What could have killed my Roo?

I have 13 chickens that are all 10 months old. I have had all my chickens since they were 2 days old. My girls just started laying and I let them out to free range with my 3 boys in my enclosed back yard as soon as I wake up. This morning I let them all out as normal and they chased me across the yard to the back porch where I always feed them. After they ate most of them were hanging out on the porch by the sliding glass door (My computer is next to it and I always leave it open about an inch so I can hear them / they can poke their heads in to say hi.) when I herd someone ruffle their feathers. I thought it was my boss man roo Carrot Top (LF gold laced cochin) putting one of the other 2 boys (LF splash cochins) in his place or one of the boys getting a girl but being the worry wort I am about them I peaked out anyway. Took me a good 10 seconds for me to process that one of my splash boys (Green Legs.) was laying face down on the cement!

He was still alive when I ran out to him but as soon as I reached out to get him he started having convulsions and a large chunk of mushy pellets formed in his throat. Me and my husband tried to coax it out of his mouth, tried sticking a finger in his throat to fish it out, tried running some water down his throat to maybe rinse it out but couldn't get it. After about 15 min of not being able to resuscitate him and him not moving we decided he was gone.

What happened? Has this happened to anyone else before? He was just fine when I let everyone out of their pen and had just been lounging on the porch with everyone else just like normal.

He was my special little guy, though a bit of a stinker. (My husband called him my 'boyfriend' cuz he was so obsessed with always looking for ways to get me to come outside and give him attention.) He had the funniest personality for such a little bugger and will be greatly missed!

This was Green Legs - (Took this about 3 weeks ago.)

I am sorry for your loss, and I do not know to what he succumbed. But I do know that animals die all the time from things, sometimes right in front of you, as you have seen. Calves, horses, cows, pigs and fowl of all type seem to suffer from failed hearts, choked on something, eaten too much or the wrong thing… the list goes on and is endless. There is no sense to it, nor in it. It just happens. Sometimes it is the person in charge, but not always the case. It just happens.

I am happy every day I see my critters still alive. Because I know how fragile life is, and if you have enough birds, or birds long enough you will see it all, and then something new. Blame it on karma, the alignment of the planets, what you will, mostly it is not your fault, but even if it should be, few folks do so on purpose. I guess you have your photographs and memories and he will always hold a special place with you, but it just happens. I know it does not make it easier, but somethings just happen.

Best to you and your birds,

RJ

RJSorensen -

Ty for the reply. I'm no stranger to pets dying but I have never had one just kill over before. There has always been a reason for it. It was just so strange I just thought that someone on here might know what happened. My husband also said he thought his heart might have failed. I got my chicks from Cacklehatchery and my Splash chicks did arrive with health problems from day one. We lost one Splash in shipping and another after a week. The remaining 3 we worked super hard at keeping alive and once they were about 4 months old I figured they had beat whatever was wrong with them. I kind of wonder if what ever was wrong with Green Legs as a chick just caught up to him. Now i'm just crossing my fingers I don't lose Cry Baby and Cotton Ball to the same thing. x.x


- Toshiko24 ^_^

(To my husband's dismay my little beardies think they are house chickens.)
Cry Baby (left) Cotton Ball (right)

Well, as you know there is a reason… it is just often we are unable to determine the cause. I just love them every day I have them, and should something happen, I have just learned to accept somethings over which we do not have control. Sorry to hear your birds had problems from early on. I get chicks from the same place and have had very good luck with them. It maybe in the weather and or shipping that the unfortunate event occurs, which upsets the delicate balance of early life. As noted, it is never good, but we just move on and do not dwell on the sad moments, just remember the good ones.

Best to you and your birds,

RJ

Toshiko24 said:

I have 13 chickens that are all 10 months old. I have had all my chickens since they were 2 days old. My girls just started laying and I let them out to free range with my 3 boys in my enclosed back yard as soon as I wake up. This morning I let them all out as normal and they chased me across the yard to the back porch where I always feed them. After they ate most of them were hanging out on the porch by the sliding glass door (My computer is next to it and I always leave it open about an inch so I can hear them / they can poke their heads in to say hi.) when I herd someone ruffle their feathers. I thought it was my boss man roo Carrot Top (LF gold laced cochin) putting one of the other 2 boys (LF splash cochins) in his place or one of the boys getting a girl but being the worry wort I am about them I peaked out anyway. Took me a good 10 seconds for me to process that one of my splash boys (Green Legs.) was laying face down on the cement!

He was still alive when I ran out to him but as soon as I reached out to get him he started having convulsions and a large chunk of mushy pellets formed in his throat. Me and my husband tried to coax it out of his mouth, tried sticking a finger in his throat to fish it out, tried running some water down his throat to maybe rinse it out but couldn't get it. After about 15 min of not being able to resuscitate him and him not moving we decided he was gone.

What happened? Has this happened to anyone else before? He was just fine when I let everyone out of their pen and had just been lounging on the porch with everyone else just like normal.

He was my special little guy, though a bit of a stinker. (My husband called him my 'boyfriend' cuz he was so obsessed with always looking for ways to get me to come outside and give him attention.) He had the funniest personality for such a little bugger and will be greatly missed!

This was Green Legs - (Took this about 3 weeks ago.)

Click to expand...

So sorry for the loss of your special bf. It's so hard when there doesn't seem to be a clear reason why these baffling things sometimes happen.

You said he suddenly experienced convulsions, then choked on some food that came up... We have found from experience that if a chicken is having convulsions, then often the end is close to near at that time- regardless of the food lodging which may have been a separate issue. He may have had food mistakenly deep down inside his airway so that can cause aspiration, or possibly he could have had a heart problem. So, clearing the pathway completely may not have helped, regardless. You really did all you could do to help him in that emergency.

One Chick Two said:

So sorry for the loss of your special bf. It's so hard when there doesn't seem to be a clear reason why these baffling things sometimes happen.

You said he suddenly experienced convulsions, then choked on some food that came up... We have found from experience that if a chicken is having convulsions, then often the end is close to near at that time- regardless of the food lodging which may have been a separate issue. He may have had food mistakenly deep down inside his airway so that can cause aspiration, or possibly he could have had a heart problem. So, clearing the pathway completely may not have helped, regardless. You really did all you could do to help him in that emergency.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

As always <3 you guys here on BYC!
Its definitely been strange without him around. For about the first week he was gone the other chickens actually would leave a spot open for him around the food dish when I fed them. We ended up burying him in a nice area out by my moms dog Lucky. (The black and white puppy in my tag pic. He accidentally got into some antifreeze last summer.) Chickens are the best but man are they stressful!
-Toshiko24 ^_^