I have 11 birds in one coop/run (8 chickens and 3 ducks). The chickens are 8 weeks old, one duck is also 8 weeks old, one is 6 weeks old, and the other duck is 4 weeks old. (I also have three older chickens in a separate area. This morning before work I changed their food and water and checked on them all). All 1 were good, healthy, and active. Both my husband and I worked a long day and we just got home. I changed food and water and began playing with them. I counted (as always since they like to run out of the coop when I'm going in and out of it....they're still too young/small to free range). There were only 10. I counted again, and again, and again. 10 each time. I immediately realized I was missing my youngest duck, Squirt. I began panicking. I wondered if he had gotten out when I was cleaning the coop but knew he didn't. Then I worried that maybe a predator climbed the fence (there is about a 4 inch gap at the top of the ceiling) and took Squirt back out with it.
When my husband got home I had him go look. He found poor Squirt right away. What I had mistaken as a large rock (our coop is built right into our 1700's barn basement with dirt floors) was Squirt.. He was so dirty I hadn't realized it was a bird. I removed him from the pen and we realized right away that his head was missing. Agh!!!
So now I'm freaking out. Not only am I sad about poor Squirt, I'm worried about my other birds. I specifically remember holding Squirt yesterday. He was just as healthy and lively as always. So...if it was a disease, it's obviously something that acts quickly. Will the other 10 birds die just as suddenly? Or, if it was a predator....what happened?!?! Squirt was definitely not the smallest bird in there, so why go after him? The only other explanation is that maybe he got his head stuck in the chicken wire and the chickens pecked him (I know they go crazy when they see blood). But really, we have NO idea what could've happened. All 10 other birds are fine (although so was Squirt last night). There is also no sign of blood or anything in there.
Does anyone know what could've happened? We've since plugged the small gap at the top of the coop, but I really don't think it was a predator. Although...where did his head go?!?!
When my husband got home I had him go look. He found poor Squirt right away. What I had mistaken as a large rock (our coop is built right into our 1700's barn basement with dirt floors) was Squirt.. He was so dirty I hadn't realized it was a bird. I removed him from the pen and we realized right away that his head was missing. Agh!!!
So now I'm freaking out. Not only am I sad about poor Squirt, I'm worried about my other birds. I specifically remember holding Squirt yesterday. He was just as healthy and lively as always. So...if it was a disease, it's obviously something that acts quickly. Will the other 10 birds die just as suddenly? Or, if it was a predator....what happened?!?! Squirt was definitely not the smallest bird in there, so why go after him? The only other explanation is that maybe he got his head stuck in the chicken wire and the chickens pecked him (I know they go crazy when they see blood). But really, we have NO idea what could've happened. All 10 other birds are fine (although so was Squirt last night). There is also no sign of blood or anything in there.
Does anyone know what could've happened? We've since plugged the small gap at the top of the coop, but I really don't think it was a predator. Although...where did his head go?!?!
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