Chicken died, any thoughts on what?

[kmorgan406]

My birds are free range during the day. Everyone seemed fine this morning when I let them out, but this afternoon when I came out, one was dead on the ground by the coop. They are Buff Orpingtons and have been laying for a few months now. No indication that anything was wrong, but I am alarmed that it happened so quickly. I took a pic of her vent, was this the cause?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Things like fatty liver kills quickly. What's their diet like?

Chickens do sometimes just die from no apparent reason, so it's not uncommon.

 

[CHlCKEN]

I’m not able to see the picture right now (something on my end I believe) but could she have been egg bound? That can take a bird in about a day and a half. Symptoms will creep up on you. You may not have noticed if she was lethargic this morning, if egg binding is the case.

can someone explain what the picture shows? In the meantime I’m going to try a different browser. My phone is just not cooperating today!

 

[Eggcessive]

Is there just some blood on her vent? Can you tell us if she had a prolapsed vent or was pecked around her vent or both? Sometimes the cloaca will come outside when a chicken strains or lays an egg. When others see the red they will peck at the tissue, and if other join in their can be injury. Vent pecking can occur alone, and this can lead to injury or cannibalism. Sorry for your loss.

 

[kmorgan406]

Things like fatty liver kills quickly. What's their diet like?

Chickens do sometimes just die from no apparent reason, so it's not uncommon.

They are on Purina Flock Raiser and enjoy some oats/barley/cracked corn as scratch. They also get lots of kitchen scraps of fruits and veggies. They are out all day, so any bugs or grasses are also fair game.

 

[kmorgan406]

I’m not able to see the picture right now (something on my end I believe) but could she have been egg bound? That can take a bird in about a day and a half. Symptoms will creep up on you. You may not have noticed if she was lethargic this morning, if egg binding is the case.

can someone explain what the picture shows? In the meantime I’m going to try a different browser. My phone is just not cooperating today!

I thought they were all laying fine, we are headed into our darker/colder season here in Montana so things have started to slow down. The picture is showing something protruding from her vent, which makes me wonder if an egg was stuck???

 

[kmorgan406]

Is there just some blood on her vent? Can you tell us if she had a prolapsed vent or was pecked around her vent or both? Sometimes the cloaca will come outside when a chicken strains or lays an egg. When others see the red they will peck at the tissue, and if other join in their can be injury. Vent pecking can occur alone, and this can lead to injury or cannibalism. Sorry for your loss.

I found her laying on the ground, so her vent was protected by her feathers but I am wondering if something was protruding from her vent. This is my first year with chickens so I am still learning all about them!

 

[CHlCKEN]

I found her laying on the ground, so her vent was protected by her feathers but I am wondering if something was protruding from her vent. This is my first year with chickens so I am still learning all about them!

I’m sorry you lost her! Your first year is never easy, your still lesrning so much and many things can come up naturally that you weren’t prepared for. I lost two in my first year. The first, had Sour Crop. Despite treatments she never laid an egg and recovery never came as she was killed a week into treatment by a hawk. Don’t feel discouraged if these things happen, you can’t always prepare for everything and you can’t possibly be aware of all the issues that can occur. Most times, it’s not your fault, many illnesses, and injuries can happen even if it isn’t your fault.