8 month old hen found dead in coop— what happened? How can I protect my other 3 girls?

[Urchickchic]

Sorry for your loss. We see a lot of posts here about pullets that have come into lay and become adults who may just die from no apparent cause. Some just have heart failure or some other organ weakness that may not be apparent. Getting a necropsy is a good idea though, just for peace of mind.

Yes, it is peace of mind and to ensure that there isn’t something else going on as I want to prevent
It in the future. Black Betty was a barre Rock x RIR. She was a big girl. Huge breast. Her mom is much less stockier than she. So we’ll see

 

[redranger209]

Black sex link? They are prone to laying related heath issues.

 

[Kiki]

I will see if I can find one on line. It’s in a bin now.

I've tried looking online but I'm not having any luck.
Thanks.

 

[Urchickchic]

Great, thank you.
Do you feed any treats?

Yes—mealworms, mixed seed treats, maybe a handful daily. They also eat occasional vegetables and fruits—apples, cucumbers, etc.

 

[Urchickchic]

Black sex link? They are prone to laying related heath issues.

The “other” sex link mating— Barre rock roo to RIR hen. She was barred however she had a lot of red feathers so was becoming a Red Rock.

 

[Kiki]

Yes—mealworms, mixed seed treats, maybe a handful daily. They also eat occasional vegetables and fruits—apples, cucumbers, etc.

You may be feeding too many treats.
Fat or fatter chickens die younger.

I think it is best to limit all treats to only once a week and then only about one tablespoon full size per bird.

 

[Urchickchic]

Well, Black Betty died of fatty liver hemorraghic syndrome. Severe fatty liver. Just blew up and bled out. The report said she was obese. I have another BR x EE who is just as big. They eat 17% layer feed. They don't get scratch, or corn. I don't feed them many scraps or treats. Occasional fruit or vegetable. When I want to put them back in the coop and they are out they get five or six meal worms each. At least I never thought it was much. My RIR and EE, which were their mothers, are not anywhere near as plump as the two babies. They have always had free access to feed, and I have never seen any of them eat excessively. If anyone has any insight on what and how I can feed them as I clearly have another 8 month girl that needs to lose weight.
Thanks!

 

[Urchickchic]

She weighed 5 lbs.

 

[Kiki]

Well, Black Betty died of fatty liver hemorraghic syndrome. Severe fatty liver. Just blew up and bled out. The report said she was obese. I have another BR x EE who is just as big. They eat 17% layer feed. They don't get scratch, or corn. I don't feed them many scraps or treats. Occasional fruit or vegetable. When I want to put them back in the coop and they are out they get five or six meal worms each. At least I never thought it was much. My RIR and EE, which were their mothers, are not anywhere near as plump as the two babies. They have always had free access to feed, and I have never seen any of them eat excessively. If anyone has any insight on what and how I can feed them as I clearly have another 8 month girl that needs to lose weight.
Thanks!

Feed nothing but the complete feed.
ZERO scraps/treats.
Do they free range daily?

 

[Kiki]

Would you mind posting a photo of the guaranteed analysis tag on your current feed bag?

Can you post a photo if this?