Red Pile Chickens

I'm sorry to hear about your chickens! My first thought, finding 3 of them dead suddenly and all at once would be a predator......weasel is the first thing coming to mind. They will kill them with almost no trace. If you have a live trap, I would definitely set it up and see what you can catch....I think I had my best luck catching weasels using pepperoni sticks, lol. Something tasty and smelly, canned cat food works too.

And well.....I don't know what to tell you about your rooster. Did they ever hatch any eggs? He may just be "courting" during the day when you aren't looking.....or he may be a "dud".

they had eggs, but not as many as they should have. They would all lay in the same nest though so they wouldnt set until they had about 25 and then only 3 hatched.. I was disapointed. Is there nothing I can do about him being a dud? He's so beautiful, I dont want to have tto replace him!

Alright, by no trace what do you mean? I dind't find any trace of violence or anything like that. Would you suggest putting the trap in the pen/lot? I reckon I will build a gum(sp).

Well, by no trace I mean exactly that, lol. To be honest, I'm not sure why the weasels kill like they do, it is usually a small bite wound on the neck, and unless you really, really look, you'll never see it, and sometimes you still don't. Now I've been TOLD that they actually bite them and drink the blood, but that may very well be an old wives tale, lol.....but I know for a fact they kill that way, whatever their reasoning is. I would go ahead and set the trap inside the pen, but put it as far away from where they roost at night as possible. That's where I've had my best luck at both catching the critter and keeping my birds safe.

The rooster may not be a "dud" if you had some luck with eggs hatching, albeit not great luck. Laying in a common nest is what they usually do, but if they are waiting too long to set, especially when the temps are quite warm, the embryos may be beginiing to incuabte at too low of a temp (the outside temp) and dying. That, or being such small hens, they don't get all of the eggs covered all of the time, and some get chilled when they aren't covered. There's a lot of variables....

Red Pyles don't have a huge hatch rate nor lay many eggs anyway. You may need to incubate, as mentioned. Especially if several are laying in one nest.
I had great luck with a heating pad and several layers of towels, although I was told they wouldn't hatch that way, my rates were about 80%+ while when I moved to a incubator, the rates plummeted to 50% or worse. Probaly was the incubator.
I'd definately look into the reasons behind those deaths. Never good to have multiple deaths at once.
Wolfy

So neither of you suspect disease right off? That is definately comforting. That disappoints me about the weasels. You would think that being of nature they wouldn't waste so much food, but oh well, either way I can't have them killing off my birds! Thanks for the help and advice!

Oh, uhm, not to sound stupid, but what does albeit mean?

LOL....albeit: Even though; although; notwithstanding.

I would really find it odd for disease to suddenly sweep in and kill 3 all at once, and leave the others untouched, especially if there have been no sign of illness. It's not impossible, but I would find a lot of other explanations a lot more likely.

I have two left now... My rooster and my barred-rock. One of the two fresh kills had some intestins hanging from his anus.. if that tells anyone anything. Thanks for looking, sorry for the graphic words.

Wow, have you tried setting the live trap???

I set a trap, it has chicken in it.. seems to be what my mean old creature likes... I guess we'll soon find out what is going on.