Chick found dead with eyes still open

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HeatherMarieR

HeatherMarieR

Chirping
Feb 27, 2015
327
12
88
Somerville, AL
What would cause a chick to suddenly die with its eyes still wide open? I left the house for a couple of hours earlier, and came home to find my slightly over a week old Serama chick dead. It was stiff as a board, so I'm guessing it had to have died not long after I left. When I left, it was running around happy as can be. I'm guessing that it was probably sudden death syndrome, but a few people are telling me cocci (which I'm doubting).
 
Also, I thought I had read several times that Seramas were prone to sudden death syndrome because of heart problems (which is why I figured that's what happened,) but now I have several people telling me that that's not true and that they aren't any harder than raising normal chicks so now I'm confused.
 
The best way to find a cause of death is to refrigerate the body in a plastic bag (don't freeze) and send it off to your state vet for a necropsy. Seramas are sensitive to cold temperatures. Coccidiosis is very common in chickens under 4 months old. Symptoms are hunched or puffed up appearance, sleepiness, weakness, refusing food, and diarrhea or blood in droppings. Corid (amprollium) in the the water is the best treatment. Sorry for your loss. Here is a link for your state vet: http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
 
Eggcessive said:
The best way to find a cause of death is to refrigerate the body in a plastic bag (don't freeze) and send it off to your state vet for a necropsy. Seramas are sensitive to cold temperatures. Coccidiosis is very common in chickens under 4 months old. Symptoms are hunched or puffed up appearance, sleepiness, weakness, refusing food, and diarrhea or blood in droppings. Corid (amprollium) in the the water is the best treatment. Sorry for your loss. Here is a link for your state vet: http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
Click to expand...
I buried it last night, so it's too late for a necropsy. I don't like giving medication unless it's absolutely needed, but I think I'm going to start putting Corid in my chicks' water from the start as a preventative just in case.
 

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