Our silkies died....Possible Cause?

[Pohoehoe]

Hi Everyone,

Our 2 years old silkie hens died last night. One was upstairs in the hatch area, and one on the ground level, inside the coop, right beneath the stairs. We are uncertain about the cause of death so posting this thread hoping for some feedback.

Some background Info:

• About a week ago we found rat feces inside the tool shed right next to the coop. We placed couple mouse traps and actually caught one, about 5 inches long (Exclude the tail).

• 3 days ago started seeing rat feces inside the coop feeder. Clean it, and refilled with new feeds. Placed more mouse traps around the coop and on the roof.

• The temperature in the past 3 days have been extremely cold for the bay area, from low-30 to mid-20s, at night.

• There is no sign of wounds/struggle for both silkies. No loss feathers; feathers are in order, not fuzzie looking. Also we didn't hear any sound. Usually they would go into "alert" mode even for a squirrel.

• Food and water are plentiful.

All the fact point towards the weather as the cause, but we thought silkies can tolerate cold weather, especially inside a coop without draft. What about rats feces poisoning? Would that be a possibility?


Appreciate any feedback!!

Thanks,
Phil

 

[AlleysChicks]

Did you have a heat lamp in there to help with the cold? My silkies managed single digits for over a week and were fine.

 

[4 ever Orpington]

Hi Everyone,

Our 2 years old silkie hens died last night. One was upstairs in the hatch area, and one on the ground level, inside the coop, right beneath the stairs. We are uncertain about the cause of death so posting this thread hoping for some feedback.

Some background Info:

• About a week ago we found rat feces inside the tool shed right next to the coop. We placed couple mouse traps and actually caught one, about 5 inches long (Exclude the tail).

• 3 days ago started seeing rat feces inside the coop feeder. Clean it, and refilled with new feeds. Placed more mouse traps around the coop and on the roof.

• The temperature in the past 3 days have been extremely cold for the bay area, from low-30 to mid-20s, at night.

• There is no sign of wounds/struggle for both silkies. No loss feathers; feathers are in order, not fuzzie looking. Also we didn't hear any sound. Usually they would go into "alert" mode even for a squirrel.

• Food and water are plentiful.

All the fact point towards the weather as the cause, but we thought silkies can tolerate cold weather, especially inside a coop without draft. What about rats feces poisoning? Would that be a possibility?


Appreciate any feedback!!

Thanks,
Phil

 

[BonDEEroo]

Were they eating and behaving normally up to the time they died?

Have you found any dead rats lately? Maybe a neighbor is poisoning the rats and the silkies got a bit of rat poison brought into the run by the rats. There wouldn't have been any symptoms apart from weakness, lethargy or loss of appetite.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Im in the Bay Area too. Its not the cold.
1. Did you have a heat lamp on?
2. It could have been a predator. Is your coop predator proof? Some predators leave bodies and you have to look hard for bites that killed the hen.
3. Did their water freeze? In the am when they wake up, chickens cant go long without water.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry for you loss

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome, and so sorry for your loss.
Look hard at your birds, at night, with a light, for any sing of mites or lice. Heavy loads will kill birds, and until you really look, aren't that obvious.
Rats will kill small birds at night, sometimes with small wounds.
Silkies don't handle extreme cold; maybe a sudden cold snap was the problem.
If you see one rat, there are MANY!!!
Fix any places that the rodents are entering; any opening larger than 1/2" diameter is too big.
Rats are very smart, and only poison will eliminate them. Use bait stations where your birds can't get to them, and dispose of any bodies in the garbage. Most rodents will die in their burrows, not out in the open.
Howard E has a couple of useful older Army videos concerning rats; look them up.
Mary

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Possibly pasteurella
see https://tailandfur.com/causes-of-sudden-death-in-chickens/ 2nd page

 

[Folly's place]

Having post mortem exams done is the only sure way to have an answer, and can be the best way to fix any issues moving forward.
Mary

 

[Pohoehoe]

Did you have a heat lamp in there to help with the cold? My silkies managed single digits for over a week and were fine.

Hi Mary, thank you for the reply. We did not use heat lamp. We live in Northern California, temperature here is usually in the low 40s this time of the year. Past few days we had cold snap, which was unexpected.