Chicken went from healthy to dead in 24 hours

[Bbang1015]

Silver laced Wyandotte less than a year old came out of coop and was healthy and eating in the morning around 6:00 am, even laid a normal egg that morning. Around 9:00 am she started acting lethargic and went down hill from there and was found dead at 5:00 am the next morning with a tad bit of blood coming out of her beak.
Pulsating vent, clear runny poop, heavy breathing, hunched over, puffy feathers, comb and wattles going back and forth from bright red to pale, not eating, didn't want to go in coop at night.
No mites, laid an egg that day, no apparent physical injury, don't see any signs of worms in poop, fresh water daily, along with a good layer feed, and few kitchens scrapes such as fresh veggies and fruit, not free range.
All other chickens seems to be healthy and happy, laying, eating and acting normal. Any thoughts on what could have happened to her?

 

[Yardmom]

Could something from the chicken scrapes have gotten caught in her crop?

 

[Bbang1015]

Could something from the chicken scrapes have gotten caught in her crop?

Anything is possible, they were given lettuce that morning. Did not see if she ate any. Did see her eat and drink that morning and then she was drinking some that night.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Anything is possible, they were given lettuce that morning. Did not see if she ate any. Did see her eat and drink that morning and then she was drinking some that night.

So sorry for your loss. I had a duck years ago that was in perfect health, not a mark on his body and young yet laid dead in the pen. The only thing that I think might have killed him is if the other drake I had, his brother, grabbed him by the neck and killed him. Still not a mark on him though and I will never know for sure what happened to him.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

So sorry…seems fast. are there any insecticides or other poisons around? Any possible contaminants, spills from vehicles or engines? Any rodent carcass that was killed by poison that she could have eaten?

 

[FunClucks]

I'm so sorry you lost your hen! Sounds like she got ahold of something. Could have been something stuck in her crop, could have been something else. Without an autopsy it's hard to tell.

If this happens again, consider refrigerating your bird and sending her for an autopsy to your nearest state lab.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[Luv Ducks]

So sorry…seems fast. are there any insecticides or other poisons around? Any possible contaminants, spills from vehicles or engines? Any rodent carcass that was killed by poison that she could have eaten?

Since she was not free ranged just like my Duck was not it was probably not killed by something it should not have been able to get into. I hate it when we lose one and don't know why.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I'm so sorry you lost your hen! Sounds like she got ahold of something. Could have been something stuck in her crop, could have been something else. Without an autopsy it's hard to tell.

If this happens again, consider refrigerating your bird and sending her for an autopsy to your nearest state lab.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Thank you for Metzer's site for this. My lab is only a few miles from my house so now I will know if I should ever lose another duck mysteriously.

 

[Bbang1015]

So sorry…seems fast. are there any insecticides or other poisons around? Any possible contaminants, spills from vehicles or engines? Any rodent carcass that was killed by poison that she could have eaten?

no poison or insecticides are used, no vehicles are near the area. We have seen no dead animals around the yard or near them.

 

[Bbang1015]

Since she was not free ranged just like my Duck was not it was probably not killed by something it should not have been able to get into. I hate it when we lose one and don't know why.

It's a hard thing to deal with..