layer hen. I was just reviewing some feeds, and read this on a website.