Seven dead hens within 4 hours, not attacked. UPDATE: Teflon Poisoning!

[AaronandAlice]

Okay I have pictures and I made a short video. One is being a bit odd and trying to dig down into the box like a dog under a porch in the heat of summer.

The blood seems to be soaked into wood chips and not connected to any sort of tissue.

 

[casportpony]

I wonder if someone is bleeding from a toe?

 

[casportpony]

@AaronandAlice , forgot to say congrats on your new hens, they're really pretty!

 

[AaronandAlice]

I wonder if someone is bleeding from a toe?

It’s possible with all their flapping. I remember a few months back lane had a bleeding toe and it bled quite a lot.

 

[casportpony]

It’s possible with all their flapping. I remember a few months back lane had a bleeding toe and it bled quite a lot.

They do bleed a lot!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Okay I have pictures and I made a short video. One is being a bit odd and trying to dig down into the box like a dog under a porch in the heat of summer.

The blood seems to be soaked into wood chips and not connected to any sort of tissue.

I wonder if someone is bleeding from a toe?

Good idea Kathy - toes do bleed a lot. And that blood does look fresh.

@AaronandAlice the video is great Totally normal behavior to me, they love to dig.
This is the photo I pulled, but I see in another one there are 2girls with similar look bums - are those swollen?

I probably missed it, but how old are these girls?

 

[Morrigan]

I have one pullet who just loves to dig in the nest boxes like your hen in the video. I keep hoping she's going into to lay an egg, but no, it's just to kick all the straw out searching for things to peck.

 

[AaronandAlice]

Good idea Kathy - toes do bleed a lot. And that blood does look fresh.

@AaronandAlice the video is great Totally normal behavior to me, they love to dig.
This is the photo I pulled, but I see in another one there are 2girls with similar look bums - are those swollen?

I probably missed it, but how old are these girls?
View attachment 1237250

I honestly don’t know if they’re swollen or if the feathers are just missing. It’s like that on a couple of them.

 

[Morrigan]

I honestly don’t know if they’re swollen or if the feathers are just missing. It’s like that on a couple of them.

Were they with a rooster in their previous flock? Sometimes a rooster can cause bare bottoms. I would also check for mites if you haven't already done so.

 

[AaronandAlice]

Were they with a rooster in their previous flock? Sometimes a rooster can cause bare bottoms. I would also check for mites if you haven't already done so.

They were not with a rooster, just a whole lot of hens- the roosters were kept separate in smaller pens. Can I check for mites without actually catching one?