4 and 1/2 year old EE hen died inexplicably- no signs of illness

[lcatty]

Anyone else had this happen? Wonder if I should have a necropsy done. Are they expensive? If some preventable illness killed her I'd like to know so I can protect the rest of the flock. The others do have dry pox, but otherwise have seemed fine. I wondered if she had the wet pox that effects the respiratory system and I didn't know it. She wasn't wheezing. She was eating and drinking fine. I don't get it.

Poor Lindsay. She was one of my very first hens. Her buddy, Nicole, is lonely and perplexed. They hung out together all the time.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss... I had necropsies done on two that up and died on the same day, both were EE's and about the same age as yours. Both died of unrelated causes that were't contagious. Since then, I've done two of my own necropsies that proved interesting. Most states will do backyard poultry for free or a small fee. If it's something that you want to do, you'll need to put your hen in the fridge until you can arrange shipping. I'm cheap, so I sent my two via UPS 2nd day... Tough call given that it's Friday.

 

[CluckyCharms]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[lcatty]

Thanks for your reply. I think I'll put her body in the fridge and take it to the vet on Monday. Vet doesn't normally treat chickens (unless the bird is suffering and its an emergency) but she has connections with a lab in Albuquerque that can do necropsies.

I wonder if EEs just don't live that long, maybe? What happened with yours?

 

[casportpony]

Quote:

Thanks for your reply. I think I'll put her body in the fridge and take it to the vet on Monday. Vet doesn't normally treat chickens (unless the bird is suffering and its an emergency) but she has connections with a lab in Albuquerque that can do necropsies.

I wonder if EEs just don't live that long, maybe? What happened with yours?

It sounds like you have a good vet to work with... So hard to find these days.

Here is my list of necropsies. I listed all of them just in case it could help someone.
I rescued these two from the feed store and might have been able to save if I had known how to treat and had done so earlier. I spent lots of money at several avian vets before I found one that knew how to treat this disease.

• Turkey - Histomoniasis (blackhead) and sepsis
• Turkey - Histomoniasis and yeast infection

These were three of six that I was caring for at the feed store that they wouldn't have lost if they had kept their cage cleaner and given Corid at the onset of symptoms.

• Peachick - Cocciciosis
• Peachick - Cocciciosis
• Peachick - Cocciciosis and visceral gout

These were two of eight that I hatched this year. The other six are doing well, but have to be watched very closely for signs of sickness. They get weighed almost daily. If they lose weight and have odd looking poop, they get medicated.

• Peachick - Histomoniasis and systemic E.coli and fungal infections
• Peachick - Histomoniasis

These were the two that died on the same day

• EE hen - Internal bleeding, exact cause unkown, many organs weren't right.
• EE hen - Visceral gout. Suspect kidney failure. Cause of failure unknown.

All of the above necropsies were performed by the UC Davis California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS).

These are the ones that I did the necropsies on.

• Duck from feed store - EYP (Egg Yolk Peritonitis).
• Old Game hen - Internal bleeding, cause unknown.
• RIR - EYP.
• Game hen - Liver related. Possible histomoniasis, which chickens aren't supposed to get. I'm going to send my report and pictures to the pathologist. Here is the thread for this hen: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ed-with-preliminary-necropsy-pictures-graphic
• Game hen - EYP. Probable cause was egg binding. I'm going to send my report and pictures to the pathologist for this one, too.
  And this is the BYC thread for this one, but I haven't added the pictures yet. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/714065/very-sick-hen-with-abdominal-mass