Bald belly

[carladababe]

My Black Jersey Giant just died in my arms. No trauma, no runny nose/eyes, but has a bald belly. She looked perfectly healthy yesterday, running around eating, drinking water, no different than any other day. Is the bald belly an indication of anything? My whole flock was wormed over a month ago. When I found her in the garden she wasn't able to stand or hold her head up. I immediately thought egg bound, so I placed her in a warm tub of water and gently checked for a egg, none. I read that chickens can live 8-10 years and after all raising them isn't rocket science. What could it be?

 

[carladababe]

Anyone?

 

[PoultryPedia]

Bald belly could be from her recently going broody.

Not sure what would have caused her overall problems. There is a page on Internal Fungal Conditions on my site that may or may not give some clues, or at least be useful for possible future situations.

Chickens are very fragile & can live a long time, but their consititution isn't as strong as pets such as dogs & cats. I think that's why they have as high a reproduction rate as they do.

So very sorry for your loss.

 

[carladababe]

Thank you for the information, lots to read, and for the kind response. Her death was totally unexpected, no signs of illness. I feel I must be either doing something wrong or not doing enough. It's a good time of year to clear out the coop and run, scrub, and replace with fresh. I work hard to keep my girls healthy and comfortable, hopefully this will be the last death until they are very old.