Can chickens die of a "broken heart" ?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I think you've got your cause and effect backwards. I think that your chickens sensed there was something wrong with this hen, and that's why they started rejecting her. Especially if she had been a fully-accepted member before this time. Chickens are brutal and unsympathetic for the most part--like lions. They will weed out the sick and the weak. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrandmaChickie 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I think you've got your cause and effect backwards. I think that your chickens sensed there was something wrong with this hen, and that's why they started rejecting her. Especially if she had been a fully-accepted member before this time. Chickens are brutal and unsympathetic for the most part--like lions. They will weed out the sick and the weak. 

 

I agree with GrandmaChickie. I do think any animal can die of a broken heart, but in this instance, I believe she is rejected because she's sick. Birds of all kinds can be brutal to sick members of a flock. The sick member could have something contagious, so chasing it away would seem like a logical way of protecting the flock. Sorry about your sick hen.

Yes, I'm sorry--I addressed your question, but didn't attempt to help solve the problem. More information about your sick hen would be helpful--it may be curable.

In addition to all of the great information here, I'd also suggest contacting a poultry vet and speaking with them about her symptoms if you can find absolutely no cause for her illness/behavior.  If you can't do that, then at least get a sample of her droppings and take it to any cat/dog vet to analyze for worms.

While I don't think that it's the case here, I do think that a chicken can die of a broken heart.  However, I think it's more of an isolation issue than an emotional one.  Chickens are flock animals.  They don't like to be kept alone or pushed away from their flock.  It causes a lot of stress for them, and there is the potential for that to lead to their end.

I hope that you can solve whatever is ailing your hen, though.

I'm sorry to hear that.

So sorry. I've been around chickens most of my life, but they continue to mystify me. I guess that's part of the appeal, though.