1 Dead Hen???

[Cocohens]

Hi there,

aw I’m so sad to be writing this. But when visiting the girls thia morning I noticed Greta wasn’t outside of the coop. I went inside, and she was there in a nesting box stiff. They sometimes sleep in their nesting boxes (naughty girls)

I can’t work out how she died. Yesterday she was absolutely fine, running around as normal. She doesn’t seem to be egg bound and doesn’t have mites or anything. The only difference I have noticed is some white chicken poo.
Please give advice on what to check for on the other birds.
Coco xxxx

 

[Callender Girl]

Coco, I am so sorry about Greta. Sounds like you checked some obvious causes, and I don't know what else you should look for. But I know it's really tough when they go suddenly and you have no answers. Two of my ducks -- both of which had seemed fine the previous night when they went to bed -- were dead in the morning. It happened a couple of months apart last winter, none of the others were affected, and it was suggested they may have had heart attacks. I had no idea that was a possibility.

My heart is with you. I hope you find an answer and that your other girls are safe.

 

[littledog]

Oh no, I'm so sorry you lost your lovely Greta. Over the past 11 years I've lost a few chickens from no known causes,- one day they're running around, acting normal, eating and drinking, and found them dead the next day. And the rest of the flock were fine, no signs of illness either before or after.
The first time was our barred-rock hen Carol, who might have been egg-bound, but I was a newbie then and didn't know how to recognize the signs.
The last time, a couple years ago, it was our 7-year-old rooster Ragnar who was fine one day, eating, running around, breeding his hens, but dead the next morning. Obviously not egg-bound since he was a rooster...in each case, their bodies showed no signs of distress, it was like they went to sleep and never woke up.
I think it's quite possible they can die suddenly from heart attacks or strokes, just like humans. Nothing we can help, really.
Just keep a watchful eye on the rest of your flock and maybe get some medicines on hand just in case, like Amprol for coccidiosis, one of the various dewormers suitable for chickens, and maybe some VetRX that takes care of a variety of other parasites. All of which can be ordered online or bought from a feed store like TSC, if you have one in your area.
Best of luck for the others in your flock.

 

[Isaac 0]

Very sorry for your loss.

Sadly, without a necropsy done on the bird diagnosing what may have caused her death will prove useless, and ineffective. If you have her body, you can wrap her body in the fridge until you can send her to your state veterinary diagnostic laboratory. Most states only charge a minimal fee. Another option would be to perform your own necropsy on her, and that is if you still have her body of course.

Of course, it can vary with each flock, but with mine, the most common cause of deaths amongst the hens seems to be reproductive related. The chances of it being reproductive related increases as they age. You don't mention how old she is?

If you have her body, and are interested in sending her to your state lab, you may visit these links,

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...sease-testing-state-lab-website-info.1236884/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

 

[Hei 20]

Hi there,

aw I’m so sad to be writing this. But when visiting the girls thia morning I noticed Greta wasn’t outside of the coop. I went inside, and she was there in a nesting box stiff. They sometimes sleep in their nesting boxes (naughty girls)

I can’t work out how she died. Yesterday she was absolutely fine, running around as normal. She doesn’t seem to be egg bound and doesn’t have mites or anything. The only difference I have noticed is some white chicken poo.
Please give advice on what to check for on the other birds.
Coco xxxx

I'm so sorry for your loss.