Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Racefox]

Hi all.. been a while since I was in here as I've been enjoying problem free chicken keeping for the best part of a year! However, on Friday early evening we discovered Wendy dead in the henhouse which was very very unexpected. She was just over a year old, had not shown any sign of illness at all and had been strutting around with Susan eating, squarking, chasing blackbirds and making a mess all over the patio the evening before. I hadn't checked on them first thing Friday morning because I'd closed their coop up the night before and replenished food and water so knew they were ok for the next day. My son would normally let them out when he gets in from school at 330 but he was delayed and found Wendy when he went out around 6pm. It had not been a particularly warm day, they had shade, food and water and were locked safely in their coop.

 

When I picked her up she was still slightly warm, her belly between her legs felt soft and there were no signs of struggle, blood or anything else that could explain the situation. However, when I looked at her vent I did notice a little bit of fecal matter along with something dark red that looked a bit like a hemorroid (for lack of anything better to describe it).. It could have been a glob of dried blood.. I'm not sure, but there was no blood anywhere else to be found.

 

Thinking back over the last few months there are some things that I noticed with Wendy and kept an eye on, but nothing gave any alert to something sinister being wrong. She began getting messy feathers around her vent area - slight at first, then worsened, then slight again and this stayed - however she remained happy and healthy and her droppings were good. There was a real lack of any eggs from her though - on a couple of occasions I found two eggs in the box but they looked like Susans eggs (Susans are round and pale, Wendys pointy and brown!) - I wondered if their eggs had started looking similar due to the pellets they were on... but it didn't seem possible so I put it down to that I missed collecting one of Susans from the day before. If this was the case then Wendy wasn't laying at all - maybe only 2 or 3 this year. But given that she was eating, pooing and drinking well and that she was charging around the garden and generally coming across as happy I figured she maybe had just stopped laying.. I never thought she might have one stuck. And this is the only conclusion that I can come to that caused her death - even though I never noticed her straining.

 

Very puzzled. I now just have Susan on her own and I'm not sure whether to get another, just keep Susan on her own (which is heartbreaking to watch her wander around the garden on her own) or to rehome her to someone that will give her a cuddle every day like I do!

 

If anyone has any ideas as to what might have caused Wendys death I'd be interested to hear, likewise on what to do with the Susan situation. Otherwise I just really wanted to vent out in a place where people understand how gutted I feel! I think the non-chicken keepers out there are really baffled that losing 'just a chicken' could actually bring me to tears for a whole day!

[Patricia W]

I'm so sorry. It's devastating to lose one, especially when it's so sudden. I wouldn't blame yourself. Sometimes it just happens. I'd concentrate on your other hen now. She will get lonely as they are flock creatures. So I'd get her two friends. That way, it's unlikely you'll ever be left with one lone hen.

 

it might be worth waiting a week though to check that it wasn't anything infectious.

 

Tricia

[hippy chick]

So sorry, its awful when one dies.

 

You should definitely make sure it wasn't anything contagious, and then get another couple. The really hate to be alone.

[jennydavies]

Oh how terribly sad I would get two new hens, your Susan will get ever so lonely on her own. Very sorry for your loss. x

[Racefox]

Thank you.... Susan is a Bluebell, she's quite a large chicken. If I did get two more, would it be possible to mix her with smaller chickens, like Bantams? I'm just concerned about the additional destruction and noise that two more large chickens would make. Susan and Wendy often tried to immitate rooster noises, Susan was having a good go herself this morning at 530am... this makes my other half really nervouse about getting complaints from neighbours. Course I don't know how much noise smaller chickens are capable of making either so it might be irrelevant. This was why I was wondering about rehoming Susan with someone else who has chickens because I'm not sure I can take on 3 chickens here..

[beach chick]

sorry to hear your story, but chickens do sometimes just peg it. they are prey animals, and as such VERY good at hiding any symptoms of illness - I think the best thing to do is just concentrate on what a good life she had.

 

if you have space, I would add 2, just so your current girl cant focus all her attention on 1. I have kept all sizes (from a sebright - tiny - to an Orp - huge!) together with absolutely no problem at all, although I know others would say not to mix sizes.

 

you could add 2 banties and divide the run in half during the intro period (slot bamboo canes through the run) so they can see/hear/smell each other; then when you decide to let them mingle they will 'know' each other, and so should be less traumatic.

 

hope it all goes well for you!

[midori]

I am so sorry to hear you lost your girl, I dread the day we lose our first.

 

We have recently got a bantam (Araucana) and she lives with our big girls. We did have a few problems at first, not really with bullying, but the odd peck from the others and she was kind of left out on her own. Only a couple of weeks later, she does seem to be integrating more with the others and will eat with them now if I offer treats, although she's a little cautious. The big girls have never hurt her though, except for one peck on her face which left a tiny drop of blood on the first day they were introduced.

 

I know what you mean about the noise. I worry a little too, as the girls are louder than we initially expected. For that reason I leave them shut in their house until 7am as they don't really make any noise whilst still in their house and I figure 7 am isn't too early if they do make a noise. They are normally quite quiet though and i have asked the neighbours and most say they like the sound of the chooks. I plan to butter them up with free eggs though, just to keep them happy. Maybe you could explain the situation to the neighbours first and see if the noise bothers them? We have a few barking dogs near us and that is far more annoying than hens, IMO.

[Patricia W]

Your Bluebelle may be making more noise now because she's calling to any other chickens out there.

 

My experience is that 3 aren't any more trouble than two, in fact, probably less so as they have more company and occupy each other. I found that blacking out the coop was the best way to keep them quiet in the morning. It even worked for my cockerel.

 

The main problem you could have is introducing your lone hen to two others. You'll need some way of providing some separate accommodation where they can see each other and get to know one another gradually. It may not take long at all, but its the best way I've found to get them settled down without major bloodshed.

 

I wouldn't mix bantams with a large fowl such as a Bluebelle. I have bantams with relatively small LF ( if you know what I mean!) and I have to keep them separate as the size difference is enormous - oh ! and the bantams are just as noisy as the big ones. Some people have managed to mix them , but there have been tragedies too.

 

I do hope you take the plunge though. Good luck!

 

Tricia

[Racefox]

Thanks for the advice everyone - it's really helpfull...