My first loss!! What do you think it is?

[Janet]

I am so sad. I have 15 girls and I was so proud that they have spent almost 2 weeks in the outdoor house (they are 5 weeks old). Well, this afternoon I walked up and found my favorite (why is it always the favorite??) Rhode Island red laying there dead. Her neck looked all wet and stretched out but that was about it. I couldn't bear to look too closely but my DH said that he couldn't see anything else--no blood, no feathers missing--nothing else wrong. All the other girls were fine.
All we could find was approx 1 inch hole in the wood near the ground...we have tin on 3 sides and the top and we have 1/2 hard wire on the 3rd side top to bottom for ventilation (hot in Texas). Now I realize that we have some gaps in the tin about an inch where it overlaps on top. The floor is dirt but we could not see any digging or holes or anything except that small l inch hole.
What could have gotten in? Could a snake do this? Would something come in and get just one like that and leave?
I am so worried about tonight! We put a light on in the house, put more dirt around the sides (the run has a strong electric wire around it but we have a big tree on the side of the coop so that wasn't possible to go around the coop.) Help!!

 

[Janet]

oh...meant to mention this is my very first time with chickens and my very first post--I am loving it and I have learned so much from all of you--I just am so scared now of losing them...

 

[BeckyLa]

I'm so sorry this has happened. That's just what my chick looked like when we caught a snake in the act and it spit it back out as it tried to escape. It was about the same age, my favorite white oegb baby. Please be sure to take a flashlight and search diligently every inch of your coop and run. We thought this snake has gotten away into the deep grass but found it had climbed up the corner of the coop and was laying across the top of a board in the top of the coop. We nearly locked it in with our babies! And be sure there are no holes or even decent sized cracks, like around the doors, or they can flatten out and get in there, too.

 

[Southern28Chick]

I'm sorry about your loss. I lost my RIR roo at 5 weeks old to a snake. The snake will sufficate (spelling?) the chick and then proceed to eat it. If the snake is spooked it will spit the chick back out and leave. Maybe you walking to the run scared the snake off? When a snake was eating my roo, DH went out to get the snake to re home it and the snake spit my chick out and left a wet/slimy substance on him.

You need Snake-a-way from the feed store or home depot around your run and I also put out moth balls too. Make sure your chickens can't get to the stuff.

Again I'm sorry. But it does sound like you have a snake on your hands and it will probably be back.

 

[Janet]

Oh no! I didn't think that the snake could still be in there! duh! I was so shook up I just sent my DH in there to look for holes. Well, he just said he would go back in there with a flashlight and look more closely. Thank you so much for the advice. We live just a few yards from the river and have had a lot of rain--I'm sure it was a snake now too.
I'm going to put some moth balls out too around the outside of the coop--my dog doesn't go near the area anymore since she was shocked by the electric wire. Felt bad for her but I was worried about her down there anyway so it is for the best.
By the way, yesterday I was letting the chicks out to play and I heard a loud screech and all the chicks ran inside the coop so fast I couldn't believe it. Talk about instinct! I guess now I'll be worried about hawks next--I'm going to put netting up next so later they can be outdoors more. And we have a donkey that we're planning to bring over to protect against coyotes...
I can't believe how shaken I've been finding my dear chicken laying there dead...horrible!

 

[Wolfpacker]

Could someone please tell me what a "DH" is?

Thanks.

Sorry about your chick.

 

[Peaguy]

Hey, WolfPacker, DH stands for... in most cases.... Dear Husband ... Of course that is a subjective abbreviation as some tend to use many other forms of the D - Word instead of "Dear" One example I saw not to long ago on another site was "D= deliriously insane for putting up with me and my hobbies for so many years without complaint, well much complaining anyway" So, take your cue from there...
D = (insert appropriate D word here )

H = husband , hubby, home wrecker, house potato, Again can be very subjective depending upon the mood around your house on any given day.
Just remember ladies! there are alot of W words available also... DW ... e.g. Dirty Window washer.un Hope this helps WolfPacker!

 

[SpottedCrow]

Sorry about your chick.
As for the mothballs, make sure that your birds or pets can't get at them...they not only smell bad, but they're poisonous.

 

[Wolfpacker]

Thanks.

I have a DW.

But sometimes she can be a BW.

 

[farmgirl2477]

I thought D = dear so its dear hubby, dear daughter and so on.

So sorry for your loss. I dont know why but it does always seem to be the favorite that gets taken. Its like they have a sign hanging across thier back....eat me, in the favorite

I just recently lost my favorite girl too. Its always hard, Its never really gotten any easier for me. I wish you the best of luck with your unwelcome guest.

Shannon