PLEASE HELP ME! Face being eaten? Beaks gone???? Help! GRAPHIC PICS!!!

[MandyH]

Quote:
Kind of like damaging your cuticle and the fingernail falls off

 

[Chickenaddict]

OMG

I am soooo sorry for your losses. I would have been completely horrified if I had been in your shoes! Those poor birds

and poor you for having to deal with this

I hope you find out what did it and are able to get rid of it. I agree i'd be taking the kids into the garage or house until you get that hardware cloth up so you don't have to go thru this again

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Couldn't find the thread.

Darn...That was the first thing I thought of when I was the title but everyone is under the impression that this is the work of a predator...I'm at a loss.

 

[Cackling Hen]

Thhe more I look at pics I say maybe there right a flesh eating thing going on. OP says it happend at weeks apart correct?????

 

[NewToFarming]

I don't think the flesh eating thing would happen overnight. It does happen quickly but she would have seen something else prior to this happening

 

[crossgirl]

Quote:
I was going to suggest this also. Please check your other birds beaks for softness, peeling, sponginess, anything out of the norm. Pay particular attention for the area right against the face. Look for anything unusual. Silkies are so fluffy it would be easy to miss something developing. If you can afford it and there's a bird vet in your area have them look at your poor survivor. And by all means, get that chicken wire covered with hardware cloth.

I'm so sorry for you having to deal with this. It's one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen. I hope you get to the bottom of it. Maybe the remaining girls should spend a few days in a crate in the house see if anything happens with them. Perhaps a trap in your run.....

 

[tiffanyg2]

I would definately put that wood up over the windows tonight, lock it up secure, and tomorrow I would go and inspect the rest of the chickens in the daytime and look around their beaks and in their mouths to see if there are any signs of infections or sores to rule out the possibility that maybe it could be some type of infection. If the beaks were being ripped off by something, someone or if falling off due to an illness I would think maybe you could find them near the coop? Have you searched around the area to see if you could find one. Honestly this sounds like a scene out of a horror movie~ I'm really sorry for what your going through.

 

[La Mike]

Really really sorry for you with this. I dont believe any type of disease could manifest at whatever rate and overnite a beak fall off without anything being obviously wrong prior to that nite.
I would try and get pics from different angles with stelth cams. Something is getting them without a doubt. Why just the facial area is strange but may be just all it can get ahold of.

I hope you get this fixed soon

 

[FireTigeris]

Being silkies there may have been unapparent damage because of the fluffies...

I would never have thought to check beaks like that...

 

[Smittenroade]

OP, how often do you inspect your chickens? Had you closely inspected them for awhile? Maybe you missed any signs of rotting due to silke fluff?