another chicken death. severe panting and then death minutes later. Gapeworm? Heatstroke? help :(

[madsnbot]

I’ve had so many deaths in my flock recently due to illness and it’s so frustrating. I have previous posts on my other chickens and how they died but just now I had another hen die but under different circumstances. My Brahma was a little under a year old and just died out of the blue. Before today she was perfectly healthy and acted completely normal. Occasionally she would pant but nothing too heavy. I live in florida and it gets hot here so i didn’t think anything of it. Today I went out and noticed her sitting in the coop panting extremely heavy and her making some gurgling sounds. I definitely thought this was abnormal so i went inside to do some research on what to do. Went back out a few minutes later and she was dead in her coop. I don’t understand what could have killed her so quickly. I looked into her throat and didn’t notice anything blocking her airway but did see some white vomit in her throat. Don’t know if that happened before or after death. My other chickens that died did not experience symptoms like this so I guess this is something different. Gapeworm? Could a heatstroke kill that quickly? I don’t believe she was egg bound because she laid yesterday or the day before. I’m not sure if being egg bound kills hens that quickly. So i really don’t know what happened. I’m extremely upset and hopeless. If anyone could provide some insight please do. Thanks

 

[Janetthegannet]

Without actually seeing this chicken I don't think anyone can give a definitive answer. If I have a mystery death I'm lucky enough to have a Vet who will do a post mortem. If you can afford to get a post mortem done on a chicken, ask to be there for it and let the Vet teach you as you go. It's very interesting and I always think that the more you know about how they work, the better you can keep them and spot trouble quickly. Chickens don't make it easy to help them. I big fluffy chicken like a Brahma could well succumb to heatstroke though. If she laid the day before it is clearly nothing you could have spotted and could even have been a congenital heart defect which is not uncommon in pure breeds. I've certainly had this happen in fairly young birds so don't blame yourself - some are stronger than others.

 

[madsnbot]

Without actually seeing this chicken I don't think anyone can give a definitive answer. If I have a mystery death I'm lucky enough to have a Vet who will do a post mortem. If you can afford to get a post mortem done on a chicken, ask to be there for it and let the Vet teach you as you go. It's very interesting and I always think that the more you know about how they work, the better you can keep them and spot trouble quickly. Chickens don't make it easy to help them. I big fluffy chicken like a Brahma could well succumb to heatstroke though. If she laid the day before it is clearly nothing you could have spotted and could even have been a congenital heart defect which is not uncommon in pure breeds. I've certainly had this happen in fairly young birds so don't blame yourself - some are stronger than others.

tyvm. i’m gonna see if there’s any vets around me. i could post some pictures of her, she hasn’t been buried yet. it’s only been about an 40 minutes. Thank you

 

[Janetthegannet]

If you are going to get a PM (my vet says) the fresher the body the better. And if one chicken of a particular breed dies unexpectedly, a post mortem may help you to save another. I know it has helped me. Also, learn all you can about how chickens work - they are SO different to humans! Even their breathing method is different to ours (google is your friend here) , yet often a solution which works for a person may work for a chicken. And never be afraid to ask a "silly question".

 

[ChickNanny13]

Refrigerated until you're able to find someone to do a necropsy.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. What state are you in? Most state vets will perform necropsies/autopsies after death to find a possible cause. I had a few brahmas in my large flock. The buff was hefty, and she would pant often with her wings apart on warm days. Metal rooves, even with very good ventilation, made the coop hot. Shade can help. But with multiple deaths, the necropsy may help to identify something else.