15 Most Common Ways To Accidentally Kill Your Chickens

Chicken farming isn’t a terribly difficult thing to do. In fact, it’s downright easy. But when you’re new to raising animals at home, mistakes can happen, and they can be costly. In this article, we’re going to go over some of the most common chicken killing mistakes made by novices and experts alike.

Poison and Chemicals

Chickens are susceptible to many diseases and health problems, but they can also be killed by poisoning or chemicals. If you accidentally kill your chickens with poison or chemicals, don’t worry too much; it happens to the best of us! Here are some tips on how to prevent accidental chicken death in the future:

Don’t use insecticides on your flock. This is probably the most common method of killing chickens that people do not realize is harmful to them. Insects can carry diseases and parasites that can be harmful to your flock. If you want to keep insects away from your chickens, try using natural repellants like garlic oil or peppermint oil around their coop instead of spraying toxic insecticides onto their bodies.

Clean up after yourself when you’re working around the coop. This includes cleaning up rat poison if there happen to be rats around because this is another common way people accidentally kill their chickens. You should also be careful about what kind of fertilizers or herbicides you use around the coop as well because the chemicals in them are poisonous to the chickens.

Coop Fires

Chickens are great pets, but they’re also quite fragile. Because of this, you need to make sure that your chicken coop is fire-resistant. But what do you do if the unthinkable happens? What if your chicken coop catches fire?

If your chicken coop catches fire, there’s no way around it — you’ll have to put it out. While it’s important to put out the flames quickly, it’s also important not to panic. If you can’t put out the fire yourself, call 911 immediately and let them know exactly what happened.

Here are some tips for putting out a chicken coop fire:

1. Call 9-1-1 immediately and let them know exactly where you are, who else is there, and what has happened so far. This will help them get there faster and avoid getting lost on their way to your location

2. If the fire is small and simple (and not spreading), use water from a bucket or hose to douse it until it goes out completely

3. If there isn’t any water available nearby, use dirt or sand instead – anything that won’t cause more damage than what already exists

Cats and Dogs

Many people who raise chickens have cats and dogs.

Cats and dogs, like any other animal, can accidentally kill your chickens. This is usually not a problem when you have a few hens in a safe coop. However, if you have a large flock of chickens out free range or if you free range them with other animals, it can be a serious problem.

Some people choose to keep their chickens as pets and do not allow them to roam freely. They keep their chickens in pens or cages with food and water and let them out for fresh air once or twice daily. Others prefer to raise their chickens for eggs so they allow them to roam freely on their property as part of the natural cycle of life.

If your chickens are allowed to roam freely outside, then there is always the possibility that one of your cats or dogs will catch one of your chickens and kill it for fun or food (or both). You may find your chickens dead in the morning or find pieces of feathers around their pen or yard where they were killed by cats or dogs during the night while you were asleep at home sleeping soundly in your bed peacefully dreaming away all worries as only cats and dogs can do!

Poor Diet

Poor diet is perhaps the most common reason for accidental chicken death. It’s easy to forget that chickens need to be fed and that they can’t just eat grass and kitchen scraps like some other backyard animals. A good rule of thumb is that you should feed your chickens about a cup of layer feed per week for every four hens in your flock.

You may be tempted to save money by feeding your hens less than this recommended amount, but this can have disastrous consequences for your flock. If you feed them less than they need, their bodies will not be able to process waste properly, which can lead to deadly ammonia buildup in their bodies.

The easiest way to avoid accidentally killing your chickens through a poor diet is by following our feeding guide or consulting with a veterinarian or professional poultry keeper who can tell you exactly how much food your chickens need given their age and breed type.

Not Enough Space

Chickens need room to roam around so they can exercise and keep track of their flock members. If you only have a small coop with a small run, it’s possible that some of your chickens could get trampled by others or even pecked by other hens if they don’t have enough space to move around comfortably.

Dehydration

Dehydration is one of the most common causes of death in chickens. It is caused by lack of water or exposure to high heat and humidity. When chickens get dehydrated they will stop eating and drinking and they will become weak and lethargic. This can quickly lead to death if not corrected quickly.

Open Containers

Chickens are susceptible to a number of diseases and parasites, so it’s important that they have clean water and food to eat. One of the easiest ways to kill your chickens is by accidentally allowing them to eat or drink something poisonous.

Here are some common poisons that can harm your chickens:

Antifreeze – Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, which is extremely toxic for chickens. It tastes sweet, so if you accidentally leave the antifreeze open near your chicken pen, your chickens may drink some of it. Once they ingest this poison, it will cause kidney failure in your chickens within just a few hours after ingestion. The best thing you can do is keep all antifreeze out of reach from your chickens at all times!

Beer – The alcohol in beer can be harmful to chickens. If they drink too much of it, they can get drunk and drown in their own vomit. They can also die from alcohol toxicity and liver damage.

This is especially true for young birds (chicks), whose livers are still developing.

It’s also important to note that if you’re planning on cooking your food in a beer marinade or other recipe that calls for an open container of beer, make sure you keep them out of reach from your pets.

Wrong Climate

Chickens are more than just the egg source for your family. They are a part of your family. Unfortunately, if you live in an area that has too much or too little humidity, you can accidentally kill your chickens.

If you live in a hot, dry climate, then this is not an issue. However, if you live in a humid environment, you need to be careful how often you let them out of the coop and into the yard.

If they get over-baked by too much sun or under-baked by too little sun, their feathers will begin to fall out and they will develop rickets (soft bones) and osteoporosis (bone loss). This can cause death if not treated properly.

Moving Vehicles

Vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles can kill your chickens if you move them too fast or in the wrong direction. You should not drive your vehicle where there are chickens because they may get squished or run over by your vehicle if you move it too fast or in the wrong direction.

It is best to avoid driving through areas where there are many chickens since it could cause harm to your chickens if they get in the way of your vehicle while moving around quickly or at high speeds.

Snacks and Obesity

There’s a lot that can go wrong when raising backyard chickens. For example, you could accidentally kill your chickens with snacks.

Yes, it’s true. Chickens can overindulge in treats and die from the resulting obesity or heart attack. Chickens are omnivores who can eat a wide variety of foods and will eat whatever is available to them. You should never feed your flock sugary snacks or junk food because of their high-fat content and the risk for obesity. The same goes for feeding them too much table food.

Chickens that get overweight can develop heart disease, which is fatal for them. If you notice your hens becoming lethargic and not eating as much as usual, you should take them to the vet as soon as possible so they can be treated before it’s too late!

Dust

You have to make sure that your chickens have a place to live, food to eat, and water to drink. If you are not careful about these things, you could accidentally kill your chickens with dust.

Dust can cause respiratory problems in poultry. This can lead to pneumonia and other health problems that can kill your chickens if not treated quickly enough.

Chickens are exposed to dust when they breathe in air that contains dust particles that can be inhaled into their lungs. Dust also accumulates on the feathers of birds which makes it harder for them to clean themselves properly by preening their feathers.

Garden Plants and Weeds

Chickens are great pets and can be raised just about anywhere. However, if you have chickens in your backyard, there are some plants that you should avoid planting. Some of these plants can be toxic to your flock, while others could cause allergic reactions.

If you want to make sure that your chickens are safe from these poisonous plants, keep them away from the following list:

  • Amaryllis
  • Apple of Sodom
  • Autumn Crocus
  • Azalea
  • Bleeding Heart
  • Bluebonnet (Lupinus spp.)
  • Boxwood (Buxus spp.)
  • Buttercup (Ranunculus spp.)
  • Castor Bean (Ricinus communis)
  • Chinaberry Tree (Melia azedarach)
  • Clematis/Virginia Creeper (Clematitus virginiana)
  • Colchicum Autumnale
  • Coleus/Solenostemon scutellarioides

Not Vaccinated

If you live in an area where there are predators or diseases that can affect your flock, then it’s important to get them vaccinated so they don’t get sick or die from these things.

Mold

Chickens are extremely susceptible to mold. It doesn’t take long for mold to grow in the coop and kill your chickens.

Mold is a fungus that grows in the dark and moist areas of your coop. Mold can cause your flock to become sick, so make sure you keep your coop clean and dry.

The first sign of illness is usually when one or two chickens start acting sluggish and stop eating or drinking as much as usual. You’ll also see them sleeping more than normal and losing weight quickly. Your chickens may also get diarrhea or bloody droppings if they have been infected with bacteria from the bacteria-rich environment of the coop.

Summary

While the title sounds silly, it’s actually a very serious topic. Many new chicken keepers are successful, but others aren’t. Hopefully, after reading this article, it will help prevent you from accidentally killing your chickens.