Whole Flock — Dead! No Blood, Some Still Suffering; Could It Be Poison

[verlaj]

htollvr - I am so sorry about all your troubles!

I don't think I can add anything to the previous suggestions as to whether it is a predator or poison - but I guess I would reevaluate the coop itself to be sure nothing can get in when the chickens are locked up. Could it be something small is getting in - like a mink or marten or weasel - and the chickens are too big for them to take them back out the way the varmint got in?? (I'm in Florida, and we don't have that type of predator here, but they seem to me like the worst of all because they can get in through such a small hole.)

With the maggots - I will try to look this up for you today. But when an animal dies, it will go through rigor mortis and be stiff, but then it will get floppy again. Not sure how long the process takes, but maybe the chickens had not just died. Or maybe the "maggots" could have been intestinal parasites of some kind that exited after the chickens died?

Did you change to a new watering device? I read that you were concerned about the chemical smell from the previous one.

Maybe it would help if you posted a photo of your coop and the surrounding area? People here might be able to detect any weaknesses that might allow a predator access.

I don't have as much experience as many here, but have had my losses and know how you must feel. I'm so sorry for you.

 

[htollvr]

Based on what you said about rigor mortis, then I would say yes, I probably discovered the chicken within three hours because I went in and held him yesterday. I was heading up today to hold the female. So if rigor doesn't dissipate until 72 hours, then my only option is that I just missed the critter. I went up around 8 AM, so the attack could have occurred at dawn.

The coop itself has two small doors that would allow even a large dog inside. The run is fenced, but there are two gates that would allow just about anything to crawl under there. There is also a well beaten path along the fenceline that leads from — guess what — the gate to the house. Ugh. I walked up there to see if I could find Copper Penny. I'll continue to look for her, although there was a nice chunk of feathers outside the door to the fenced area and I don't know if that's from the dead male or the missing female.

It would be impossible for me to secure the entire fenced area, I think. The fencing is 2x3" holes. But these chickens were quite large — the size of full-grown laying hens. Will a mink or martin take down an 18" high chicken?

Also, I found a 5-foot black snake in the drive two days ago. A black snake wouldn't bother chickens, would it?

 

[jhm47]

I would bet it's either a mink or weasel. They kill quickly, eat very little, and kill till there's nothing left to kill.

 

[verlaj]

If the chickens were not locked up in a secure coop at night, it is almost inevitable that a predator will get them. Daytime attacks happen, but are much less common than night time attacks.

I would secure the coop first, before putting any more chickens out there. I have no personal experience with martens and weasels, but from what I have read, the answer is yes, indeed, they will kill a full grown chicken. A neighbor of mine said she lost several hens to a bobcat that found a pretty small gap in the coop and got access through it.

The gate should be fixed so nothing can go under it. You'll need a sill, I think. The gate I have on my perimeter fence goes directly to the ground, which is heavy clay and extremely difficult to dig in. I have a friend who lost the majority of her chickens twice when a predator went under the gate.

I would strongly recommend a hot wire around the base of the coop and/or the perimeter fence, although people with experience with martens/weasels need to comment on whether this would be a deterrent to them. (I am not quite sure of the layout of your coop/run. ) Our predators are bigger: dogs, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, skunks, opossums, bobcats. A hot wire around the base will zap them unless they can get on your coop from overhanging branches, etc.. Hawks and owls from above, but of course a hot wire would not deter them.

The night I lost my 3 to a predator, I was awake and in the house about 50-60 ft away; I heard no ruckus and the dogs (also in the house) did not alert us.

Snakes - a problem for egg thievery and chicks, but not full grown chickens.

 

[htollvr]

Would a weasel be able to kill a chicken of that size? I assumed they'd do after smaller prey.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Weasels are formidable predators. They will go after animals much larger than themselves. They also kill indiscriminately- they don't kill just to eat, but will go into a killing frenzy and attack anything that moves. They are terribly wasteful and destructive. Unfortunately they are also a bit more tricky to trap, too. You may want to search through some of the old threads because I recall seeing some related to trapping them.
Good luck.

 

[htollvr]

Thanks. I doubt I'll try to fix the existing area. It was designed for larger animals, so when I went looking for the other chicken, I found that the fencing doesn't even touch the ground for feet at a time. (I just bought this place a few months ago, so I'm not completely sure all of what's here yet.) I didn't realize it because the weeds were thick and obscuring the bottom. So even if I fix the hole by the gate, it's a lost cause. I figure that whatever killed the one took the other back to a den or something for food because there is a big chunk of feathers by the chicken house, then another along the beaten down path, and then feathers along the way to the gate.

What I'll probably do is either buy a dog run or try to make a full enclosure from leftover wire fence and scrap wood and keep them closer to the house. The chicken house is actually a 15x20 concrete building, so anything could go on in there and I'd never hear it from the house.

This house is on 8 acres, with a field in the back and backs up to the mountain, so we have every kind of critter on the planet around here. I was told the former owners used to have chickens, so I assumed the set up would work, but I'm wondering about that chicken claim now.

 

[verlaj]

Sorry that it looks like the other chicken is gone too. Try not to feel too bad about the losses and good luck with the new coop/run construction.

 

[Bizzybirdy]

Might be a racoon. Smaller wire around the peritmeter of the run with a hot wire or two outside will deter them.

Probably better to start over though. If the chickens are not locked up at night in a predator proof coop/house they are fair game for a horrible death.

I used to free range my chickens for years until the racoons started coming around and dessimated my flock in no time. Now the chickies are in a FORTRESS! and I still go out at night looking around since a racoon killed my pet cat last month. Got him as well as many others but more will come eventually.

 

[pharris9]

Quote:
First of all, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I too love my chickens dearly.

I had something similar happen over a 7 day period 2 months ago. We received an odd few days of rain and 5 of chickens (silkies) flopped over and died. They're symptoms were all the same, labored breathing, some feather loss, no appetite, and eventually death. One of them died rather quickly like in a couple of days and the others just kind of lingered with their symptoms. Anyhow the vet told me it was an acute attack of Sinusitis, which was treated with antibiotics and eye drops. NONE of the 5 chickens survived or ever showed signs of improvement. The ones that contacted the illness spent a significant time in the rain and did not bother to take shelter like the others, so I can defiantly see how the rain was a factor in their death.