New Kid on the block 'er in the chicken pen :)

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PatriotShar

PatriotShar

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Feb 17, 2017
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Totally NEWBIE. Always been a city slicker but lovin the country girl role ... just not sure that I'm cut out for this ?? :'( I'm not sure that my chickens are gonna survive me ??
I first got 9 chickens in May 2017. I bought 4 already laying hens & a rooster Black Americanos and was given 4 barnyard mix ... which 1 was a white Maran (that lays choc brown eggs) & anothe that seems to be a Black Americanos .. not sure what the other 2 were.

Within 2 weeks of getting them ... I had a coon get in one nite & get 2 of my laying hens :( I never realized that chickens had feelings ?? the other 2 laying hens & my rooster were very OBVIOUSLY traumatized !!! the other 2 hens would not get back in the nesting boxes OR on the roost next to it (nor another roost that I put in) they slept on ground ?? Finally after several weeks the 2 hens began laying again (1 in nesting box & other ONLY on the ground?) Then in Aug I noticed that the 1 laying on the ground had an injured leg ... ie was hopping. She seemed to get better til Hurrican Harvey hit. I got 3-4" of water in the chicken coop so I kept putting the rooster & the hoppity hen up on roost &/or other fixtures but they kept jumping down into the water ?? I noticed the hen was lethargic & had diarrhea ... she died within 4 days. Then a week after harvey was over & coop dried out ... the rooster started acting same, so I started on corid but I think was too late cos he got to where he also couldn't walk or stand ... so I put him down.
I don't live on location ... but am there several nites a week. Soo then Oct I came back 2 different times & had 1 of the chicks ... healthy ... just lay down & die??

So now I'm down to 1 laying hen that hasn't laid for 6-8 weeks now ??
2 chicks, neither of which are laying ?? Blk Americanos & White Maran that are now BIG ... especially the white Maran (larger than ALL of them) have NOT laid one egg ?? (the others that hatched same time are laying)?? Also my 1 laying hen went broody on me, so she stopped laying 6-8 weeks ago ??
I have just gotten a new rooster, not sure what he is (1 week ago) so maybe they will start laying ?

My white maran is now (I think) egg impacted ?? I put in a thread asking for help with that

I sound BackYardChickens.com thru google search

I don't know if the remaining chickens are gonna "survive ME" :'(

I need all the help I can get ... especially on my other thread right now !!

Luv this site !

Lu
 
Hello:frow and:welcome!!! Im so sorry 4 the loss of ur feathered friends. :hugs. We used hardware cloth 2 build our coop and also did a 1ft skirt around the coop with it so nothing could dig under it. We are new to this environment as well (moved from the city in February).We have tons of predators here but all has been well with our flock. (Knock on wood) hardware cloth is pricey but well worth the cost.
 
drumstick diva said:
Did your dying chickens have any symptoms like bloody stools, diarrhea etc. they may have had coccidosis .
Click to expand...
Too add to this response its hard to manage a flock not being there everyday. Do u have trail cams, lights, or any security features? If not the predators probaby see them as easy prey. Until you are able to be there full time to supervise in some sort i wouldn't add to the flock. If you ever find this as your permanent residence i would then get a flock. They are way more work than they seem.
 

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