Why did my 7 1/2 week Australorp die?! (WARNING PHOTO)

[ForFlocksSake]

I know no one can really answer this but im pretty distraught right now. She was perfectly healthy yesterday and last night when I closed them up in the coop. This morning I opened the door and didnt actually count how many came out before leaving, but went out 2 hours later and saw I was short one. There she was laying on the bottom of the coop dead. I don't understand what could have happened. Her head seems wet and she's missing a bunch of feathers now, but my husband thinks it's likely the other pullets were pecking at her in the morning. She covered in ants too but im assuming that's because she was dead on the floor in the coop.

I don't know what to think of this. What the heck causes a perfectly healthy pullet to just drop dead like this?


im adding a photo to show how her head looked wet and how she's missing feathers. No wounds or anything.

 

[swamphiker]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm also in North Florida, and last year I lost a 6-week-old chick to a ratsnake. When my husband found the body, it was similar to yours, with a wet head and neck. I presume what happened in my case is that the snake's eyes were bigger than it's mouth, so it strangled the chick but then couldn't swallow it. Everyone loves chicken nuggets, unfortunately.

 

[SilverBirds]

So sorry for your loss. She was killed by a snake. I lost one the same way a few months ago. The chick was too big for the snake to fully swallow so it regurgitated it. If it was dead in the coop the snake might still be in there. I would look high and low for it, or it may come back and kill more of your chicks. They're not too smart when figuring out what they can't eat.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm also in North Florida, and last year I lost a 6-week-old chick to a ratsnake. When my husband found the body, it was similar to yours, with a wet head and neck. I presume what happened in my case is that the snake's eyes were bigger than it's mouth, so it strangled the chick but then couldn't swallow it. Everyone loves chicken nuggets, unfortunately.

Thank you. I thought about a snake but didnt see one in there this morning. I supposed it could have left after.

The coop is a small prefab sitting on the ground. I have a stand for it. Im wondering if raising it up could prevent this.

 

[swamphiker]

Thank you. I thought about a snake but didnt see one in there this morning. I supposed it could have left after.

The coop is a small prefab sitting on the ground. I have a stand for it. Im wondering if raising it up could prevent this.

I think it's likely the snake left after realizing it couldn't get a meal from the chick.

Many snakes are very good climbers. I have a raised coop and occasionally find a rat snake eating an egg in the nesting box. I tolerate the occasional egg tax in return for rodent control, but others use repellent or things that keep snakes from climbing poles, but I haven't tried them. This year I kept my chicks in their predator proof grow-out pen until they were a bit older to prevent snakes from getting to them.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Thank you everyone. I’m 99% sure I saw a small snake head when I lifted the coop to look under (it’s one of those plastic prefab coops I bought before I understood chicken math. Now used for little ones before integrating). By the time I got to the other side there was nothing there. I think I found the gap where it got in. One of the panels was slightly warped and there was a large enough space. I fixed that and will be attaching some screening to the air vents just in case (even though I think those are way too small for a snake to enter). I also went ahead and put the coop back on its stand so it’s up off the ground. Little bastard doesn't need a hideout during the day.

This was really sad for me. We’ve taken birds out of our flock before for different reasons but it’s my first time losing one to a predator/illness. I keep wondering if I could have prevented it had I looked closer in the coop last night or this morning. I’m so mad. Even worse is I’ve been wanting an Australorp for a while. I had ordered two but the hatchery made a mistake and only sent one. So I went from 2 to 0 now.

Thanks for being such a supportive community.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

I think it's likely the snake left after realizing it couldn't get a meal from the chick.

Many snakes are very good climbers. I have a raised coop and occasionally find a rat snake eating an egg in the nesting box. I tolerate the occasional egg tax in return for rodent control, but others use repellent or things that keep snakes from climbing poles, but I haven't tried them. This year I kept my chicks in their predator proof grow-out pen until they were a bit older to prevent snakes from getting to them.

I’m learning many lessons as I go. This is one that will stick with me.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Wanted to come back and say thanks again. My remaining 6 pullets were safe this morning thanks to all of you. Not sure I would have landed on a snake being the culprit and may not have thought to check the coop for gaps like I did yesterday. Y’all are the best.