Death In the Hen House

One of my chicks died last week. It was one of my Easter-egg chickens, the americauna.

These things happen.

I noticed the day before he died that he didn't want to go out in the yard. I tried to put him out but he came right back in. I picked him up and examined him. There was a little food in his crop, and his eyes were still clear. He just wasn't interested in being with his pals.

The next day he was dead.

Birds have alarmingly fast metabolisms. Usually, by the time you know something is wrong, there is little you can do about it. If I had snapped that he might have had problems I could have given him some electrolytes in his water, but that's no guarantee it would've helped him.

It could have been dust, or maybe he dug out a piece of moldy food from under the hay. There's no telling. He was always the smallest of all my chicks, so it's possible he just didn't have the constitution of the others.

He's in chicken heaven now.

Total chick count: 25

I should have sexed them to see how many hens vs roosters I'll have but :shrug: it won't matter in the end. I can only keep one to two roosters per breed.

I have grown attached to one astralorp who was picked on by his mates until I put him with a younger group of americaunas. Unfortunately, he has to go back with his breed when he's old enough. You can see him in the top pictures. He's the solid black chick with his back to the camera. (camera shy)

Unless he can grow some cahonas and stand up to the bullies, it probably won't bode well. I really don't want to put him in the pot. He's a nice bird. Very gentle and friendly.

So far, the astralorps have been my least favorite breed. I've had astralorps before, but this batch is unusually aggressive, except for my poor picked on bird.

Despite my normal crotchety disposition, I do have a soft spot for the underdogs--or in this case, the underchicken.

I try not to get attached but when they need more than normal care like this one did, I can't help it. There's a good chance I might try to get him/her adopted by someone who wants a pet chicken. Yup, that's how much I like the little guy.

Do I have any takers?