My year old silkie died in her nest :(

Wendieblue

In the Brooder
May 30, 2017
4
1
19
this morning when I went out to open the coop to let the silkies out they wouldn't come outside. So I went into their coop and found our littlest girl curled up in her nest and she had passed away. our flock is really small (1 rooster, 3 hens - 1 of which is separated with her 3 month old chicks) plus 2 year old peacocks. They've all been raised together and have a very large run (120'x50'). The little girl that passed this morning had been plucking her feathers out and we had been using the "peck no-more" product from tractor supply ... we had put it on her bald spots 3x over 3 weeks. My heart is broken over the loss of her! Yesterday I watched the roo make her a nest- the same one I found her in this morning. Does anyone know what may have happened to her or have any words of advise so I know what signs to look for? I'm new to this- these are my first chickens and I have had them just under a year. Thank you for taking the time to rad this!
 
Welcome to BYC...sorry for your loss.

What is your weather like?
How was her poop?
Was she eating and drinking ok?
 
Hi there. Thank you. The weather here has been humid and warm -mid 70's. her poops have been normal, she hand. Nice giving us an egg a day. And her appetite has been great - she was the smallest so we took her out and let her be in the yard with us a bit more than the others.... my mother lives through food - and she makes them all a mixture of fresh greens, fruits and their layer crumbles and oyster shells each morning a small well as fresh water... she also digs them up worms a few times a week.
Thanks again!
 
Where had she been plucking her feathers?
She has plucked the feathers off of her back and on the edges of her wings. We use DE in her dust bath and her coop we use sand instead of hay, except for the laying boxes - those have hay. We originally though it was the roo doing it to her but over time we watched her doing it to herself :(. Thank you!
 
Thank you! I'm definitely keeping the fond memories as a focus :) I'm just baffled because I can't explain what happened to her sweet self :(
Thanks again!
 
If she had been plucking feathers off her breast, I would have guessed she was preparing to go broody and hatch eggs. They do that to make a soft nest for their young. Silkies generally go broody often. So sorry :hugs
 

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