Chicken suddenly died.

[MndaG]

On Friday morning I opened the coop for the girls to go in their run like every morning and all six of the girls seemed fine. They were all eating and their activity was normal. I had something I needs to do for church and my husband didn't get home till late that night 12ish and he went to close the coop. It seemed that all the girls were in for the night. And when I went to let them out Saturday morning I noticed there was only five. It turns out one had passed away earlier before it got dark. I found her in a corner of the run. She didn't have any marks that she was a attacked or pecked from the other chickens. I wasn't sure if anybody has any ideas what could of caused this to happen. Also when I checked on the girls before I left for work one of the chickens combs is looking pale and I'm concerned she may pass away as well. She was acting fine when I left for work. She ate when she came out of the coop and was being very active. On a side note they have all been laying their eggs. Occasionally I'll get five eggs instead of six.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

How old are your hens and what breed?

 

[MndaG]

How old are your hens and what breed?

They are only 23 weeks old, and are white Leghorns

 

[townchicks]

I'm sorry for your loss. Welcome to the flock. It can be very hard sometimes to determine what happened, when it is sudden like that. The best course is to send the chicken out to your state lab for a necropsy, if you lose another, you might want to do that. Refrigerate, do not freeze, the body. Meanwhile, look for clues like diarrhea, watch to see if they are all eating well, check for mites or lice. Was it really hot that day? Heat can take a chicken out in a day. Check their body weight, did the deceased hen seem thin? If possible, have a vet check a fecal sample for worms. Sometimes, you just never do find out.

 

[rebrascora]

I'm sorry to read that you lost one of your chickens, especially when she was so young.
What do you feed them including treats?
There are a number of possibilities and we can only guess at the cause. A necropsy would be the only way to pin point what happened. This service is usually available at your state agricultural or veterinary diagnostics lab and is often subsidised due to chickens being part of the food chain, so it may not be as expensive as some people expect.... worth enquiring if you lose another. The carcass needs to be double bagged and refrigerated (not frozen) until you can send it off or deliver it in person to the lab. Or if you are not squeamish it is often possible, even without veterinary training, to identify a cause of death in many cases if you open them up yourself. If you opt for this latter option, taking photos and sharing them here on BYC where we can see them and discuss any abnormalities will usually result in a consensus of opinion as to what went wrong.

The reason I ask about diet is that a dietary imbalance can lead to an ailment called Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome which can cause sudden death, where the liver suddenly ruptures. It is less likely to occur in leghorns I believe than heavier breeds but is still possible.

 

[Eggcessive]

It seems that a lot of sudden deaths seem to occur near the point of maturity. Egg binding, heart failure, or other problems may be possible. Have a look at droppings and look them over for mites or lice, and consider getting a fecal test on some combined fresh droppings from a local vet. There are also online worm and parasite tests available on Amazon and elesewhere. Sorry for your loss.

 

[MndaG]

I'm sorry to read that you lost one of your chickens, especially when she was so young.
What do you feed them including treats?
There are a number of possibilities and we can only guess at the cause. A necropsy would be the only way to pin point what happened. This service is usually available at your state agricultural or veterinary diagnostics lab and is often subsidised due to chickens being part of the food chain, so it may not be as expensive as some people expect.... worth enquiring if you lose another. The carcass needs to be double bagged and refrigerated (not frozen) until you can send it off or deliver it in person to the lab. Or if you are not squeamish it is often possible, even without veterinary training, to identify a cause of death in many cases if you open them up yourself. If you opt for this latter option, taking photos and sharing them here on BYC where we can see them and discuss any abnormalities will usually result in a consensus of opinion as to what went wrong.

The reason I ask about diet is that a dietary imbalance can lead to an ailment called Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome which can cause sudden death, where the liver suddenly ruptures. It is less likely to occur in leghorns I believe than heavier breeds but is still possible.

They eat the layer crumble from Dumor, I mix in oyster shells and grit into their food(same brand). When I let them free range when I get home ( 1hr with me being out there) I let them have scratch, and they sometimes will have some watermelon or grapes that have been cut or leftover veggies. And sometimes bread when they are really giving me a hard time about going back into their run for the night before it gets too dark.

 

[MndaG]

I'm sorry for your loss. Welcome to the flock. It can be very hard sometimes to determine what happened, when it is sudden like that. The best course is to send the chicken out to your state lab for a necropsy, if you lose another, you might want to do that. Refrigerate, do not freeze, the body. Meanwhile, look for clues like diarrhea, watch to see if they are all eating well, check for mites or lice. Was it really hot that day? Heat can take a chicken out in a day. Check their body weight, did the deceased hen seem thin? If possible, have a vet check a fecal sample for worms. Sometimes, you just never do find out.

The temp was in the lower 70's during the day and probably mid to lower 60's that night. I live in NH so the temp here still changes from cool to warm in Sept.

 

[rebrascora]

It is not a good idea to mix oyster shell or grit into their feed. Depending on the type of feeder, they could end up getting more than is good for them or they will be temped to bill it out to get to their food which can lead to spilt food and waste. Providing oyster shell and grit in separate containers is a safer way to offer it and they will take it when they need it. Too much calcium can cause as many problems as too little and the layer feed is already incorporated into the layer feed.
Scratch, corn and bread are probably the most common causes of dietary imbalance and need to be very carefully rationed, particularly if birds don't free range all the time. These treats are high in carbohydrates that are easily converted to fat by the body, particularly at night when they not burning off calories. The fat can become impregnated in the liver as well as depositing in thick layers in the abdomen and around the other organs. The liver becomes greasy and the structure starts to break down and then one day, perhaps when the bird is straining to pass an egg or under some stress, the liver ruptures and the bird haemorrhages internally.

I'm not saying this has happened, because I don't know without seeing inside her, but it is one of the commonest causes of sudden death (death with no obvious prior symptoms)in chickens.

 

[MndaG]

It is not a good idea to mix oyster shell or grit into their feed. Depending on the type of feeder, they could end up getting more than is good for them or they will be temped to bill it out to get to their food which can lead to spilt food and waste. Providing oyster shell and grit in separate containers is a safer way to offer it and they will take it when they need it. Too much calcium can cause as many problems as too little and the layer feed is already incorporated into the layer feed.
Scratch, corn and bread are probably the most common causes of dietary imbalance and need to be very carefully rationed, particularly if birds don't free range all the time. These treats are high in carbohydrates that are easily converted to fat by the body, particularly at night when they not burning off calories. The fat can become impregnated in the liver as well as depositing in thick layers in the abdomen and around the other organs. The liver becomes greasy and the structure starts to break down and then one day, perhaps when the bird is straining to pass an egg or under some stress, the liver ruptures and the bird haemorrhages internally.

I'm not saying this has happened, because I don't know without seeing inside her, but it is one of the commonest causes of sudden death (death with no obvious prior symptoms)in chickens.

Thank you, I've mixed them together usually in the feed because the back of the bag said that you could mix it into the feed. I still have the feeder I used when they were younger. I'll fill that up with them, can I mix the grit and oyster shells together?