Chicken died suddenly. Need advice!!

[Hogan14]

I had two hens since they were chicks and I loved them both dearly. I visit with them everyday and they both seemed to be happy healthy chickens. When I went outside to visit them yesterday, I found my girl Helen dead. Still devastated. My husband and I can only assume she died of a heart attack because just the day before she was acting her normal self. Now I’m in a dilemma because my other hen Margret is alone. She heavily relied on Helen for confidence and I can’t bare the thought of her being alone. Here’s where it gets tricky. I want to get her a new friend but I know your supposed the quarantine them for a month. Do I have to do this because she will be alone for a whole month! Ugh. Then I was thinking if I have to quarantine an adult hen, maybe I should get a chick and wait till it was about 6 weeks old so to introduce? But I live in Alberta, Canada and I have slim pickings because it’s not chick season. I’m even having a hard time finding another adult hen for her!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

First of all, I would add at least 2. If one dies, you won't be right back in the same situation. Quarantine is very important but some bite the bullet and gamble.
You can add a mirror for your lone bird till you figure out what you're going to do.

 

[Welshies]

Hello! Another albertan!
I think you should look for an adult bird and introduce it to your girl. She is super lonely, an although normally you would quarantine, this is not a regular case.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Agreed! I would try to find a few hens, and maybe skip the quarantine. Instead, I would do a careful health inspection of the new comers. Check for normal things like clear eyes, no discharge from nostrils, clean vent, red comb & wattles, etc.

So sorry for your loss of your little one. I had a SLW that seemed as healthy as could be, and dropped dead for no apparent reason. She had even laid an egg earlier that day. Sometimes, weird things just happen.

 

[Welshies]

Agreed! I would try to find a few hens, and maybe skip the quarantine. Instead, I would do a careful health inspection of the new comers. Check for normal things like clear eyes, no discharge from nostrils, clean vent, red comb & wattles, etc.

So sorry for your loss of your little one. I had a SLW that seemed as healthy as could be, and dropped dead for no apparent reason. She had even laid an egg earlier that day. Sometimes, weird things just happen.

Agreed, but note: Chickens not laying (under 16 weeks) have a small comb and wattles that are pale pink.

 

[sourland]

Excellent advice from Chicken Canoe.

 

[Hogan14]

Thank you everyone for the quick replies and advice. Yes I will look for 2 more for her good idea. I found some 1 year old hens on Kijiji that’s about all I could find remotely close to where I live. I will contact them and see if I can go see the hens today.

Now do you think it will be okay to put them in Margrets coop right away? Ive never introduced adult chickens and don’t know what to expect.

 

[sourland]

There will be some squabbling. As the 'home team' she should have the advantage. Is there the option of separating the coop into two parts if necessary ?

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

There will be some squabbling. As the 'home team' she should have the advantage. Is there the option of separating the coop into two parts if necessary ?

Agreed. The "Look, but don't touch" method is the best way for integration, and usually you only need to do this for 2-3 days. A big wire dog crate works well for this, or even some poultry wire fencing, if your coop is large enough.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As sourland said, if the lone bird (or lesser number) is the home team, they won't be as much at a disadvantage if bringing in a larger number due to their familiarity with the surroundings..
Also, a lone bird will more likely accept new friends, even young birds than they would if there were several home team birds.

As for what killed your bird, there are many things that can cause sudden death. Heart attack was one thought. I've lost 3 roosters to heart attacks but never a hen - go figure.
Sometimes a bird can hit its head jumping up to roost and break its neck.
Another idea was visceral gout, usually from excess dietary calcium (birds on layer feed but not building egg shells).
Fairly common possibilities are Marek's, colibacillosis and campylobacteriosis.
There are lots of other less common to very rare things. Among those are fatty liver syndrome and botulism.