Chicken became ill and died within an hour.

[Cluck456]

I am new to keeping chickens. I have 4 pekin bantams that are only just over a year old. Yesterday they all came out in the morning as normal. I went to them in the afternoon, as I do everyday, to give them their corn and sunflower hearts and noticed my lavender was sat on the run floor. I picked her up and she didn’t seem to want to use her legs and just sat there letting me tip her on her side whilst I tried to examine her. She also had her beak open but I couldn’t hear any rattling or wheezing and her face and wattle were very pale and her pupils seemed very big and she started to close her eyes. I popped her in the coop in a nest box and started to try researching what it could be. I thought she could possibly be egg bound so I went down to get her to try bathing her vent and she had moved into the middle of the coop and had died with her head forward and tucked under. I am absolutely gutted because she was my favourite and was the most friendly. I couldn’t feel an egg inside her after she died and I examined her and her crop was empty. I am worried about my remaining 3 in case it’s some sort of illness she had. One of my others has slight feather loss around her neck and one has feather loss on her neck and is quite bald down her front but my poor lady that passed and the remaining chicken had no feather loss at all. Sorry for so much info I am just trying to get it all in here. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you

 

[sourland]

sorry for the circumstances, Not certain what happened with your hen, but generally sudden death with no previous symptoms is not from an infectious agent. Good luck with the rest of your flock.

 

[ChicNmom]

It's hard to know how long they have been feeling off because they hide it. I would keep an eye on the others. Check crops in evening and early morning. Sometimes the slightest difference in behavior can be a clue. It could be something simple as one that is usually the last to get on the roost at night suddenly goes in early. That was the only sign I had for 2 that I lost out of my first group. Now I pay attention to any off action JIC.

So sorry about your girl. I hate it when I lose a favorite.

 

[restinpeacenyla]

do you have any other family members or people that could have accidentally harmed her? I had a chick that a little one got a hold of and it died within 30minutes.

 

[Mellowmalt]

sorry to hear. Was she eating and drinking the previous day as far as you know?
What are you feeding them?

 

[Cluck456]

sorry for the circumstances, Not certain what happened with your hen, but generally sudden death with no previous symptoms is not from an infectious agent. Good luck with the rest of your flock

sorry for the circumstances, Not certain what happened with your hen, but generally sudden death with no previous symptoms is not from an infectious agent. Good luck with the rest of your flock.

Thank you. I feel so bad like I should have noticed something earlier but she showed no signs. Hopefully my remaining 3 will be ok then and it’s nothing contagious. Thank you

 

[Cluck456]

sorry for the circumstances, Not certain what happened with your hen, but generally sudden death with no previous symptoms is not from an infectious agent. Good luck with the rest of your flock.

Thank you. I feel so bad like I should have noticed something sooner but she showed no signs. Thank you

 

[Cluck456]

It's hard to know how long they have been feeling off because they hide it. I would keep an eye on the others. Check crops in evening and early morning. Sometimes the slightest difference in behavior can be a clue. It could be something simple as one that is usually the last to get on the roost at night suddenly goes in early. That was the only sign I had for 2 that I lost out of my first group. Now I pay attention to any off action JIC.

So sorry about your girl. I hate it when I lose a favorite.

Thank you I will check them all each morning and evening. I will keep a very close eye on them for anything different. As soon as I went in to give them their afternoon corn and sunflower hearts I noticed she wasn’t right but I will keep an even closer eye on them. Thank you for your advice.
I just feel gutted and that I should have picked up on something sooner.

 

[Cluck456]

do you have any other family members or people that could have accidentally harmed her? I had a chick that a little one got a hold of and it died within 30minutes.

No literally just me and my partner, no children or anything that could have harmed her and they are in a secure run.

 

[Cluck456]

sorry to hear. Was she eating and drinking the previous day as far as you know?
What are you feeding them?

I am gutted to be honest. As far as I know she was, I can’t say I saw her eating or drinking the day before though to be honest, other than the usual crazy rush they all do for the afternoon corn and sunflower hearts. I am feeding Allen and Page small holder layers pellets, they always have access to grit and every afternoon they have a good couple of handfuls of mixed corn and sunflower hearts. I do give them broccoli stalk when I have one which so once/twice a week and they also had some spring greens that I hung from the run roof end of last week. I haven’t noticed any ‘bad poos’ had some large ones like broody poo but none that looked ‘strange’. I just feel so bad like I did something wrong or I should have noticed she wasn’t right sooner, was just so quick.