Chicken's Dying a Week a Part

[BarefootHomesteader]

Hi Everyone,

I'm sure this has been asked before but I am at a complete loss. Last week I lost one of my beautiful Golden Comet Chicken. She had no injuries as far as I could tell and was completely fine that morning. At first, I thought she was just taking a dust bath as she was in one of her favorite spots but as I got closer I realized she was dead. The same thing happened with my Golden Laced Wyandotte today. It looked like she was taking a dust bath but she coughed a little, shook her feathers like she was taking a bath and then she was dead. From what I can tell neither was egg bound and they looked completely healthy. Feathers were beautiful and clean, no injuries and they were both at healthy weights and both were purchased at the same time about a year and a half ago.

Does anyone have any ideas on what could cause these deaths? I am so lost and don't want to continue burying a chicken every week as these are pets more than anything...

 

[Eggcessive]

If you still have the body, and can refrigerate it—don’t freeze—double bagged in trash bags, you can contact your state vet for a necropsy. Being a Friday, it may be too late to send it overnight shipping, since most labs are M-F. That is the best way to find a cause of death.

Golden comets can have reproductive disorders, since they are such good layers. If you are up to it, you can open the abdomen, and do a home necropsy to look at her abdominal organs for anything obvious. Here is a link to help with a necropsy:
https://vet.uga.edu/oldvpp/programs/afvet/attachments/how_to_necropsy_a_bird.pdf

Were they 1 1/2 years old or were they grown when you bought them? You could think about worming your chickens, or get some combined droppings checked by a vet for parasites. It may have been a coincidence if they were acting healthy. Sorry for your loss.