Happy Mrs Chicken Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Got 4 new chooks in april and 2 have already died.Lost Grace last week she was ok in the morning then found her dead in the coop I think she died whilst trying to lay.I found Hetty dead this morning,she had been off her food for a couple of days.They have been wormed and have no mites etc.I've been keeping chickens for 2 years and 6 have died out of 10. I think the longest one lived for 18 months. I feel more like sad mrs chicken than happy mrs chicken at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueandwhite Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Oh dear that's sad. But I bet your chooks had a happy life while they were with you and you enjoyed them. Wishing your remaining girls a long life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good_egg Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 So sorry to hear this. Think these things always happen in waves... Poor you. Are they hybrids? Perhaps try some pure breeds for a change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Mrs Chicken Posted June 29, 2013 Author Share Posted June 29, 2013 Yes they have all been hybrids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Sorry to hear about the loss of your chickens. Hybrids do live shorter lives than pure breeds. I have found that with my hybrids the ones that lay the most seem to have the shortest lives, it seems as if the breeding that gives us lots of eggs doesn't mean a long life. Latte who is the only one of my originals still lays sometimes and throughout her 5 years she has had periods where she has laid and then periods where she has rested. Which I feel helps to give them a longer life but that is just my thoughts Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoachedPlease Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Maybe you need to think about where you got your birds? I feel lucky that my 3 hybrids are very healthy, i use no tonics or DE etc but they have no mites, illnesses and they lay one egg a day...but that's got to be down to luck and good genes I think. So I have to thank my breeder! Xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_B Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 So sorry to hear about all of your troubles - I can understand the way you feel after everything you've gone through. I think you've had some great advice above, maybe think about pure breeds, or even where you buy your hens from? My chicken keeping journey hasn't been smooth, especially for the first 6 months - I lost one girl to Blackhead and all my hens went downhill and it was a nightmare trying to sanitise everything constantly after confirming Coccidiosis in my flock and giving them all medication twice a day for weeks through a syringe, and even now they are very suspicious of me if I have a bottle of spray in my hand! I'm lucky if I can pick one up without them going crazy at me. I still have pecking issues that I don't think I can ever fix 100% - there's always going to be a bald patch on my bottom 2 hens somewhere I still don't feel like I am doing a 'good' job, I think it's more 'OK'! So although I haven't lost the amount of hens you have, I can appreciate how you feel with it all and how frustrating it is when you want to do everything for your pets. BUT despite all the stress, the good times do shine through!! I really hope you don't stop having chickens and you get to a point that you feel happy with it all x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daxigirl Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 I frequently feel a chicken mum failure and wonder why on earth I'm keeping them as I seem to manage to kill them off how ever hard I try to do my best, so your really not alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
