One of my hens has drowned!

[Snadger]

Found her floating face down in the Belfast sink which I use for their water.
Water is about 6 inches deep has been there for over a year and I didn't realise a chook could drown in it!

As a tempory measure to stop something like it happening again I have placed a breezeblock in the middle of it.

It was one of my younger birds as well and I can't understand how she couldn't get out?

[Suechooks]

So sorry to hear that Snadger,it's really awful. What a shock for you.
Maybe she was dead when she fell in rather than the other way round?
I do hope you find a solution. Makes me wonder about buckets as they're even deeper.

[shirlthegirl43]

What a shame Snadger, hugs to you. We used to lose chicks in water buckets but never a full sized chook

[MaureenHall]

What a shock for you Snadger, that's 3 I've heard of that happening to, but the other 2 were really not well at all, and like Suechooks said, maybe they were dead before they fell in

[Flummery]

Sorry to hear that Snadge. Ours have a bucket for their water and occasionally fall in but upright if you know what I mean? They stand in it - comes about half way up. It makes sense that she maybe had a 'turn' or something and fell in face downward.

[Two_Sheds]

I reckon she died before she fell in ... can they have heart attacks?

My birds (parrots) fuss and flap if they get into water, so I'd imagine chickens would as well.

[HayleyB]

What a shock, she must have had something happen to her, Silver fell in a trough a few weeks back and she was out in a jiffy......

[Flummery]

They can and do have heart attack Two Sheds. Possibly this is what happened. It doesn't seem to matter about the age either.

[RedThorn]

Like the others said, sounds like a heart attack... sorry and at the same time as your Mike Tyson cock too double whammy.

[Nicos]

cripes Snadge

I've got a cat litter tray with water in it..thought it'd be OK once my babies were big enough to hop out
Sounds like a heart attack to me too - I'd have thought if the feathers had got too heavy and waterlogged she'd have just stood there looking stupid??

[Lemon]

How terrible...

So sorry to hear of the bad news Snadger........

[TPeers]

Sorry Snadge! Rotten luck. Lost a hen to stroke. When you work so hard to give them a good life it is just so unfair.

[frias]

Sorry about your hen Snadger. Someone told me recently that their hen drowned in the duck pond. You would think if they could walk in they could walk out again. I'm starting to wonder about using a bucket now as my younger ex-batts balance on the edge to drink instead of just putting their head over the side as the older ones do.

[Glutton4...]

That's awful Uncle Snadge. I hope she didn't suffer, and that the others are ok.

I have two of these 30 LITRE METAL LEG DRINKER POULTRY CHICKENS HENS on eBay (end time 07-Aug-09 23:54:30 BST) for my 'Laydees' they take ages to empty and the plastic bowl makes it easy to dose garlic, ACV etc. They were expensive to buy, but should last for years and I didn't have anything else suitable at the time. I have to say the possibility of a Chook drowning in its water container never even entered my head!

[Bramble-Poultry]

Sorry to hear of your loss Snadge

the only time i lost hens to drowning was three 18 week old wyandottes that i introduced into the main run. they were persecuted by the "head hen" who chased them into the water and kept them there.

I lost two and the third recovered for a day or two and then died (probably stress)

i since changed the design of the drinker and wont use open containers - except for the turkeys who drink directly out of a bucket.

If a turkey can fit in a bucket either i am growing them wrong or i have a huge bucket!