A hen Died, i don't know what of?

[Hen Pen Jem]

thank you for the info.
If the chicken's oviduct was replaced by tumors, wouldn't she have stopped laying though? My hen continued laying regularly...
I feel terrible because I wasn't there when she died. In the morning she went out of the coop and was lively, and I wasn't at home and when I came home she was dead.
Thanks for comfort.

Yes, my hen had not laid an egg for most of 2017. However, according to my records, she laid three eggs in January of this year. How? I don't know. She was my only green egg layer. She died four months later.

There's no way to know what your girl died from. If she was active and eating when you last saw her, it most likely was not infectious. But, do keep an eye on the remaining hens.

Some illnesses are evident for weeks or even months. And, chickens, being prey animals, are very good at hiding their illness. And, sometimes death is so sudden. That was the case for my rooster and your hen.

You did nothing wrong, or lacking. In fact I can tell you cared very much for your chicken.

But, you are in grief right now. I've been there many times. I cried a tub full of tears, when my rooster, and hens passed away. It's just something you have to go through.

God Bless

 

[ChickenyChickeny]

I've been looking through symptoms, and I now realize she may have had worms. I am dosing the rest of the flock with Wazine (which is a chicken dewormer that works well apparently) because i am concerned that they also have worms. This is my first time having chickens, I didn't realize that deworming chickens twice yearly was neccessary, I thought that my chickens didn't have worms and I feel terrible now.

 

[Kiki]

I've been looking through symptoms, and I now realize she may have had worms. I am dosing the rest of the flock with Wazine (which is a chicken dewormer that works well apparently) because i am concerned that they also have worms. This is my first time having chickens, I didn't realize that deworming chickens twice yearly was neccessary, I thought that my chickens didn't have worms and I feel terrible now.

Wazine only works for roundworms.
Have you already purchased it?

 

[Kiki]

I am sorry for you loss.
Have you also checked your birds real well at night with a flashlight for mites?

Are you sure she had vent glen or just a nasty bottom which can be a sign of worms too.
If you haven't bought the Wazine I would recommend not buying it and instead buy Safeguard.
It will treat more worms than just roundworm, what Wazine does.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Greetings ChickenyChickeny,

I had a hen that had similar symptoms. She would go pale, especially after eating, and it was worse during hot weather. This went on for a year. The vet couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.

I finally found out what was wrong with her after she died. A necropsy by UC Davis Lab, showed she had cancer. Her oviduct was replaced by tumors, which had spread to the vital organs.

The way you found the body, is typical of death spasms. The chicken will stretch their neck trying to get a breath. You are right, she probably was eating grass when her heart gave out.

I know exactly how you feel. It is so shocking and heartbreaking to find a beloved chicken dead. This is how I found my rooster 2 years ago. He simply dropped dead after recovering from congested lungs. I had just checked on him two hours earlier. Even the vet was shocked that he died. He appeared so healthy.

So, go ahead and grieve, but don't feel it was anything you did or didn't do. You loved your chickens, and I'm sure she had a wonderful life with you. All my hen's have died in my arms. The death of a beloved chicken, is something all keepers will experience at some point. We are here for you, at BYC.

God Bless and peace to you.

Beautifuly put

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

It isn't always necessary to worm your chickens. Some keepers do it twice a year, as part of their husbandry practices. The best thing to do, is take a fecal sample, at least twice a year, to a vet or independent lab, for a fecal float test.

A fecal float test will confirm if the chickens have internal parasites, including coccidiosis.

I personally, prefer not to medicate unless I really need to. I have a fecal float test done, two, sometimes four times a year. Sometimes, there is only one chicken with worms. And I had one year where one chicken had roundworms, another had tape worm, and another had hookworm! Chickens aren't even supposed to get hookworm. But, if you have cats or cats come into the yard to poop, chickens become unintentional hosts. This is why, it's also a good idea to have a fecal float test done. And you may want to use a broad spectrum wormer. Wazine only addresses large round worms.

Your chickens may not even have worms. Unless you've seen worms in the poop?

There is a lot to learn about raising chickens. Don't stress, you can't know everything. I don't know everything, even my vet has told me he doesn't know everything about chickens.

Keep the run and coop safe and clean, feed them well, have fresh water in clean waterers, and attend to any injuries and illness when you see it. This is basic stuff, but the chickens will do well, if you do these things.

Each year you'll learn other things that you may want to do for your chickens health. But, don't stress, enjoy your chickens.

Get some good books on chicken health, and you'll learn a lot more.

God Bless

 

[ChickenyChickeny]

Updates:
Another one of my chickens began to act lethargic and have goopy eyes, I was concerned (i of course didn't want her to die) so I took her to the vet. turns out, she has some respiratory issue according to the vet, so probably the other chicken had the same thing? anyways, the vet was like, "heres this medicine put it in their water and all that" so now the other hen is getting better... they had either mycoplasma, newcastle disease, ILT (i dont know what that is, the vet just said it might be that) or.... um, another one that I forgot. Anyways, the vet is testing some swabs from the hen who was sick, so i am going to find out what she had/has. also, the vet said she probably doesn't have worms?

still when the vet was doing the swabs of the other hen's eyes and throat i had to hold her so she wouldn't flap away (hold the hen so she wouldn't escape, not the vet so they wouldn't escape LOL) and the hen was so scared and i felt horrible about having to put her through that.... i mean i know it is for her own good and getting the swabs done were neccessary, but i felt bad about it all the same. anyways, she is improving now (the antibiotic medicine stuff is kicking in).

so... yup. just thought i would say that.

 

[Kiki]

Updates:
Another one of my chickens began to act lethargic and have goopy eyes, I was concerned (i of course didn't want her to die) so I took her to the vet. turns out, she has some respiratory issue according to the vet, so probably the other chicken had the same thing? anyways, the vet was like, "heres this medicine put it in their water and all that" so now the other hen is getting better... they had either mycoplasma, newcastle disease, ILT (i dont know what that is, the vet just said it might be that) or.... um, another one that I forgot. Anyways, the vet is testing some swabs from the hen who was sick, so i am going to find out what she had/has. also, the vet said she probably doesn't have worms?

still when the vet was doing the swabs of the other hen's eyes and throat i had to hold her so she wouldn't flap away (hold the hen so she wouldn't escape, not the vet so they wouldn't escape LOL) and the hen was so scared and i felt horrible about having to put her through that.... i mean i know it is for her own good and getting the swabs done were neccessary, but i felt bad about it all the same. anyways, she is improving now (the antibiotic medicine stuff is kicking in).

so... yup. just thought i would say that.

Good for you for taking her and getting the testing done so you know exactly what you are dealing with.
Please keep a closed flock from now on, it is extremely likely you are dealing with something that just doesn't go away...they will remain carriers for life.

 

[ChickenyChickeny]

Good for you for taking her and getting the testing done so you know exactly what you are dealing with.
Please keep a closed flock from now on, it is extremely likely you are dealing with something that just doesn't go away...they will remain carriers for life.

i assume you mean 'don't get new chickens and don't sell the ones you have ' by a closed flock? or do you mean 'keep them in a good enclosure to keep out wild birds who might give them diseases'?

also, i would have taken my chickens to the vet MUCH sooner, but alas, i am 15 and must persuade my parents to take the chickens in. My parents overestimate the immune systems of chickens....

 

[Kiki]

Sorry for the confusion....What I meant was don't sell or give away birds. (No birds should leave your property.)
Know that any birds you do bring in will probably end up getting sick too.