Woke up to hen and chicks dead, no sign of injuries

[Weeg]

To me it sounds like poison, whether from ingestion or purposefully by someone but that wouldn't make any sense why someone would purposefully do such a thing. Plus if it was just now hen, if a poisonous gas was around then it would have killed the whole flock. The only way to know for sure would be to send her to a lab. That wouldn't show a scare to death situation but it would show a disease or poison. i hope you figure out what happened, Avery

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We've thought of it too but the enclosure is double crated, sturdy wire so nothing can get in and very fit net so the little chicks can't get out. The hen was inside one of the cages when we found them, with the chicks under her, which makes me believe they died in their sleep. If something did get in, then why not eat them or kill everyone as opposed to just one hen and her chicks? There's plenty other chicks in there.

They were all in one of the dog houses under Mom, except for one you found in the run right?

You have another hen that sleeps in the other dog house right?

They all including including the hen that is o.k. were eating the same food and drinking the same water right?

Did the Mom and chicks roam somewhere else or possibly eat somewhere else that the other hen didn't have access to?

Good idea to look for mites in the housing. Take a flashlight and look inside of the doghouse tonight, you should be able to see mites if they are there - they come out at night.