7year old polish dying?? Just got back from vacation - advice!

[esme13]

This is my first chicken and my head chicken abd we got back last night. I saw her gasping a little on the roost last night abd this morning she was by the egg laying area collapsed. Any advice ?? On what to do , should I give her anything ?? She feels a little light. Her eyes are very twitchy ! I feel horrible . We love this hen!

 

[esme13]

She has some new feathers coming in. She sounds like she has something in her chest.

 

[esme13]

She passed away . We just returned from vacation last night. She flapped, pooped a liquid and had some yellowish fluid discharge from her nose and mouth (a little). Is that normal ?? Or was it something else that caused her death ?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. The best way to know what might have killed your chicken is to get a necropsy by your state vet or Cornell in NY. It may cost a bit more in NY than some states. They look at the organs and do tissue studies for common diseases. How old was she, and was she laying normally? Egg laying problems, cancer, crop disorders, and heat exhaustion are very common causes of illness. Here is a link for contact info for most state vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[esme13]

Sorry for your loss. The best way to know what might have killed your chicken is to get a necropsy by your state vet or Cornell in NY. It may cost a bit more in NY than some states. They look at the organs and do tissue studies for common diseases. How old was she, and was she laying normally? Egg laying problems, cancer, crop disorders, and heat exhaustion are very common causes of illness. Here is a link for contact info for most state vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Thank you , she was 7 years old and 1 month. She stopped laying eggs last summer. It wasn’t to hot this past week, while we were gone. I just don’t know how normal or un-normal it is for an animal to flap around and dribble out liquid yellow fluid once passed. Her cropped felt empty and she didn’t feel bloated or under weight on her lower abdomen.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is actually a common scenario when a chicken dies and it is witnessed. They tend to flap, may arch their necks, and crop contents may come out of the beak. 7 years is not uncommon for a death. A home necropsy to look at the organs and abdominal contents could help you to determine a possible cause of death. Your stat vet can do an even more thorough one if the body is kept cold in a cooler, and taken in on Monday to the lab. Sorry for your loss.

 

[esme13]

That is actually a common scenario when a chicken dies and it is witnessed. They tend to flap, may arch their necks, and crop contents may come out of the beak. 7 years is not uncommon for a death. A home necropsy to look at the organs and abdominal contents could help you to determine a possible cause of death. Your stat vet can do an even more thorough one if the body is kept cold in a cooler, and taken in on Monday to the lab. Sorry for your loss.

Thank you for your kind words. Since it was my son’s first chicken he opted to have her buried. She was the top hen and a great boss hen. Truly will be our most missed bird. Hoping her sister doesn’t fade away now she’s was from the same hatch date. My rooster walked side by side with the boss girl.