sad morning here in TN

[jerrydude]

friends--

i'm new here and need some advice if you'd be so kind...

we have 5 chickens. SL Wyandotte, EE, Buff Orpington and two Black Austrolorp hens just about to start laying. one of them has already started and has laid two so far. (awesome!)

this morning i went out to the coop to check on them and sadly-- my beloved buff orpington was dead.

no signs of any bleeding or attack or anything like that. no signs of entry into the coop (which is all fenced and trenched with drainage rock)

the only thing i can think of is a few weeks ago i mistakenly switched them to layer feed 4 weeks early. I just misunderstood their age (new at this) and started them on the layer feed too soon.

yesterday i read on here about how it can kill them if you start too early with the layer feed b/c of the calcium.

i'm so sad! she was my favorite. what a great chicken the buff orp is!

any thoughts on this?

also-- i live in TN-- is it too late to get some new chicks and raise them up to add to the flock before winter?

we're wanting more buff orpingtons-- just order from mcmurray or something?

thanks so much!

 

[Bantimna]

I think it could be the layer feed, that you switched too quickly, the best would to be that you have her tested for any internal disabilities, so that you can find out what caused it. For more information it'll be best to ask your county extension officer.

 

[oldchickenlady]

Where are you located? There is a guy around the Carthage area that sells all ages of chickens. The name of his place is Poultry Hollow and he has a website, www.poultryhollow.com (I think that's it). Their phone number is on the website, it is very possible that you could pick up another Orp about the same age as what you already have. Check it out and if they dont, I could sell you one of mine. I have 6 that will be laying soon. They will be 5 months old on the 19th. I am wanting to call him myself for some silver laced wyandottes, but I am easing my husband into the idea!

 

[jerrydude]

hey thank you so much. i left a vm for the poultry hollow. i'm in kingston springs so not too far at all from leipers.

you'd be willing to part with one of your buffs? so kind of you.

got any mille fleur? we're interested in those too!

 

[oldchickenlady]

No, I have 6 RIR's and 6 Buff O's. My one roo is a RIR. I want a mixture of silver, gold, and blue laced red wyandottes, but I will have to make another run and possibly add on to my existing coop (which I just completed about 2 weeks ago...dang that chicken math!) depending on how many I get. I think I want 2 of each.

 

[rcentner]

I have a feeling it was not the food. Last year I got 6 chickens from the state fair. I had no idea how old they were and I had no idea (since I was brand new to chickens) that you would even feed a different food. So these pullets all got layer food from the time I got them (after watching them grow...I think they were about 3 months old) and to this day the 2 that did not get eaten by the fox earlier this year, are doing very well.
I also read that the extra calcium forms kidney problems/stones...this would cause long term illness before death and I was lead to believe that it would be something that would happen when they get older, not an immediate thing.

Some birds can die of heart attacks at any age and there are a lot of articles on chickens dying suddenly, overnight. I can't recall what they call it but they even have a name for when you find a chicken on the floor dead, fallen off the roost.

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[jerrydude]

well i'd gladly purchase two buff orps if you were willing to part with them to make room for wyandottes in your flock.

either way, thank you so much for your help.

how do you like the RIR?

 

[jerrydude]

thanks! yeah it's weird b/c just yesterday she was perky and happy and running all around. we loved her b/c she was friendly to us. she loved my little boy too-- would always come over to him to say hello.

interesting to hear that sometimes they just die early for any litany of reasons.

heart attacks-- never thought about that with chickens.

Quote:

 

[oldchickenlady]

Quote:
The Buff O's were my initial inspiration for getting chickens. I saw some at a guy's house where I bought my horse. They were so pretty! Well, I resisted for 3 years but finally made the plunge last spring. The guy I bought the chicks from (in Franklin) said the Buff's were so docile that they were not real predator savvy, but that RIR's were (I had told him they would be free ranging). So I bought 6 of each that were supposed to all be pullets, but one RIR turned out to be a roo. I was not too happy about it, but he is turning out to be a good roo. He maintains order among the hens, only crows for about an hour in the morning (not all day!) is sooo pretty to see in the yard, and he will make baby chicks possible that I don't have to incubate and worry over myself!

I make sure to be 'dominate' over him when I am outside (I don't let him breed when I am out with them and will make him move away from me by following him around a while), and he has never pecked me or tried to dominate me. Two of the RIR hens will follow me very closely when I am outside until they figure out if I have treats or not. They will let me pick them up but are not 'lap chickens'. The BO's have never really been friendly until this week one came and hopped up on my arm while I was sitting outside in my chair. She sat there for quite awhile talking chicken talk to me, she even stayed when all the other chickens left to go prowl the neighbor's yard. So they may get more friendly as they get older. I have to work this weekend, I am off Monday and Tuesday, then I am off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you would like you can come over late in the afternoon and pick out who you want when they go in the coop to roost. All my birds are very healthy and have never been sick. They free range all day and also eat layer pellets, scratch, and some veggie scraps. They were born April 19th, so they will be 5 months old on the 19th. I will PM you and give you my phone number. Oh, and one of my RIR's is laying. The BO's are not maturing as fast as the RIR's.

 

[little chirpers]

I'm soo sorry for your loss!
Sending love.