I had 9 layers. 5 Easter eggers, 4 golden-laced wyandottes and 1 silver laced wyandotte. I am down to 2 EE, and 3 golden. They seem to waste away to nothing but skin and bone. I see them eating but they are not gaining weight. They are only 9 months old and are currently laying. They start to get slower and their wings start to droop a little. They have access all day to feed and clean water. They free range in our back yard during the day. We do have ducks and rabbits in this same area. Could these other animals have anything to do with it. I am very confused and very upset. They eat a standard layer feed but they do get into the feeder grower I have out in the duck enclosure and the younger chickens enclosure. I get all my feed from a local feed store and have never had a problem with it.
I also found one of my 6 month old bantam cochins dead yesterday with no apparent signs of anything. The bantams are in a completely different enclosure from the rest of the animals. She was sitting on some eggs and my husband says that maybe she was too young to go broody and she didn't know to get up and eat and drink enough. She didn't feel malnurished, she was just dead in the coop next to her eggs. I had seen her out the night before eating some treats I had put in the cage for the chickens.
If anyone has any incites as to what I can do or if you have any ideas what could be happening please help. I don't want to lose anymore chickens.
I also found one of my 6 month old bantam cochins dead yesterday with no apparent signs of anything. The bantams are in a completely different enclosure from the rest of the animals. She was sitting on some eggs and my husband says that maybe she was too young to go broody and she didn't know to get up and eat and drink enough. She didn't feel malnurished, she was just dead in the coop next to her eggs. I had seen her out the night before eating some treats I had put in the cage for the chickens.
If anyone has any incites as to what I can do or if you have any ideas what could be happening please help. I don't want to lose anymore chickens.
I really have no idea and hope someone can help you soon. Are there any plants nearby that they could be eating that could be poisonous to birds? I know there's quite a few out there that you wouldn't expect to be a problem. Are there any symptoms at all?
