What should we do differently? Have our fist dead chicken.

[murrychicken]

We are new and have our first dead chicken. Chickens won’t go up to the top, warm, dry area and are roosting on the steps. Have a lot of wind here. This week is our first cold snap. What should we do? Ps-our 11 year old bought the chickens and is so upset.

 

[BullChick]

I don’t see that anything is wrong. Perhaps it was just a weak bird.

 

[BullChick]

Btw,

Have him join 4-H, and enjoy finding people in your area.

 

[DobieLover]

Sorry to hear about your loss.
How old was she? Did she exhibit any symptoms prior to dying?
I see a puddle in your run. How is the drainage? Is the rest of the run litter damp? Generally, excess moisture breeds all kinds of organisms that are potentially harmful to chickens.
I don't see any ventilation in your coop. That may be why they do not want to go in it to roost.

 

[Rose Quartz]

or possibly not enough light for them to see to go in at bed time? But that shouldn't kill a bird. Maybe they just got wet and cold.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Nice coop!
I'd put a nightlight in the coop that will draw them up and into the coop at night as they will follow the light. A couple of 2x4's to put across the narrow width, each at the same height but about 3-feet away from each other will offer ample roosting space and discourage squabbles over choice spots. I'd ensure that the food and water is not under the roosts, and I'd attach high quality, rubber bungie cords to them to enable you to lift them out of the reach of rats and mice at night simply by repositioning the bungie. The rubber bungies will last you years and years, the colorful wrapped type bungies may only last a year or two; for the price difference, my money is with the rubber ones. You may also consider buying a few sheets of zinc roofing to form a wind break on two adjoining sides of the run to block your prevailing wintertime winds. Looking at the image of your coop again, you might be able to get away with only covering the right hand side (as you're looking into the coop from the doorway), as the coop structure may provide enough of a wind break on the far side. The roofing is typically inexpensive, incredibly sturdy, won't rot, resists rust, is termite proof, and snow slides right off. Again, financially speaking, I believe zinc roofing is a better value than fiberglass or steel, as zinc's natural oxidation process mends minor nicks and scratches without any effort on your part. You can punch holes along the edges of the roofing with a nail or ice pick and attach it to the current structure with sturdy zip ties (black ones if you can find them at a good price). If you elect to leave this up over the summer, it will provide deep shade as well, but will probably need to have the zip ties replaced, or at least inspected, after summer has ended.

 

[murrychicken]

I don’t see that anything is wrong. Perhaps it was just a weak bird.

Thank you.

 

[murrychicken]

Sorry to hear about your loss.
How old was she? Did she exhibit any symptoms prior to dying?
I see a puddle in your run. How is the drainage? Is the rest of the run litter damp? Generally, excess moisture breeds all kinds of organisms that are potentially harmful to chickens.
I don't see any ventilation in your coop. That may be why they do not want to go in it to roost.

She was 6 months old and no signs of illness. Has been raining here and did have water in the coop. Also gets a lot of wind. The top part has 3 small ventilation triangles and is dark. I could open the door to the top part that opens to the run area.

 

[murrychicken]

Nice coop!
I'd put a nightlight in the coop that will draw them up and into the coop at night as they will follow the light. A couple of 2x4's to put across the narrow width, each at the same height but about 3-feet away from each other will offer ample roosting space and discourage squabbles over choice spots. I'd ensure that the food and water is not under the roosts, and I'd attach high quality, rubber bungie cords to them to enable you to lift them out of the reach of rats and mice at night simply by repositioning the bungie. The rubber bungies will last you years and years, the colorful wrapped type bungies may only last a year or two; for the price difference, my money is with the rubber ones. You may also consider buying a few sheets of zinc roofing to form a wind break on two adjoining sides of the run to block your prevailing wintertime winds. Looking at the image of your coop again, you might be able to get away with only covering the right hand side (as you're looking into the coop from the doorway), as the coop structure may provide enough of a wind break on the far side. The roofing is typically inexpensive, incredibly sturdy, won't rot, resists rust, is termite proof, and snow slides right off. Again, financially speaking, I believe zinc roofing is a better value than fiberglass or steel, as zinc's natural oxidation process mends minor nicks and scratches without any effort on your part. You can punch holes along the edges of the roofing with a nail or ice pick and attach it to the current structure with sturdy zip ties (black ones if you can find them at a good price). If you elect to leave this up over the summer, it will provide deep shade as well, but will probably need to have the zip ties replaced, or at least inspected, after summer has ended.

Oh wow that is some good information. I was thinking that the right side needed some protection and you just told me what to buy and how to attach it. Thank you!

 

[Ms Clucky]

Maybe put tarps on the pen for a wind barrier. Just put them on with zip ties.