She apparently got caught in the egg "trap" in the coop. The nesting boxes have a slanted floor and at the back of the nest boxes is about a 2" opening--where the eggs roll back through so I can get them through a door.
I went to check the egg door today and stopped to "chat" with the ladies in the run before opening the door. I noticed that Henrietta wasn't there and excitedly wondered if she was laying an egg (only 2-3 of our 9 girls are laying, but I don't know who!).
I opened the egg door and saw Henriettas feathers and thought there were alot visible and then I saw it: She had tried to crawl through the egg trap and got stuck. She got her head and a wing through and the wing got caught around on the wall between the nest boxes--so when she tried to back out... she couldn't. I'm guessing she suffocated.
I cannot even believe how upset I am. Dh went out and removed her. He said the other 8 seemed completely unphased and were eating. I'm just beside myself.
I can't even imagine what she was doing...? There were no eggs in her nest or in the egg drop from that nest. Any ideas? I know that they often sleep in the nest boxes. I wonder if another hen pushed her in and she was looking for somewhere else to go? I don't know. These are our first pullets/hens and we've had them since they're chicks. And this is the first one we lost.
I went to check the egg door today and stopped to "chat" with the ladies in the run before opening the door. I noticed that Henrietta wasn't there and excitedly wondered if she was laying an egg (only 2-3 of our 9 girls are laying, but I don't know who!).
I opened the egg door and saw Henriettas feathers and thought there were alot visible and then I saw it: She had tried to crawl through the egg trap and got stuck. She got her head and a wing through and the wing got caught around on the wall between the nest boxes--so when she tried to back out... she couldn't. I'm guessing she suffocated.
I cannot even believe how upset I am. Dh went out and removed her. He said the other 8 seemed completely unphased and were eating. I'm just beside myself.
I can't even imagine what she was doing...? There were no eggs in her nest or in the egg drop from that nest. Any ideas? I know that they often sleep in the nest boxes. I wonder if another hen pushed her in and she was looking for somewhere else to go? I don't know. These are our first pullets/hens and we've had them since they're chicks. And this is the first one we lost.
