Official BYC Poll: What Are The Top Causes of Death in Your Backyard Flock?

[Show Sebright]

One of my babies died of laying an egg.

 

[Audio51]

Most of my losses have been to Marek's Disease. It's in the soil here so I only acquire vaccinated chicks or pullets at least 10 months old. Even so, I lost 2 pullets to it that were supposed to have been vaccinated. They were either missed or did not have the level of immune response needed to prevent them from getting sick. I lost 30 hens back on 11/2/2018 in the Camp Fire in Paradise, CA but that was a one-off.

 

[TelfTheElf]

What would happen to a hen hit by lightning?

I ask coz we had a strom about 3 months back and i went out the next day and there was a chicken layed on it side...worst part to come...the head looked like it had been burnt.
I am dead confused, like the hen was in our coop, and all the rest were fine, just hungry (as usual in the morning)

Anyone shed some light here???? I've like never heard of that before!

 

[feather13]

There’s no animal control here because we’re way out in the country but we did file a police report for them being on our property and a lawsuit for the damages. The dogs came from like 4 miles away over a mountain. The owners are aware that if we ever see the dogs again they’re dead. It was devastating though, I lost my rooster that I had gotten like 3 months earlier(and had driven 600 miles to get!), over half of my original flock, the only offspring we’d gotten out of those hens, and half of my pullets that were just coming into laying age.

Wow. I'm so sorry. I hope the lawsuit is successful and that those dogs never come back. That must have been heartbreaking. A cat has been stalking our chickens all week, so we've not been able to free range them. Irresponsible cat and dog owners are annoying.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

We free range and had 20 at the time. We were gone for maybe an hour and a half and came home to carnage and the two dogs were still there. There’s no animal control here because we’re way out in the country but we did file a police report for them being on our property and a lawsuit for the damages. The dogs came from like 4 miles away over a mountain. The owners are aware that if we ever see the dogs again they’re dead. It was devastating though, I lost my rooster that I had gotten like 3 months earlier(and had driven 600 miles to get!), over half of my original flock, the only offspring we’d gotten out of those hens, and half of my pullets that were just coming into laying age.

That would have been all I needed to fill those dog's heads full of lead!

 

[Willow2253]

That would have been all I needed to fill those dog's heads full of lead!

My stepdad nearly did but they had run off by the time he got his gun.

 

[Willow2253]

Wow. I'm so sorry. I hope the lawsuit is successful and that those dogs never come back. That must have been heartbreaking. A cat has been stalking our chickens all week, so we've not been able to free range them. Irresponsible cat and dog owners are annoying.

We had our court date in December and won. I’m hoping they learned their lesson and will be more responsible about their animals in the future.

 

[PepsiCatt]

Oreo maybe be dead idk bc i yeeted him to another person, who needed him to protect his hens

 

[feather13]

We had our court date in December and won. I’m hoping they learned their lesson and will be more responsible about their animals in the future.

Congratulations! This is great news!

 

[Pullet Press]

I had found my Dorking pullet (meant to be a roo) dead in her coop. Her neck must have been broken. I also had a sweet rooster killed because of his crowing (my dad didn't like killing him). The only other times chickens have died, it was in the brooder (runt chicks or other really sad circumstances).