Question about my marans death and new chicken update

16 years ago

I walked into the coop Thursday morning and my black copper marans was on the floor under the perch gone, she was so pretty and layed the most beautiful eggs. I saw her the night before and all was well. I couldn't find anything wrong when looking her over, no blood etc. She had a small bare area on her underside but a few of my chickens are feather picking so I don't think that's it. I lost my black marans pullet last fall, same thing just dead on the ground under a perch no sign or symptom of illness or injury. I am thinking heart attack?

Question: do you think this could be inherent of this strain of marans (both from the same breeder)? I only had 3 and two are now dead in less than a year of the same apparent reasons. In the past 2 + years I have had over 40 chickens and not lost any of them, these two Marans are the only ones I've lost which is why I am suspicious. The rest of my flock is very mixed, the marans were a bit high strung, not at all friendly but really beautiful and the egg color truly amazing.

My only comfort is I have two of her (pullets) babies 8 weeks old.

After discovering her body, I let the chickens out to the yard and right in front of me I saw a HUGE snake! !!!!!!!!!!!!! it scared the bejeebers out of me! I tried to scare it off but it wouldn't leave. The snake couldn't kill a chicken could it? Later in the afternoon my neighbor saved the day and took it away for me. It was the largest garter snake I've ever seen, at least 42 inches (we don't see many snakes around here and if we do they are small).

Lots of excitement that day.

-Sheila

ps. for my birthday my dh, picked me up some 4LF polish, 2 Americaunas, 1 RIR, 1 NH Red! happy me :) he got 4 production turkey poults for himself!

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Comments (10)

mersiepoo
16 years ago
Wow, never heard of a gardener snake that big!! WOW! I got some big 3 foot black snakes but that is it. I like them because they eat mice.

You should go with a different breeder, it could be something wrong with the strain, like you said. Since none of your other chickens are dying, it may have some hidden causes.

It's always the favorite ones that seem to die, isn't it? I had a beautiful polish and she died early.
stoneunhenged
16 years ago
If it was truly a garter snake (and that sounds awful big for a garter snake), they don't eat chickens.
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Maggie_J
16 years ago
Hi Sheila! I think it is certainly possible that your Marans had an inherited weakness. If you lose the third one or the pullets the same way, I would say that moves it up to a probability. I'd contact the breeder if it is feasible, not to complain but just to make him aware of a potential problem and see if he has had similar problems from that line of birds.

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Happy birthday and congrats on the new birds!
sullicorbitt
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the responses, yes it really was a garter snake, I read they can grow up to 54 inches long. I hope it's gone for good but my dh said he spotted one shortly after this one was relocated across the street into the woods.

Maggie, I can't believe you actually like snakes! I was so freaked out by it, nothing appealing that I can see. It was the first time I wish I had a pellet gun of some sort.... God forbid, I forgot I live in Massachusetts lol!

Thanks for the opinions on my marans, now I am just waiting for the third one to drop dead, she's actually been broody for the last month and quite vicious when we try to collect the eggs.

-Sheila
Maggie_J
16 years ago
Heck, Sheila, this country girl grew up trying to prove she was as brave as her brothers... Of course I like snakes. We used to catch them for "pets" but they soon managed to slither away. They're not at all slimy you know... cool, dry and leathery. I think it's cool how they flick that forked tongue out and that evil-looking snake-smile makes me want to laugh.

Once when I was about 12, some boys thought they'd give me a scare and flung a big garter snake at me so that it wrapped around my neck. I unwound it, held it and looked at it for a minute, then hollered "Nice snake!" and let it go in the long grass. They were so ticked off! (Good thing for me it wasn't a spider. It's only in recent years and with determined effort that I have managed to overcome my aversion to them!)
acorn
16 years ago
I like snakes, I just took a little one from my cats.
I don't even kill the rattlesnakes unless they are in my barn or woodpile.
velvet_sparrow
16 years ago
Happy Birthday! Now there's a man who knows what his wife likes, chickens!!! :)

Sorry about your Marans. Maybe the snake scared her to death...? My first three chickens were three day-old Silver Laced Wyandotte hens. One died at around 8 months (same as yours, no marks, no illness, just sudden death), another died at around age 1 1/2 of ovarian cancer, the last lived for 10 years. So you never know...

I'm glad you have the babies, though. I've never owned Marans and only know what I've read on feathersite.com and elsewhere. Maybe contact the breeder and see what he says...

Velvet ~:>
sullicorbitt
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Velvet :)

As a short tribute to my black copper I have to tell you she is featured on the feathersite :) you can go and see what she looked like (pretty girl), just look for my name as the contributor.

The babies definitely ease the blow of losing her.

Sheila
lfrj
16 years ago
Missing any eggs lately Sheila? You mentioned that DH relocated the varmit across the street to the woods. I tried to find some info on returning snakes as I know that rattlers may do this if not taken far enough from their territory. Couldn't find anything on garter snakes. I DID discover that there's a breed called Giant Garter snakes -up to 65"! but they are from California. Maybe somebody did some serious relocating with the specimien you came across.

I'm badly startled by them myself...I've tried to over come the shock upon bumping into them and don't know why I suffer from it so. Something primal? (I'm not biblical).

If I ran across one that big I'd definitely beg to have it relocated X the river of sticks. Sure wouldn't want that one in the gene pool. It would be a battle I'd lose though. RJ is more kindred to Maggie when it comes to snakes, and will rescue every one that our cat drags home. (Wish our cat would do a better job of finishing them. Maybe he doesn't know where the throat is).

Do you think it was after your eggs? Every time one of our birds takes a day off I start to wonder. (If I found one in a nest box I would just scream!)

LF
terryboc
16 years ago
Shiela,
Sorry to hear about your hen. Let's just hope the 3rd one lives a long life. I have a lot of snakes here in Merrimack as well. One even got a screech out of me when it startled me on the rock wall. But I felt much better when I saw it going down the chipmunk hole. It was a large one as well, so I was hoping it was big enough to eat the darned chipmunks.
cheers,
Terry

Question about my marans death and new chicken update

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