Need help. First dead chicken.

[aart]

They have been in their coop about 4 months.

..and they've never roosted in the coop?

Agrees with the diet and ventilation concerns.

Oh, and.....Welcome to BYC! @murrychicken
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Kiki]

OP's other thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...fferently-have-our-fist-dead-chicken.1337729/

 

[aart]

OP's other thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...fferently-have-our-fist-dead-chicken.1337729/

@Texas Kiki You can do links now?!

 

[Kiki]

@Texas Kiki You can do links now?!

I can and have been able to do them with threads.
It's articles only that is jacked up on the Android app.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What did we do wrong here? We are new to chickens and this is our first cold snap and have a dead chicken. They don’t want to go up in the top, warm, enclosed area at night. Should we wrap the bottom?

Please describe what you call a cold snap. Is that 30F, zero F, -20F?

No have gotten rid of the body. Chickens brought home all on same day at 1 day old. Chicken set up since been there since May. All is new to us. Feed them layer feed free range from MFA. Adding egg shells to it. Feeding whole corn at night to help keep them warm.

At what age did you start feeding layer feed and adding egg shells to it?
What is from MFA, the layer feed or the free range?
What breeds do you have?

 

[murrychicken]

Stop the corn.
Feed only the complete balanced layer feed.

I'm not seeing any ventilation in there.
Can you cut some holes up high and cover them when th hardware cloth.


If your girls are laying eggs they are plenty be g enough to be outside and not die from a cold snap.

Fatty liver disease can cause them to drop dead with zero symptoms.
Over weight (which can happen easily with daily corn treats) can cause this.

Oh geez I also have some sort of chicken mineral block in there.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've never heard of a chicken mineral block. Are you talking about insoluble grit or oyster shell?

 

[murrychicken]

Please describe what you call a cold snap. Is that 30F, zero F, -20F?

At what age did you start feeding layer feed and adding egg shells to it?
What is from MFA, the layer feed or the free range?

Cold snap: 30s at night and 40s during the day. MFA is the store. Layer feed. No free range. Wrong wording there. Layer feed about 2 weeks ago. Age 6 months.

 

[Kiki]

Cold snap: 30s at night and 40s during the day. MFA is the store. Layer feed. No free range. Wrong wording there. Layer feed about 2 weeks ago. Age 6 months.

That's not cold for a chicken.


Block....like a flock treat block of seeds thing?

Take it away and trash it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Cold snap: 30s at night and 40s during the day. MFA is the store. Layer feed. No free range. Wrong wording there. Layer feed about 2 weeks ago. Age 6 months.

Oh, I was imagining cold weather. 30s and 40s is closer to the sweet spot for most breeds of chickens. You might think that is cold but your chickens don't. If you were fully dressed, wearing insulated pants and a down parka, you would be dressed almost as warmly as the chickens are when they go to roost at night. They don't trade their feathers for pajamas at dusk.
Cut some big windows in that box. Give them some oxygen.
What breeds do you have?
In the future, send dead birds to your state diagnostic lab for a necropsy so you know what killed them. It is impossible to know your next move until you know what is killing the chickens.
What state are you in?