Washingtonians

[Chubby Chicken]

IN MY OPINION you are making the heat thing WAY too difficult! See I hang a heat lamp and plug it into a dimmer that I made. I just watch the chicks. if they are all under the light don't turn it down.If they are off away from the light I turn it down a bit. It ain't rocket science!

She's just trying to be a good mom!

 

[Farmin Momma]

Ok, so I am beyond ****** right now! Just went out to check on my girls and found four pullets/ unkown cockreals dead. They were completely intact..... Only one of them had a tiny spot of blood under one of her wings. I need help trying to figure out what killed them. I do not know what time of day or night this happend as today I did not go out to give the girls treats this morning. The ones that got killed are 3 of my favorite up and coming Silkies that were 13 weeks old and the one and only baby that I kept out of my personal hatch ( also 13 weeks old) because she was so uniquely colored and the most friendly. Now these girls for some reason would not sleep in the coop, so they were sleeping out in the open last night.
When I found the bodies, two of them were really stiff and covered in fly eggs. The other two were still kinda limp but that could be because they were out in the sun. The only thing I have had killing my chickens, up untill now, was cyotes but they take the whole body and I only find feathers.
Please if you have any ideas at all what this could be let me know. Thanks guys

 

[chickenjane82]

Ok, so I am beyond ****** right now! Just went out to check on my girls and found four pullets/ unkown cockreals dead. They were completely intact..... Only one of them had a tiny spot of blood under one of her wings. I need help trying to figure out what killed them. I do not know what time of day or night this happend as today I did not go out to give the girls treats this morning. The ones that got killed are 3 of my favorite up and coming Silkies that were 13 weeks old and the one and only baby that I kept out of my personal hatch ( also 13 weeks old) because she was so uniquely colored and the most friendly. Now these girls for some reason would not sleep in the coop, so they were sleeping out in the open last night.
When I found the bodies, two of them were really stiff and covered in fly eggs. The other two were still kinda limp but that could be because they were out in the sun. The only thing I have had killing my chickens, up untill now, was cyotes but they take the whole body and I only find feathers.
Please if you have any ideas at all what this could be let me know. Thanks guys

Cat maybe? I caught a ferrel cat killing one of my young chickens

 

[hallerlake]

Ok, so I am beyond ****** right now! Just went out to check on my girls and found four pullets/ unkown cockreals dead. They were completely intact..... Only one of them had a tiny spot of blood under one of her wings. I need help trying to figure out what killed them. I do not know what time of day or night this happend as today I did not go out to give the girls treats this morning. The ones that got killed are 3 of my favorite up and coming Silkies that were 13 weeks old and the one and only baby that I kept out of my personal hatch ( also 13 weeks old) because she was so uniquely colored and the most friendly. Now these girls for some reason would not sleep in the coop, so they were sleeping out in the open last night.
When I found the bodies, two of them were really stiff and covered in fly eggs. The other two were still kinda limp but that could be because they were out in the sun. The only thing I have had killing my chickens, up untill now, was cyotes but they take the whole body and I only find feathers.
Please if you have any ideas at all what this could be let me know. Thanks guys

HOW do they always know whih are our favorites? Sorry.

 

[Breshcandra]

Ok, so I am beyond ****** right now! Just went out to check on my girls and found four pullets/ unkown cockreals dead. They were completely intact..... Only one of them had a tiny spot of blood under one of her wings. I need help trying to figure out what killed them. I do not know what time of day or night this happend as today I did not go out to give the girls treats this morning. The ones that got killed are 3 of my favorite up and coming Silkies that were 13 weeks old and the one and only baby that I kept out of my personal hatch ( also 13 weeks old) because she was so uniquely colored and the most friendly. Now these girls for some reason would not sleep in the coop, so they were sleeping out in the open last night.
When I found the bodies, two of them were really stiff and covered in fly eggs. The other two were still kinda limp but that could be because they were out in the sun. The only thing I have had killing my chickens, up untill now, was cyotes but they take the whole body and I only find feathers.
Please if you have any ideas at all what this could be let me know. Thanks guys

Oh no!!!! I am so sorry.. I have no idea what might have happened to them.

 

[Breshcandra]

Just sold 10 chicks. 4 more to go.

 

[Hinotori]

Ok, so I am beyond ****** right now! Just went out to check on my girls and found four pullets/ unkown cockreals dead. They were completely intact..... Only one of them had a tiny spot of blood under one of her wings. I need help trying to figure out what killed them. I do not know what time of day or night this happend as today I did not go out to give the girls treats this morning. The ones that got killed are 3 of my favorite up and coming Silkies that were 13 weeks old and the one and only baby that I kept out of my personal hatch ( also 13 weeks old) because she was so uniquely colored and the most friendly. Now these girls for some reason would not sleep in the coop, so they were sleeping out in the open last night.
When I found the bodies, two of them were really stiff and covered in fly eggs. The other two were still kinda limp but that could be because they were out in the sun. The only thing I have had killing my chickens, up untill now, was cyotes but they take the whole body and I only find feathers.
Please if you have any ideas at all what this could be let me know. Thanks guys

Ah dang. I'm so sorry. It sucks so bad when something gets them. And it's frustrating as all get out. I know just how you feel.

 

[Hinotori]

If you could build, add or redesign something in a coop. What would you add or change??? You know the stuff that after you had your chickens in there you thought Hmmm I should have done this. Or something that you have seen that works really well

I'd have all the coops at least a foot of the ground to make underneath less inviting to rodents, and easier to pop them with a bb gun. High enough that my german shepherd can get under to kill them would be even better.

 

[Breshcandra]

I'd have all the coops at least a foot of the ground to make underneath less inviting to rodents, and easier to pop them with a bb gun. High enough that my german shepherd can get under to kill them would be even better.

We poured a concrete floor on ours no rodents can get under there. And its easy to sweep and do a deep clean.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote: IN MY OPINION you are making the heat thing WAY too difficult! See I hang a heat lamp and plug it into a dimmer that I made. I just watch the chicks. if they are all under the light don't turn it down.If they are off away from the light I turn it down a bit. It ain't rocket science!
I agree. I never, ever moved our heat lamp. I just left it on one side of the brooder and as they grew and feathered out more they just stayed further away from it. No big science there, and they were fully feathered by 5-6 weeks because of it I think!

Quote: OK so I have a gross question I need answered about the bloom; does that start juicing out their bums before they lay eggs?! Scarlett squatted for me tonight and I gave her a quick back scratch and as she stood up she squirted something out her bum that wasn't poo! Totally caught me off guard but made me think she's WAY close to laying her first egg!