RedHeadWelder
In the Brooder
- Jul 6, 2021
- 3
- 1
- 19
My alpha hen (Mama) just died yesterday night and I have no clue as to why. I am going to explain my set up before explaining the mystery death.
First off, I have a small flock only 4 now reduced to 3. One barred rock hen (Name:O.G.), one mix hen (Name:Miss Grey), and one Maran hen(Name:Sister). My alpha that passed was also a Maran(Name:Mama) hen.
Now for the food, water, and shelter. Until about a 8 days ago they had a scratch(40%) to a crumble (60%) mix. Grit and oyster shell was mixed in by the handful. They have vinegar in their water. They have a 10 gallon waterer with about 1 cup of vinegar. They have a 10 × 5 foot coop, with a roost/ egg box attached. They always have a tray of diatomaceous earth.
We have rats around the neighborhood but we have been working on eliminating them. We also reinforced their coop. So the pest can't get in to the hens without going through the area that my dogs and cat guard.
About a week ago we had the heat wave here in Washington. Temperatures reached above 100°. So my husband and I put a large tall tray of water out for them. A 24 inch wide and a 3 inch tall pan always full of water. I also went out every other hour and checked on them. My husband also put out a box fan in the coup and a small fan in the roost box. Three out of the four hens did just fine.
One of my Maran hens (Sister) took the heat really badly. She was the only hen that the heat really effected that we saw.She started laying down and stretching out her wings while panting. She couldn't stand up without wobbling and falling back down. I read around and figure out that she was showing signs of bad vitamins deficiency. The deficiency showed up because of the extreme heat dehydrating them. So we took all the scratch out of their diet. Hoping that they would eat the crumble only, that has the right vitamin blend. Sister hen is alert and semi active but doesn't move around well. But she is still laying eggs!
Now I'm getting to the mystery death. The other Maran hen Mama. She had no signs of anything wrong before hand. She hadn't laid any eggs since the heatwave. Which we both thought it was because of the heat. She was doing fine in the morning. Then by afternoon (12ish) was laying down and overall looked in poor condition, such as head drooping, wing down but still being held to her body, and not much attention for anything other than food and water. I felt her crop and she had food in there just not much. She was still drinking water so I left her thinking that she would be okay for the afternoon. She was still eating too so another sign not to worry too much at that time. We checked on them about 7pm and she was dead. She looked like she just fell on her side. She was beside the food. I checked her body over and there was no external problems. No bites or bruising or anything. Just couldn't find anything. Her crop had food and water in it. It was not buldging full but not empty at all. She had no egg or eggs in her when I felt her. Don't know what happened to her or why she died. Would appreciate any help on this. I will give any more info needed about my hens just ask.
First off, I have a small flock only 4 now reduced to 3. One barred rock hen (Name:O.G.), one mix hen (Name:Miss Grey), and one Maran hen(Name:Sister). My alpha that passed was also a Maran(Name:Mama) hen.
Now for the food, water, and shelter. Until about a 8 days ago they had a scratch(40%) to a crumble (60%) mix. Grit and oyster shell was mixed in by the handful. They have vinegar in their water. They have a 10 gallon waterer with about 1 cup of vinegar. They have a 10 × 5 foot coop, with a roost/ egg box attached. They always have a tray of diatomaceous earth.
We have rats around the neighborhood but we have been working on eliminating them. We also reinforced their coop. So the pest can't get in to the hens without going through the area that my dogs and cat guard.
About a week ago we had the heat wave here in Washington. Temperatures reached above 100°. So my husband and I put a large tall tray of water out for them. A 24 inch wide and a 3 inch tall pan always full of water. I also went out every other hour and checked on them. My husband also put out a box fan in the coup and a small fan in the roost box. Three out of the four hens did just fine.
One of my Maran hens (Sister) took the heat really badly. She was the only hen that the heat really effected that we saw.She started laying down and stretching out her wings while panting. She couldn't stand up without wobbling and falling back down. I read around and figure out that she was showing signs of bad vitamins deficiency. The deficiency showed up because of the extreme heat dehydrating them. So we took all the scratch out of their diet. Hoping that they would eat the crumble only, that has the right vitamin blend. Sister hen is alert and semi active but doesn't move around well. But she is still laying eggs!
Now I'm getting to the mystery death. The other Maran hen Mama. She had no signs of anything wrong before hand. She hadn't laid any eggs since the heatwave. Which we both thought it was because of the heat. She was doing fine in the morning. Then by afternoon (12ish) was laying down and overall looked in poor condition, such as head drooping, wing down but still being held to her body, and not much attention for anything other than food and water. I felt her crop and she had food in there just not much. She was still drinking water so I left her thinking that she would be okay for the afternoon. She was still eating too so another sign not to worry too much at that time. We checked on them about 7pm and she was dead. She looked like she just fell on her side. She was beside the food. I checked her body over and there was no external problems. No bites or bruising or anything. Just couldn't find anything. Her crop had food and water in it. It was not buldging full but not empty at all. She had no egg or eggs in her when I felt her. Don't know what happened to her or why she died. Would appreciate any help on this. I will give any more info needed about my hens just ask.
