Snake? Lumber? Broodiness?

[carolinasculpture]

OK, weird chicken death today. I went down to the coop today, tossed some scratch and went to drag my eternally broody hen out of her nest box so she would eat and drink. Found her dead in a corner of the coop, with a piece of lumber on top of her. I went to lift it up and found it kinda wedged there. So I figured she must have knocked the lumber over and got killed or stuck and died. Picked her up to take her out and bury her, noticed something weird. Her head and neck were all stretched out straight, and wet like a snake had tried to eat her, but failed and gave up? Anyone ever see anything like this? Any other possibilities?
Thank you!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have no answers but that all sounds like a weird situation to me. Perhaps she was struggling so much than at the end she threw up water, and died with her neck stretched, don't know, hate snakes though.

 

[aart]

OK, weird chicken death today. I went down to the coop today, tossed some scratch and went to drag my eternally broody hen out of her nest box so she would eat and drink. Found her dead in a corner of the coop, with a piece of lumber on top of her. I went to lift it up and found it kinda wedged there. So I figured she must have knocked the lumber over and got killed or stuck and died. Picked her up to take her out and bury her, noticed something weird. Her head and neck were all stretched out straight, and wet like a snake had tried to eat her, but failed and gave up? Anyone ever see anything like this? Any other possibilities?
Thank you!

How long between the time you threw her out and found her dead?
Sure sounds like a snake.

 

[carolinasculpture]

Thanks! I thought that maybe snake found weak broody in nest box, decided to try for a meal. In struggling with the snake, they knocked the board over (board has been leaned up under "stairs" up to roost for over a year), board fell on hen, trapping her, snake found that a full sized chicken was too much, gave up and went away? Does this sound possible?

 

[aart]

Thanks! I thought that maybe snake found weak broody in nest box, decided to try for a meal. In struggling with the snake, they knocked the board over (board has been leaned up under "stairs" up to roost for over a year), board fell on hen, trapping her, snake found that a full sized chicken was too much, gave up and went away? Does this sound possible?

Yes, possible, read many stories about wet necked birds and snakes...mostly chicks.
Would have to be a pretty big snake tho to take on a full sized hen....where are you located?
..and ...again ...how long between the time you threw her out and found her dead?

 

[carolinasculpture]

Hi! Ok, I found the hen dead under the board around noon when I went down to the coop to do chicken chores. I don't know how long she had been dead, but she was not too stiff, so I feel it had been that morning. I know she was in the nest box, near the floor, over night and most of the day, as she had been for a while. (Long story is: she went broody in June while we were out of town, came back and couldn't find her. Turns out she had managed to get in under the coop and was sitting on a bunch of eggs. Six eggs hatched, only ever saw 4 chicks. In hindsight, figured snake ate 2 babies that first night. 2 nights later, another chick disappeared and she wouldn't take the chicks back under the coop, was settled down right out in the open, in the rain. We moved her and the remaining 3 chicks into a nest box inside the coop. 3 nights later, another chick was gone. Pulled the whole coop apart, found snake with chick is lump inside. Relocated snake to heaven. Usually we do really relocate the snakes...but I was REALLY unhappy with this one. That night hen did not want to go into nest box, but we put her and the remaining 2 chicks in and covered the openings with hardware cloth...not perfect, but at least another snake would have to work at getting to them. Haven't lost the other two...yet. Anyway, saw another snake in the coop about a week later, couldn't get to him in time, dumped a bunch of that Snake-Away stuff around, mostly to make me feel better, probably could have just ground up a couple of dollars and spread them around, but haven't seen any more snakes! Baby chicks grew up, momma went broody again. That brings us to now. I had to put her out of the coop every day to let her eat, poop and drink, but she was getting pretty thin...). So, with all that detail, any other thoughts on her demise? Thanks!!!!