1 year old hen passed suddenly

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JHDucks

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Mar 4, 2023
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Our beloved Easter egger, exactly 1 year old, was dead on her back this morning in the run. She was eating and drinking normally last night and had laid an egg during the day.

What could cause sudden death in a young hen? Pen is predator proof, and knock on wood, we have not had predator issues. There was no blood and she was completely intact, eyeballs as well.

Any thoughts?
 
JHDucks said:
Our beloved Easter egger, exactly 1 year old, was dead on her back this morning in the run. She was eating and drinking normally last night and had laid an egg during the day.

What could cause sudden death in a young hen? Pen is predator proof, and knock on wood, we have not had predator issues. There was no blood and she was completely intact, eyeballs as well.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Happend with one of ours too...
 
Sudden chicken death syndrome? Sometimes they have heart attacks. If you want to know for sure, you can refrigerate the body, then ship it to your state lab for an autopsy. Call them to get pricing and shipping instructions. Metzer Farms has a list of state labs where you can find yours, if you're in the USA.

Generally things like this are a one-off, but there's no way to tell for sure without an autopsy. If it happens again, I'd strongly consider getting one on the second chicken that passes in the same manner.
 
Thanks for the info, I really hope this doesn't happen again. I'm going to be nervous every time I check on them for awhile:(
 
JHDucks said:
Thanks for the info, I really hope this doesn't happen again. I'm going to be nervous every time I check on them for awhile:(
Click to expand...
We had one hen that passed suddenly/unexpectedly like this. She had laid a fairy egg the day before, so we think her egg production system had issues, or maybe her calcium absorption wasn't working right. But we'll never know. It hasn't happened again, and it's been almost 3 years.
 
Did you have storms last night? They can cause a chicken to have a heart attack.
We’ve raised chickens for a long time and only had it happen once, but it does happen.
 
In my 12 years of chicken keeping it's happened to me twice. First time, I found a 1 year orpington dead under the roost. We had a big storm that night, and my best guess was that this was a factor but I don't know. All other chickens were fine.

Several years later it happened again to another orpington. One afternoon I heard a commotion in the coop and when I went in to check, I saw her flapping about in some kind of seizure than suddenly flopped on her side and went still. I briefly went back out of the coop to get some gloves on before I picked her up to examine her. When I got back, she was standing up looking normal. Laid an egg and went about her business. Next morning I found her dead under the roost. I assumed she had some type of stroke or heart attack. Again, no other chickens affected.

I always use these occasions to go over my set-up, and keep a close eye on everyone for a while.
 
JHDucks said:
Our beloved Easter egger, exactly 1 year old, was dead on her back this morning in the run. She was eating and drinking normally last night and had laid an egg during the day.

What could cause sudden death in a young hen? Pen is predator proof, and knock on wood, we have not had predator issues. There was no blood and she was completely intact, eyeballs as well.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Morrigan said:
In my 12 years of chicken keeping it's happened to me twice. First time, I found a 1 year orpington dead under the roost. We had a big storm that night, and my best guess was that this was a factor but I don't know. All other chickens were fine.

Several years later it happened again to another orpington. One afternoon I heard a commotion in the coop and when I went in to check, I saw her flapping about in some kind of seizure than suddenly flopped on her side and went still. I briefly went back out of the coop to get some gloves on before I picked her up to examine her. When I got back, she was standing up looking normal. Laid an egg and went about her business. Next morning I found her dead under the roost. I assumed she had some type of stroke or heart attack. Again, no other chickens affected.

I always use these occasions to go over my set-up, and keep a close eye on everyone for a while.
Click to expand...
HI, My sweet Molly a Rhode Island was dead in her nest this evening with her head hanging. She wasn't more then 5 years old and a very healthy hen. Just two days ago she was out on the run in the yard. She'd fled the coup.. 😆. I had photoed her . I thought nothing of it and headed her back where she quietly went into the coup and got into a laying nest. My husband said she seemed a bit off this morning. I saw her in the nest this afternoon and though nothing of it. This evening she was dead.
I wonder if maybe she was overweight, or maybe had a hard attack because my husband pushed to much cracked corn which I asked him to stop doing. It happens I guess. Weird when it does though.
That's her two days ago, with my golden Wyandotte who also decided to fly the coup that day. It's probably time to clip some wings.
 

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