can they break their own neck?

[faykokoWV]

I found my EE chicken dead in the run this evening. No sign of illness prior to this at all. She was laying right outside of the pop door. She was stiff as a board except for her neck which was very floppy. I'm wondering if she could have broke her neck if there was a couple of them charging in or out of the coop at the same time.

 

[Country4ever]

Look like its happened to alot of our chickens!

I have had several totally healthy hens who I found dead, lying on the floor of the coop. I'm pretty sure they jumped off the roost and hit something.

I've learned to move the feeder and the waterer out of the way of their "flyway", coming off the roost.

Their necks are so fragile! Sometimes I worry about breaking them when I'm trying to put medicine down their throats.
Its always hard losing one.......especially when they were so healthy right before they died.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I have read about chickens who have flown off the roost into the door and broken their necks. Also of chickens who run into a solid object (like a fence/wall) and break their necks.

sorry about your girl

 

[Chicken Obssessed]

I had a hen that ran under the raised coop, jumped up and knocked itself out. Fortunately it recovered, but it was out for a few minutes.

 

[abluechipstock]

i had a pheasant break his neck like that

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

I lost a small pullet last fall to a broken neck. She flew across the coop and hit the wall. I was just outside when I heard the thud and the god awfullest screaming from her. When I picked her up I knew immediately what she had done. There was no hope, so I put her out of her misery.

 

[Chicken Nut]

Can a chicken break its own neck? My large Brahma, a healthy, egg layer, was dead under the coop this morning. The girls were all feeding on one side of the coop and I spred a little more food on the other side for the ones not getting a fare share. In the made dash under the coop, "Janie" forgot to duck and hit the steel frame of the coop. Later in the day one of the Buff Orpingtons took off in flight and had a crash landing. She rolled down through the yard, got up dazed, but wondered off. Anything can happen in a backyard full of chickens!

 

[casportpony]

If you're in the US you should send her off for a necropsy, many states do them for free.

-Kathy

 

[chickenmama22]

My polish rooster broke his neck this afternoon. I fed him, went to catch a mean rooster 2 coops over, heard a lot of squalking, then went back to the polish coop holding the mean rooster and the hose. The roo was dead. I think the noise of catching the mean rooster freaked him out and he hit the ceiling. Unbelievable! Looking for a new tolbunt roo in NJ!

 

[centrarchid]

I have had an American Game break neck trying to fly through a woven wire fence at what looked like 35 mph. Had another flying much slower get bell rung by trying to go at level flight speeds through a window. Window was broken.

You still need to be open to possibility that a visitor was involved.