How often do your chickens die? Aka - am I just unlucky?

[A Swede in France]

Oh you poor thing, so stressful. Your set up looks good, and if you are going to the vet - he must of questioned your feed? If he is happy with it, I would not worry about it.

Getting started can be a big learning curve, and while chickens can live a very long time, a lot of times they don't. A lot of times it is genetic and not much you can do about it.

I don't think you will want this advice - but I would consider culling your poorer doing birds. Poor doing birds get sick much easier, and then they can kind of harbor it in the flock, and any stressor can bring it back out into themselves and then the healthier birds.

Medicine is always an option, too. But culling is an old time animal husbandry technique that has long term benefits.

Mrs K

Thank you, it's heartbreaking and so stressful

You know what, no vet has ever asked us about feed! How bizarre! Neither the farm vet, nor the fancy avian pet expert. But noone has commented on their weight either, just said it seems normal.

And you're right, I won't be able to cull. I hear you and understand it might be for the best of everyone sometimes... And maybe in a few years. For now, they are too close to me as pets and chicken people for me to be able to kill them. I can't kill much at all, and live as a vegetarian as a consequence. Not adapted to farm life despite dreaming of it!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Good morning from my corner of the world!

I checked their food and this is the nutritional value of it according to the bag

10.6% Protein, 4% fibre, 5.3% Fat, 2.08% Calcium, 0.27% Phosphorus, 8.48% minerals (called cendré brute here is apparently a measure of minerals and trace elements - very vague), 0.2% Methionine. High protein mix, enriched in calcium and omega 3. Intended for laying hens. Complete animal feed

What do you think?

I'll look up how much protein is recommended. French feeding routines seem very different to those in the US. Here, only scratch and scraps is the norm.

That protein level is quite low as is the calcium.

All in all I would say the feed is playing a huge part in your illnesses and losses.

If supplements are added to up that protein be aware that meal worms are very high in fat and can add to your issues.

I aim for 18-20% protein and 3.5% calcium for my gals. Yes I am one who feeds the often bashed Purina.....my birds live on average 8 years with several reaching 10.

Do you have a game bird option in your area? Those are often much higher in protein.

 

[A Swede in France]

That protein level is quite low as is the calcium.

All in all I would say the feed is playing a huge part in your illnesses and losses.

If supplements are added to up that protein be aware that meal worms are very high in fat and can add to your issues.

I aim for 18-20% protein and 3.5% calcium for my gals. Yes I am one who feeds the often bashed Purina.....my birds live on average 8 years with several reaching 10.

Do you have a game bird option in your area? Those are often much higher in protein.

Thank you!

They do have a lot of protein rich forage and extra calcium in the water and oyster shell - but I'm beyond happy to change their food and supplement with more protein, that's easy. I'll do some research to find better options

It's actually black soldier fly larvae not mealworms because once I checked and the protein - fat ratio was better.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you!

They do have a lot of protein rich forage and extra calcium in the water and oyster shell - but I'm beyond happy to change their food and supplement with more protein, that's easy. I'll do some research to find better options

It's actually black soldier fly larvae not mealworms because once I checked and the protein - fat ratio was better.

I do hope you find a good option in your area. I am sure the losses you have experienced are quite discouraging.

 

[A Swede in France]

I do hope you find a good option in your area. I am sure the losses you have experienced are quite discouraging.

They are although the vet just called to tell us Penelope made it through the night so right now I am a bit happier

 

[SourRoses]

I just wanted to chime in to say that straw bedding should be avoided as much as possible because it can get moldy inside and cause aspergillosis (respiratory) otherwise known as "brooder pneumonia".
The area you pictured where they're hanging out looks like straw that's older and a bit musty. We all tend to expect mold to be obvious, but it can be subtle, and with birds delicate respiratory systems they have less tolerance than mammals.
The IB you mentioned was / could still be a good guess, but do they have the tell-tale wrinkles on any of the eggs? If not, I would think aspergillosis.


That said, I do not believe that people should compare numbers. Life is complicated, animal husbandry is sometimes bizarre.
Everything can be so different from one set-up to the next, starting with the climate, including the products and choices you have available (like feed, I aim for 20% protein minimum), and on it goes.
Some people have wonderful success, and many happen to be careful, knowledgeable caretakers. That doesn't mean that any caretaker who is careful and knowledgeable will have the same success. Just like doing everything right in a pregnancy doesn't always mean a healthy baby.

The local breeder I got my Orpingtons from quit keeping them because his coops are in the sun and they fared poorly. I did a lot better at first with my shady coop.
Some of my breeds are a lot hardier than others, until the weather changes and the ones who thrived in summer fail in winter, and vice versa. One breed that was very resilient in terms of disease resistance (cocci) and hot weather, also yielded two individuals who broke their necks flying into stuff they shouldn't have, in a setup where many other chickens have been fine.

Despite a Ft. Knox brooder setup with two protective broody hens, I lost a chick overnight two weeks ago when a pencil (pencil!) thin corn snake managed to find its way in and constricted the poor baby who was so much bigger than it. I made it out in time due to the noise that the chick was still fighting, but it was wrapped so tight around the chest and neck in a figure 8, and I couldn't get the snake separated enough from the chicks head that I could exert force on the dang thing, and sadly the chick suffocated before two of us managed to get the thing off (and killed it, since it could come right back and was so slim as to fit through the slightest gap, plus I was very mad).
The other day, we lost our rooster to some kind of crop issue we were trying to treat but just would not resolve.

After 13 years of keeping chickens, and working with horses and on a horse breeding farm before that, my conclusion is that there are bad seasons and good ones.
You can (and should) try really hard to solve any problems you become aware of, eliminate as many dangers as possible... but you can't control life and death absolutely. Trying to nurture life also means witnessing more death, as heartbreaking as that is.
The solution with animal husbandry then is to have more animals than you would need if they were all successful (but not so many that the numbers create problems).

 

[RcoM]

I think your answer is both. Don't give up. I have had a variety of different, unexpected predator attacks and recently lost a hen who died suddenly overnight while looking fine the day before. I have no idea why- only guesses,

 

[A Swede in France]

I just wanted to chime in to say that straw bedding should be avoided as much as possible because it can get moldy inside and cause aspergillosis (respiratory) otherwise known as "brooder pneumonia".
The area you pictured where they're hanging out looks like straw that's older and a bit musty. We all tend to expect mold to be obvious, but it can be subtle, and with birds delicate respiratory systems they have less tolerance than mammals.
The IB you mentioned was / could still be a good guess, but do they have the tell-tale wrinkles on any of the eggs? If not, I would think aspergillosis.


That said, I do not believe that people should compare numbers. Life is complicated, animal husbandry is sometimes bizarre.
Everything can be so different from one set-up to the next, starting with the climate, including the products and choices you have available (like feed, I aim for 20% protein minimum), and on it goes.
Some people have wonderful success, and many happen to be careful, knowledgeable caretakers. That doesn't mean that any caretaker who is careful and knowledgeable will have the same success. Just like doing everything right in a pregnancy doesn't always mean a healthy baby.

The local breeder I got my Orpingtons from quit keeping them because his coops are in the sun and they fared poorly. I did a lot better at first with my shady coop.
Some of my breeds are a lot hardier than others, until the weather changes and the ones who thrived in summer fail in winter, and vice versa. One breed that was very resilient in terms of disease resistance (cocci) and hot weather, also yielded two individuals who broke their necks flying into stuff they shouldn't have, in a setup where many other chickens have been fine.

Despite a Ft. Knox brooder setup with two protective broody hens, I lost a chick overnight two weeks ago when a pencil (pencil!) thin corn snake managed to find its way in and constricted the poor baby who was so much bigger than it. I made it out in time due to the noise that the chick was still fighting, but it was wrapped so tight around the chest and neck in a figure 8, and I couldn't get the snake separated enough from the chicks head that I could exert force on the dang thing, and sadly the chick suffocated before two of us managed to get the thing off (and killed it, since it could come right back and was so slim as to fit through the slightest gap, plus I was very mad).
The other day, we lost our rooster to some kind of crop issue we were trying to treat but just would not resolve.

After 13 years of keeping chickens, and working with horses and on a horse breeding farm before that, my conclusion is that there are bad seasons and good ones.
You can (and should) try really hard to solve any problems you become aware of, eliminate as many dangers as possible... but you can't control life and death absolutely. Trying to nurture life also means witnessing more death, as heartbreaking as that is.
The solution with animal husbandry then is to have more animals than you would need if they were all successful (but not so many that the numbers create problems).

Thank you for this very thoughtful and kind response!

Yes under the coop there is some old straw that I can easily remove. It's leftovers from when it was snowy and I put it down for them to be warmer. Inside I've only got hemp litter. Most days they hang out under some hazels by our deck, where they are mostly on grass or perching on rocks and branches.

They don't have ridges etc on eggs, but there are thin or nonexistent shells, some deformities, and some of the whites are pretty runny. That's part of my suspicion of IB.

I love what you say - that trying to nurture life also means witnessing more death. I'm trying to embrace it as such, as connection to the actual flow if life and death that is the reality of being alive on this planet.

And I can't believe your tiny snake! Dangers really come from the most unexpected places! Also, sorry about your roo

 

[A Swede in France]

So what I'm taking from all this is:

It's bad luck but some things can be improved.

I'm cleaning up their enclosure to remove any old straw

I'm changing their food by upping the protein content significantly and reducing some carbs

I'll try to be stricter when introducing new birds

I'm also going to be a bit stricter in food hygiene because I know I should.

And I'll tell them I love them every day because you just never know.

Hopefully I'm also getting better and better at catching things early and learning the difference between a chicken needing a nap and being lethargic because of ill health.

Thanks everyone for you advice and reassurance

 

[FrostRanger]

That sounds like a good plan! I wish you luck! Update us in a few months with how things are going!