What is killing all my chickens?

[Emma_Bruffy]

Guys I think I know what killed smoke! I just walked out and saw 2 black rat snakes and it just makes sense. Her neck was wet, her head was bloody, she was far from a fence line and if the snake started head first and couldn't reach around her body and gave up and spat it up.

 

[pinewoodacres]

I don’t think it’s a snake - they normally are good to have around to control rodents. It sounds like it could be a hawk. I had three hawk attacks in the last month and they go for the head. They (the heads) have been in various stages of being ripped up when I found them. They are not strong enough to pick them up and take off but they can land and attack that way. I put up some bird netting over the run as a deterrent two days ago, so we will see.

 

[Emma_Bruffy]

I don’t think it’s a snake - they normally are good to have around to control rodents. It sounds like it could be a hawk. I had three hawk attacks in the last month and they go for the head. They (the heads) have been in various stages of being ripped up when I found them. They are not strong enough to pick them up and take off but they can land and attack that way. I put up some bird netting over the run as a deterrent two days ago, so we will see.

Well there was another teenager that died inside the coop with almost the same thing except her feathers were plucked (maybe by her siblings)

 

[pinewoodacres]

Well there was another teenager that died inside the coop with almost the same thing except her feathers were plucked (maybe by her siblings)

If the body is left for long enough, the other chickens will cannabilize it. Hawks can go into the coop once they’re on the ground in the run.

 

[Emma_Bruffy]

Ok so I'm thinking back to cannibleism I'm going to post a bunch of graphic images of what I found this morning. This was in a dog crate in the very back corner so the only thing that could have had access was her siblings or something that could have gotten in a dog crate with bars 2 inches apart and In the back corner of my coop. Maybe it was rats and that's what drew in the rat snakes



Warning these are pretty nasty...

 

[pinewoodacres]

Definitely could have been more factors at play with those injuries.

 

[Emma_Bruffy]

I found my two male guineas cornering and attacking my brahma hen and they plucked some of her head feathers out but she is alive. I got rid of the guineas

 

[FunClucks]

I found my two male guineas cornering and attacking my brahma hen and they plucked some of her head feathers out but she is alive. I got rid of the guineas

Really hope that fixes the problem!!!

 

[Emma_Bruffy]

Update on this: ever since I got rid of the guineas I haven't had any more issues but the sick chick had completely healed only to be killed by my dog . Nobody else has been sick or hurt ever since so let's hope it's finally over.

 

[FunClucks]

Update on this: ever since I got rid of the guineas I haven't had any more issues but the sick chick had completely healed only to be killed by my dog . Nobody else has been sick or hurt ever since so let's hope it's finally over.

So glad that fixed the problem! Sorry the guineas were doing that and that your chick was killed by your dog. That's so sad, but at least now you and things will be better in the future. Hopefully everything will be calmer now for all your chickens. Appreciate the update!

I was going to get a few guineas with my first batch of chicks, but had a few people tell me it wasn't a good idea for various reasons. Never dreamed they might actually kill any of the chickens. So thanks for posting your story so those of us who are new to things will know some of the possible risks of trying to have a guinea and chicken mixed flock.