Poll for those who have had chicken deaths

[ChickyWhicky]

I've lost a 12-week pullet to a hawk (why couldn't it have taken the crossbeaked cockerel instead?), and I lost a young cockerel to a freak accident -- he seems to have panicked and broken his neck when accidentally trapped outside between two layers of fence overnight.

The precise circumstances don't matter, he was remarkably flighty and always panicking over one thing or another so he was probably doomed to kill himself somehow.

I also had a roo seemingly break his own neck in a panic. I believe he stuck his head through the fence, got stuck and ended up breaking his neck. So awful.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

One of my hens eyes got pecked pretty horribly and the eye itself died and started to bulge out of her head. Although it wasn’t sudden, it look around 4 months for it to get to the point I needed to put her down as it started to hurt her. I’ve had coyotes and raccoons check out the coop at night but thankfully none have tried to get in.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Other: Drowning, Feral cat, snake, spooking, bobcat, smothered by sheep and choking.

 

[3KillerBs]

I also had a roo seemingly break his own neck in a panic. I believe he stuck his head through the fence, got stuck and ended up breaking his neck. So awful.

If Kung Pao hasn't managed to kill himself I probably would have ended up eating him.

The other Black Langshan male in that batch was my wonderful Ludwig -- two boys of the same breed who couldn't have been less alike.

 

[ChickyWhicky]

If Kung Pao hasn't managed to kill himself I probably would have ended up eating him.

Well then you can consider it a blessing in disguise.

My roo that passed was my ONLY buff orpington and was actually quite sweet... I was planning on keeping him if he stayed mild mannered but the universe had different plans. Maybe for the better... Kind of a natural selection situation, I guess.

 

[3KillerBs]

Well then you can consider it a blessing in disguise.

My roo that passed was my ONLY buff orpington and was actually quite sweet... I was planning on keeping him if he stayed mild mannered but the universe had different plans. Maybe for the better... Kind of a natural selection situation, I guess.

I suppose so.

Temperament is supposed to be heritable and I wouldn't want to break birds who are too easily freaked out.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Same. I was only thinking about the adult deaths in my first post.

I've never lost chicks or eggs to a snake, but I was also thinking in terms of adults with my response, or at minimum older juveniles / subadults, i.e. birds old enough to no longer be living in a brooder type setup.

 

[Matejka]

Ove never lost a bird to a natural predator (Raccoon, fox, hawk, owl etc....).
ALL of my losses have been by dogs! None by My dogs-Neighbors, dumped, strays.

 

[SamLockwood]

Raccoons and possums have done the most damage. One year we had rat attacks, and I lost a 14 week old pullet to a hawk attack

I've had a few lost to egg binding, one jerk rooster the hens ganged up on and killed one day, and a hen that died from an infected wound of unknown origin.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Other: Drowning, Feral cat, snake, spooking, bobcat, smothered by sheep and choking.

Smothered by sheep needs to be added to the poll.
I just need to know if this is a Jacin only occurrence.