Young Chicken Death. Fighting? Roo issue?

[Ejmaggz]

Hello!

I am new to chickens and have done a fairly large amount of research but I am at a loss here. I have 3 young Ayam Cemani chickens, about 6 1/2 weeks old, that I raised from eggs...I went out to check on them and one was dead! just laying there lifeless. I have no idea what happened.

I would have though it was sick but it seems just fine 24 hours ago. Very sweet little thing that I spent time holding and petting just yesterday. I checked it and couldn't find any visible injuries. I checked the other 2 and the only injuries I could find was one of the chickens had a few nails that were bleeding. It seemed to have lost the tips on a couple nails.

I know they are too young to sex, but due to comb size, my hypothesis was that I had 2 males and one female. The one that was dead was one of my "males" and the one with the broken nails was my one "female."

Would the 2 "males" have fought? Were the "female's" broken nails as a result of defining itself or the other chicken or did she attack the other chicken?

I have seen them "fight" some, but I thought it was just a pecking order thing. they were sizing each other up and came at each other but it never lasted more than a few seconds.

Please help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would investigate to see if a predator or maybe a rat has been after them? Broken and bleeding nails sounds like trying to get away from something.

If it had been from fighting, you would likely see evidence of scratch/injury to the face and head of the dead one, especially if there's one in there with broken and bleeding nails.

Can you post photos of their housing and of them? Maybe the injury as well?

Hard to know why the cockerel died, a necropsy may reveal something.

 

[nuthatched]

Sometimes chickens just die, it could be bad genetic since Ayam Cemani being the latest craze, are bred quickly but don't have a very big gene pool. Or a maybe they were frightened and panicked into something. They can be sometimes sexed at six weeks but usually waiting later is more accurate.

 

[Ejmaggz]

I would investigate to see if a predator or maybe a rat has been after them? Broken and bleeding nails sounds like trying to get away from something.

If it had been from fighting, you would likely see evidence of scratch/injury to the face and head of the dead one, especially if there's one in there with broken and bleeding nails.

Can you post photos of their housing and of them? Maybe the injury as well?

Hard to know why the cockerel died, a necropsy may reveal something.

Their set up is pretty predictor proof. They are in a brooder I built out of wood and hardware cloth. It’s housed in a little heated office in an outbuilding. Mouse traps are set up out in the building but Haven't been set off.

It’s just odd that the one I think was a female, had broken nails and the other 2 had no signs of injuries.

I held the female a little bit ago to put some corn starch on her nails, and the other chicken freaked out not being able to see her.

My main concern is my remaining 2 chickens. Will they fight and kill each other off?

 

[Ejmaggz]

Sometimes chickens just die, it could be bad genetic since Ayam Cemani being the latest craze, are bred quickly but don't have a very big gene pool. Or a maybe they were frightened and panicked into something. They can be sometimes sexed at six weeks but usually waiting later is more accurate.

That’s what my guess would have been, if one of them didn’t have the broken nails. I feel like something happened between them. It’s just odd that the broken nails were on the female, IMO.

Also, the chicken was stiff and cold and seemed to have an empty crop. So why would the ones chickens nails still be bleeding of it happened awhile ago. So odd.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Nails can bleed for a good while.
Hard to know what happened, if you have cameras you can set up to see what they are doing while you're not in there it may shed some light on their activity.

 

[Ejmaggz]

Nails can bleed for a good while.
Hard to know what happened, if you have cameras you can set up to see what they are doing while you're not in there it may shed some light on their activity.

That is good to know about the nails, thank you. I put some corn starch in them and I think it helped.

I tried to put up a camera when I set up the brooder. I have a camera on my hens in their coop. Unfortunately, the building doesn’t have internet and it’s a metal building so it blocked one of my wireless camera’s signals. Even with an extender. I have yet to come up with a better solution.

 

[Ejmaggz]

I’m so paranoid about my 2 remaining chickens. I’ve checked on them like 5 times today! One of the last times I checked on them, they were both under the heating plate. I feel like they get along well but still paranoid due to the unknown cause of death, and bleeding nails on my one chick.


Is it normal for chickens to fight so young, if there were 2 cockerels?

I have 3 hens that have been bonded for a year and have had no issues with them.

Theses Ayam Cemani’s were my first hatch

 

[Chicks in VA]

it's not fighting, at this age they don't tent to fight till the death
sorry for your loss

 

[Ejmaggz]

it's not fighting, at this age they don't tent to fight till the death
sorry for your loss

Thank you!!! I didn’t think so either, but couldn't help but think there was an altercation.

The room stays at least 60 with a heater. Could he/she have died from not going under the brooder plate? They are getting big and I’m not sure if all 3 fit under.