1.5yr old rooster died suddenly... not sure why

[SCallahan]

Hi All,

This morning at around 5:30, everything was normal here, sun's coming up, rooster is crowing and clucking around the yard outside, just like any other day. Then, at 5:45, I go outside to give the flock some feed and the rooster is laying there dead. There is no blood, there isn't a million feathers everywhere, his whole body is normal and intact. He has been up to this point completely healthy and great, and now suddenly he just died. What could have caused that? I haven't observed any abnormal poop from him or any of the hens, he's been completely normal for the whole year and a half that he lived. In case you were wondering, he is/was a BLRW.

Any Ideas?

Thanks

 

[BrattishTaz]

Heart attack? Had you noticed any discoloration on his comb?

 

[tellynpeep]

1. Refrigerate the bird.
2. Call the state diagnostic lab and ask if they will do a poultry necopsy (they should.)
http://128.123.206.6/animal-and-plant-protection/veterinary-diagnostic-services/About%20VDS.html

Our state lab does them at a very reasonable cost. Well worth it to know if you have the beginning of an infectious disease in your flock.

Let us know the results!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

So sorry to hear about your rooster. I have heard of other forum members having a necropsy done and it would give the most info.

My 2 year old rooster collapsed and died suddenly after seeming quite normal and I did a search on BYC and someone else did a necropsy after a similar incident and found evidence of an aneurysm.

 

[SCallahan]

Thanks for all the replies.

No, I haven't noticed any discoloration in his comb. I checked the hens and their combs seem fine too. I'm not sure I checked the replies soon enough to refrigerate the body unfortunately but if this does happen again to another member of the flock I'll be sure to go the necropsy route... hopefully I won't have to.

On an interesting side note, we kept the rooster for the chance that a hen would go broody and hatch some chicks. They never did, but he was a pretty well behaved rooster so we liked having him around. Yesterday, after he had died, at around 10am I went out to the nest boxes to check for eggs and there was a broody hen in one of them.. today she's still there, I put some food and water nearby for her, and with any luck maybe we'll get a couple of chicks from the rooster after all.