Two legged predators

[Lowe5749]

So my chickens had a run in with coons the other night and they killed 10 of em. I fortified my coops and haven't had a problem since then but..... a few weeks ago i had two just drop dead, no signs of problems just dead. Last night my ole lady text me that one of my blue Maran hens was laying on her side breathing like she was in labor or something? By the time i got home she was dead. I looked down her throat to see if she had choked and felt her crop ect n all seemed normal so i looked her over for wounds n found none. I think someone may be throwing poison to my birds!

 

[SussexChicks]

You may need to find out who is poisoning your birds by installing security cameras

 

[jdywntr]

Are you having problems with anyone? Have you had complaints about the birds? I don't think someone would just come along and poison them. Are you sure there isn't anything around that they could have gotten into? Have you or a neighbor recently sprayed pesticide? Is there rat poison out anywhere? If rodents or bugs that have been poisoned/sprayed with pesticide are eaten, the chickens can die.

 

[animallover505]

This may be hard for you, but you could always cut them open and check the liver. It is often the first place that poison goes. That the brain, the heart, and the kidneys..

 

[Mattemma]

Time for a game cam.Some of the video cams for cars can be set for constant recording loop.If someone is tossing poison in you will need to be able to get that camera high enough to cover all your property lines.

Check the yard constantly for suspicious material.

Hope you are wrong. I have had birds just die.Not 2 so close together,but I guess it could happen.Sorry for your coon loss.Detest those tick wagons.

The 2 leggers are the absolute worst predators.

 

[sargent spurs]

This may be hard for you, but you could always cut them open and check the liver. It is often the first place that poison goes. That the brain, the heart, and the kidneys..

I would do this and then I would put video cams out and find out who it was, then wait and catch the person and bring the person to the authorities.

 

[daniel rainey]

apparently if the meal is to high in salt or if you have been giving them any salty foods this can cause hens to just drop, and they lay down strugeling for air before death, as far as ive herd!

 

[sargent spurs]

Wow, I've never heard that before.

 

[animallover505]

me neither, but it makes sense. Cardiovascular arrest, maybe? But layer rations are specially formulated, not too much salt. Have you been feeding them salty food? Could they have gotten at a salt or mineral block, like for horses?

 

[Lowe5749]

Ive not had any trouble from neighbors but there is one that the rest of my neighbors have had trouble with. I don't want to point fingers but he is always sitting outside when i leave for work and my hen was pinned up with my huge maran roo big bird and he loves to sing to us wich kinda makes me think it was meant for him if it was poison. I do spray my house but the coop is 50 yds or better down in my field and my chickens are pinned so idk. I did buy some happy hen treats recently (mealies) but thats all she got other than laying mash. I also bought a small game cam and put it up in the middle of night last night so ill find out if they being poisoned eventually i guess i really hope thats not the case though. Ill check my feed sodium levels thats first ive heard of that and how would i tell by the liver would it be black or something?