They Fouught to the Death! Update with pics..

[OvertheHenHouse]

Wow - what an awful day! I'm so sorry this happened - and with 3-week-olds...? It's really baffling and just doesn't make any sense at all. I think I have the same sized dog crate that you have and just raised 13 chicks in it, no problems, and they got pretty crowded there towards the end. What breed were your chicks?
I'm really stunned and so sorry - what a nightmare!

 

[KandiandJerry]

What do you feed them? Protein deficiency maybe....if you feed chick starter, I highly doubt that it is a deficiency....sorry about your loss...

 

[silkiechicken]

3 weekers fighting to the death? Sounds like maybe a rat got in or something.

 

[wbruder17]

I just really can't see any rat doing it. Especially not during the day. The rats have plenty of other food...wild biird feed, etc.
Yea, medicated chick starter. And they've lived together for the whole time. Didn't introduce a new bird, which ii could nderstand. I honestly can't believe it, but there's just no other explanation other than them doing it to each other.

Ii don't see how a cat could grab hold. Of 2 chicks. They would be able to get away and a cat couldn't get a good hold through those tiny bars. Its a standaard like, half inch grating on the front of a dog crate. I don t havee an cats, buut neighbors do.

 

[wbruder17]

The breed of chicks were: Daddy-Mille Flleuur D'Uccle, Mamas- OEGB or Dutc bbantam (dead chick) and EE (live chick with gash). Other chicks not involved were EE mama, same daddy.

 

[wbruder17]

The DH is conviinced it was the neighbors cat. I can't believe it getting 2 chicks and killing one wiith only a tiny hole to reach through. Maybe I'm dilusional about the abilities of cats.

 

[wolftracks]

Almost 2 months ago I lost 157 day olds to a cat. That's why I say cats WILL and DO kill chickens. They've even attacked my big birds. This was the second attack with all or almost all killed the first I lost 34 or of 36. My brooder was heavy, 2 x 4 framed lid with hardware cloth and two different cats managed to get in even after I have made some improvements after the first time. If they want to get to them they will. BTW the brooder was in my closed up garage both times, so I know they sneak in when I have the door open for maybe laundry and they wait and kill. I have big dogs and I know what size you mean for an entry, but yep, that's easier than my brooder lid to get hold of them.

So sorry it happened.

 

[Terrik]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Your right, that is a bad day!

 

[wbruder17]

Darn it! I LIKE that cat. Well, hafta figure out what to do now to keep the rest safe.

 

[silkiechicken]

I can see a chick getting too close to kennel door and one swipe of cat paw = laceration. Then chicks being little chickens... eating their kin in the mean time.

That said, was the kennel outside? I would not put wild crows past the job either. I know someone who had some chicks in a wire kennel on his porch in Seattle. Caught crows working together in the act to scare chicks to one side of the kennel while another would try and nab them through the wire. Luckily, he said that the crows did not perfect the art and nobody was dead.