my chickens are dying! help!

[chookchick]

Quote:
If this is what they look like--you have a serious pecking issue! PLEASE try all the advice that you have been given here. Have you been giving them extra protein (I would use meat at this point to really up the protein). Are you watching them closely to see what is really going on? Figure out who the worst offenders are and get them out of there! Do they have plenty of food ALL the time? Have you gotten the blue-kote to put on any pecked areas? Do they have stuff to do when they are cooped up? The EEs are probably getting beat up because they are more docile.

Please also measure your coop, and tell us more about the situation they are in--we can't help you unless you give us more information and work with the advice you have been given! We really want to help you get a handle on this...

 

[Chickenfur]

i will try to get every thing out there that i can, we normally let them free range every day all day, but, in like november we lost our silkie pullet to something, so, we have only been letting them out in they're pen.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

I could be so wrong, but it sounds more like a rat to me.

 

[mypicklebird]

You have cannibal birds it sounds like, and has been suggested by several posters. You need to give the flock higher protein food (NO scratch for now, try flock raiser- something 20% or higher), more space (less birds or bigger coop), more interesting things to do than peck each other (hanging veggies, big piles of straw with mealworms/catfood/fresh dirt with bugs ect), get rid of 3 of your roosters, remove all wounded birds and don't put them back in until they are healed, and sit outside and watch your birds for 30 min or longer until you can identify the instigator(s). When you see who is starting the vent pecking- remove that bird immediately. Unless you really like that bird, there is no good reason to keep her or EVER put her back in with the other birds. There may be more than one. The habit is really hard to break, and can be learned by more birds as it happens more. Cannibal hens IMO should be dispatched. Bad habit, too risky to keep around, as they could start up again the next time they get bored or hungry. Don't go on vacation until you fix the problem, or you will probably come back to a gruesome scene....

If it is happening during the day, it is probably cannibalism. If it is happening at night, you have a predator(s) sneaking in- rat or something else. Do a head count and vent check at night and in the morning. Figure out what time of day this is happening.

 

[Chickenfur]

Quote:
we can get rid of two of them but the others are pets...

 

[theFox]

Quote:
we can get rid of two of them but the others are pets...

Wonderful the roos are pets, what about the hens you were worried about, are they chopped liver?

Are your EEs by any chance the more docile of the birds you have?

KatyTheChickenLady,

Rats have been mentioned.

But until we know exactly what the OP has actually done with the suggestions that have been made and in the absence of pictures it is very hard to be certain of anything.

With that said I'm no longer going to monitor this thread.

 

[Chickenfur]

Quote:
we can get rid of two of them but the others are pets...

Wonderful the roos are pets, what about the hens you were worried about, are they chopped liver?

Are your EEs by any chance the more docile of the birds you have?

KatyTheChickenLady,

Rats have been mentioned.

But until we know exactly what the OP has actually done with the suggestions that have been made and in the absence of pictures it is very hard to be certain of anything.

With that said I'm no longer going to monitor this thread.

what i meant is that two of them are bantams and KFC has never pecked his hens once! we lost another one today, she was in the middle of the coop and had a egg under her, but, the egg did not have any blood on it, this causes me to think that Fred or George (who are rather aggressive) attacked her to eat the egg (we have found some shell bits and poop in the nesting boxes, and we have seen them in there) also, she was at the top of the peak order. some people we know that butcher them them selves are coming over tomorrow late afternoon to get Fred and George, i think that they are causing the problems. the ees are proboly the most flighty and aggressive of all the hens with an exception to two others of different breeds, also we noticed that one of are BRs had clear slimy stuff all over her butt, which was bare, we separated her, to be sure, has any one had this happen? if so, HELP!!!!!!!!!

 

[jerseygirl1]

Have you seperated any of them?

 

[Chickenfur]

Quote:
no, other than the ones who have had symptoms, we only have one other space that we can move them into.

 

[mypicklebird]

This thread is frustrating me- from your replies it seems that you are removing dead/killed birds as you find them every day, and asking for help- but you do not appear to be doing much to fix this problem. Have you done anything yet? I think the birds may be getting attacked as they lay eggs- hens will do this- they are attracted to the inverting vent as an egg is laid.

1)You need to give the flock higher protein food (NO scratch for now, try flock raiser- something 20% or higher), more space (less birds or bigger coop)
2) more interesting things to do than peck each other (hanging veggies, big piles of straw with mealworms/catfood/fresh dirt with bugs ect)
3) get rid of 3 of your roosters- if you must keep more than 1 rooster for 10 hens, pull out the extras and keep then separate.
4) remove all wounded birds and don't put them back in until they are healed
5) DO this tomorrow!!! sit outside and watch your birds for 30 min or longer until you can identify the instigator(s). When you see who is starting the vent pecking- remove that bird immediately. Unless you really like that bird, there is no good reason to keep her or EVER put her back in with the other birds. There may be more than one. The habit is really hard to break, and can be learned by more birds as it happens more. Cannibal hens IMO should be dispatched. Bad habit, too risky to keep around, as they could start up again the next time they get bored or hungry. Don't go on vacation until you fix the problem, or you will probably come back to a gruesome scene....
6) If you can't spend the time to watch your birds during the day- borrow a video cam or set up a web cam.

**** when is this happening?
If it is happening during the day, it is probably cannibalism. If it is happening at night, you have a predator(s) sneaking in- rat or something else. Do a head count and vent check at night and in the morning. Figure out what time of day this is happening.