Rural Gardening: What could have happened to my hen?, 1 by creekwalker

creekwalker wrote:
First for a little history. I have had the worst luck with my chickens this year. We had a nice little flock of 12 barred rocks, 2 light Brahma's and a rooster at one time. But we think weasels got into the hen house(now fixed) and killed them all except the rooster. So, a friend gave me a white leghorn to keep him company, but that same day, the rooster went sick and died the next day. He had some comb injury, but otherwise seemed to be fine. sigh July 3rd, we got 2 Barred rock and 2 light Brahma hens that were about 3 months old each. They have all been doing great all this time.

Yesterday I had been out there checking on them about 3:30 in the afternoon. They have a house, and a large pen to run. About 5:30, my hubby says that one of the brahma's seems to have got stung or bitten by something and isn't moving much. She had been fine! :-( So I go out there and she has a little swelling around her eye, just a little and it looks faintly purple. That's all I can see. Then by dark, she is still sitting there acting sick but can get to her feet. I move her in the hen house for the night thinking maybe she will recover overnight. By this morning she is almost dead. I pick her up and a few minutes later she died in my hands. What on earth could have done this? I am worried for my other hens.

There are a few wasps in the hen house and we do have an occasional copperhead. Could a sting from a wasp have killed her? if it was a copperhead, wouldn't it have swelled more? I am just trying to figure out what could have done this. I am so tired of losing my chickens. :-( Very heartbreaking and discouraging. Hubby is planning on getting a lot more chickens and I would like for a few of them to survive. :p He is planning on eating them after they stop laying which is going to be hard. lol I am an old softie!

Any ideas though? Thanks! Here was my 2 little Brahma's. The one who died was the shorter one.