Cockerel Dead at 9 weeks

[LibbyR]

I came home tonight to find one of my roaster cockerels dead. He was fine when I checked them last which was around 5:30 and then when I found him dead it was about 9. Does this sound like a heart attack or heat exhaustion. I have a fan going in the pen and fresh water with good shade but it’s been so hot here in Wyoming. 95 today. Would just like to know if it sounds like a heart attack or something else. I did expect to lose one or two but just want to be sure as I have fair in three weeks.

 

[RenegadeSkate3]

Does the coop have good ventilation?(I’m completely new to chicken stuff(don’t actually own any... but I’ve seen enough posts to know that’s one of the many problems?)) hope it help -sincerely inexperienced one...

 

[Peppercorngal]

No, it does not sound like it was from heat. I guess your heat is different than ours, because of humidity, but today it was 105 degrees here. I saw my flock returning to the coop tonight and took a photo, these are some hot birds. It's 92 degrees at 9:15pm. Did you feed a lot of corn to the rooster growing up? Corn is a bad "fat inducing" product for chickens, not good at all. It could have been hereditary reasons, or something else. I doubt it was heat but I'm not an expert. So sorry for your loss, it's hard to loose a chicken that you raised. Good luck with the rest of your flock!

 

[RenegadeSkate3]

No, it does not sound like it was from heat. I guess your heat is different than ours, because of humidity, but today it was 105 degrees here. I saw my flock returning to the coop tonight and took a photo, these are some hot birds. It's 92 degrees at 9:15pm. Did you feed a lot of corn to the rooster growing up? Corn is a bad "fat inducing" product for chickens, not good at all. It could have been hereditary reasons, or something else. I doubt it was heat but I'm not an expert. So sorry for your loss, it's hard to loose a chicken that you raised. Good luck with the rest of your flock!


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WTH? I love never seen chickens perched like gargoyles before.... the more you know, coolio

 

[LibbyR]

No, it does not sound like it was from heat. I guess your heat is different than ours, because of humidity, but today it was 105 degrees here. I saw my flock returning to the coop tonight and took a photo, these are some hot birds. It's 92 degrees at 9:15pm. Did you feed a lot of corn to the rooster growing up? Corn is a bad "fat inducing" product for chickens, not good at all. It could have been hereditary reasons, or something else. I doubt it was heat but I'm not an expert. So sorry for your loss, it's hard to loose a chicken that you raised. Good luck with the rest of your flock!


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It’s really not sad for me as I expected it but I just would like to make sure the rest don’t succumb. I fed them commercial feed throughout their whole life. It was 18% Med Chick starter until about 4-5 weeks and then it was switched to 22% meatbird feed until that ran out and I had to buy 20% flock raiser and now that’s what they eat. I fill the tray twice a day. But I did notice some of the cockerels had crops that looked funny.

 

[LibbyR]

Does the coop have good ventilation?(I’m completely new to chicken stuff(don’t actually own any... but I’ve seen enough posts to know that’s one of the many problems?)) hope it help -sincerely inexperienced one...

It is a shed with a pen for them to roost in and then they can come out in the yard. I have a fan on there to just add more circulation. I need to make them some more shade possibly.

 

[Maeschak]

Sometimes they just die unexpectedly. I had some hefty DP birds that looked as healthy and strong as little horses- I was growing them out to eat them (excess cockerels) and one just plain fell off the roost dead one evening.
There were about 12-13 of them and there were no signs of any trouble. (I believe they were around 12-15 weeks old). The rest were just fine and had very healthy innards so I chalk it up to the famous ' known chicken death' scenario. I've read tons of times that it happens but it's still shocking when it happens to you. Don't get me wrong, there is a reason for the death, just nothing I/we can diagnose without a good autopsy and lab most likely.
So sorry about your loss.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Was it a Cornish cross cockerel?

 

[LibbyR]

Was it a Cornish cross cockerel?

Yup.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Yup.

In that case, they have a reputation of having heart attacks, flipping over and suddenly dying. I lost a couple to heart attacks with no other visible symptoms and I have lost 2 to ascites (yellow fluid buildup in the body cavities which increases blood pressure and decreases blood oxygen levels. This causes a lot of strain on the heart and lungs and eventually the right ventricle blows out. A tell-tale sign is the comb, waddle and skin going purple).