I had a hen drop dead. She just went to the light and didn’t look back.
I went out Friday around noon, I was home for lunch, and got the eggs. She was a little broody at times, she was sitting in the nest box on 3 eggs so I reached under her to get them.
She seemed fine, I rubbed her and went on my way.
About 9pm I went out to close the coop and noticed she wasn’t on the perch with the others, not super unusual she stays in the house at night sometimes.
I opened the roof and could see she was in the nesting box still. I was talking to her, asking if she wanted me to put her with the others…then I touched her and felt that her neck and head was hanging out of the box and she was cold.
She looked like she just laid down and went to sleep. She had already laid her egg so not stuck. She had no problems breathing or no other symptoms I noticed. She just died.
I don’t know how old she was as I got her as an adult. She was a Sussex cross so should be relatively long lived
I cleaned out the coop. New pine shavings everywhere and diatomaceous earth sprinkled out. I ordered the highest rated all natural wormer/antiparasitic on Amazon. Put some DE in their pellets and mixed well to coat it all.
First one ever that died of natural causes. Most end up eventually murdered by a hawk or something. As a very methodical and slightly OCD man I want to cover the bases.
New rooster is working out well. He is super attentive and isn’t hard on the hens. As a bantam he can’t really hurt them anyway. He watches the sky diligently and constantly “talks” with little purrs and clucks. He is a cochin and I think I want another one. My sister has several and multiple cochin roosters seem to be able to get along. More eyes on the skies is good.
Zeus, my rooster
One my sister is giving me
I went out Friday around noon, I was home for lunch, and got the eggs. She was a little broody at times, she was sitting in the nest box on 3 eggs so I reached under her to get them.
She seemed fine, I rubbed her and went on my way.
About 9pm I went out to close the coop and noticed she wasn’t on the perch with the others, not super unusual she stays in the house at night sometimes.
I opened the roof and could see she was in the nesting box still. I was talking to her, asking if she wanted me to put her with the others…then I touched her and felt that her neck and head was hanging out of the box and she was cold.
She looked like she just laid down and went to sleep. She had already laid her egg so not stuck. She had no problems breathing or no other symptoms I noticed. She just died.
I don’t know how old she was as I got her as an adult. She was a Sussex cross so should be relatively long lived
I cleaned out the coop. New pine shavings everywhere and diatomaceous earth sprinkled out. I ordered the highest rated all natural wormer/antiparasitic on Amazon. Put some DE in their pellets and mixed well to coat it all.
First one ever that died of natural causes. Most end up eventually murdered by a hawk or something. As a very methodical and slightly OCD man I want to cover the bases.
New rooster is working out well. He is super attentive and isn’t hard on the hens. As a bantam he can’t really hurt them anyway. He watches the sky diligently and constantly “talks” with little purrs and clucks. He is a cochin and I think I want another one. My sister has several and multiple cochin roosters seem to be able to get along. More eyes on the skies is good.
Zeus, my rooster
One my sister is giving me
