Something is killing our chickens!!

chickensand5boys

Hatching
10 Years
Mar 22, 2009
3
0
7
I hope someone can help us with this. We have never had anything kill our chickens before but now we have lost 5 in the last 3 days.

Something is eating the rear-ends and leaving the rest of the bird! One of them did have the neck chewed, but the rest are just the rear ends gone. We are just sick. We love our chickens!!! We thought maybe it was a rat, and my husband is out looking and patchingup any holes that he finds.

If you have any ideas, please help us!!!! We don't want our chickens to suffer!!

Thanks,
Rachel
 
Hey everyone!!!!

thanks for all the help. I think we found out what is happening though. they are prolapsing!!!!! My husband was out in the coop today and one just fell over- oh by the way they are all hens too! the rear was like really big with blood. I read somewhere what is happening is they have a prolapse and then they get pecked to death. My husband found another hen today that is bloody in the backside so he separated her and we are going to put some abx. in her water to try and prevent infection. The place where I read this also said to use some preparation H, so tomorrow we will be out there doctoring up the chickens!!! I am a nurse, so I will really like this- not so sure about the rest of the family!!!!

chickensand5boys
 
Are they getting enough calcium? Laying hens needs plenty of it to replace the eggshells they lay each day. I wonder if low calcium contributes to pro-lapsing? Just a thought.

Also, I think if you look closely at their wounds, you might be able to tell from the bite marks whether its a possum biting or hen pecks. just another thought.
 

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