Our beloved Rooster (Joey) passed away unexpectedly on 11/25/2022, between the morning and 2:00pm when I found him. His body was still warm which tells me he couldn't have died overnight as the temperatures were in the mid 30's. I checked his body for lacerations, cuts, etc and didn't see anything unusual. Just the day before (Thanksgiving), he was out walking around and cock-a-doodling just fine!
I called our local Department of Agriculture and thankfully they were still open! I spoke with one of the doctors and explained what I found, his last appearance, and the current appearance of the flock. I informed the doctor that he (and the rest of the flock) are 10 months old and it was unusual to find him dead with no warning signs. I also explained the situation I currently have of receiving 5 new hens (2yr old) to cull from our friends 3 days prior and have them in their separate space inside the coop. Yes, I know it's not proper quarantine but it's all I had at the moment.
I was worried about the rest of my flock and asked the doctor if it would be appropriate to have a Necropsy performed to make sure it wasn't the flu or anything serious that could affect the rest of my flock or even the farmer's next to me. Based on what happen and that there were no visible signs to as why he died, the doctor agreed that it would be appropriate to have a Necropsy performed.
More background info:
Below are some pictures of the Rooster and the report. I'm going to pay fee for the additional testing of histopathology on the kidney to determine if he had a genetic renal disease. Note: The age of the rooster in the report is incorrect. He is not 21 months, he's 10 months.
I called our local Department of Agriculture and thankfully they were still open! I spoke with one of the doctors and explained what I found, his last appearance, and the current appearance of the flock. I informed the doctor that he (and the rest of the flock) are 10 months old and it was unusual to find him dead with no warning signs. I also explained the situation I currently have of receiving 5 new hens (2yr old) to cull from our friends 3 days prior and have them in their separate space inside the coop. Yes, I know it's not proper quarantine but it's all I had at the moment.
I was worried about the rest of my flock and asked the doctor if it would be appropriate to have a Necropsy performed to make sure it wasn't the flu or anything serious that could affect the rest of my flock or even the farmer's next to me. Based on what happen and that there were no visible signs to as why he died, the doctor agreed that it would be appropriate to have a Necropsy performed.
More background info:
- Flock of 12 came from the hatchery in Feb 22
- Flock starter with Purina Starter Feed (crumbles)
- Switch to Kalmbalch 20% Flockmaker (pellets)
- Added a dish of oyster shells for the hens to get additional calcium as needed
- Added Purina Starter Feed (crumbles) to another bowl for new chick that hatched on 9/12
- Rooster had access to the Purina Starter feed and could have ate some
Below are some pictures of the Rooster and the report. I'm going to pay fee for the additional testing of histopathology on the kidney to determine if he had a genetic renal disease. Note: The age of the rooster in the report is incorrect. He is not 21 months, he's 10 months.
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