Dead chicken, but why?

[mrsHinWI]

Our red rangers are 12 weeks old yesterday, they weigh maybe 6-7 lbs (they exceed my scale so I can't get an exact weight now). This morning one bird ran out of the coop and collapsed on the ground, then began flipping itself backwards. I took it out away from the other birds, put it in the shade, offered it some water (which it did not drink) and tried to dampen its legs and comb in case it was too hot. The comb was purple and the bird struggling to breathe. It died in about 20 min.

I decided to do a post-mortem exam (I was a food animal veterinarian prior to having children, but my experience is mostly with bovine and porcine species). The only unusual finding (in the body cavity) was that his intestine especially right below the gizzard, was reddish purple, thin-walled (moreso than the rest of the intestine) with dialated blood vessels. He had normal looking poop in the intestine below that area, and normal looking contents above it, including in the crop.

So my question is this; what could cause that portion of intestine to look like that in a chicken? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

A bit more about the history- about a week ago, we switched from a ration containing 23% protein, a mixture of fermented whole grains and fishmeal (that we mixed ourselves after fermentation), to a fermented grain diet, which calculates to about 12%+ protein post fermentation. They pasture and we needed to try to pack a bit more onto them before processing, without the expense of more fishmeal. They have grit, receive a vitamin supplement via the water and also get a variety of fresh veggies and garden plants daily as they live on farm where many families garden (they get the waste- lately a large number of pea plants). All the rest of the chickens appear normal. Upon speaking to the other family we are partnering with (who care for the birds in the evening), one bird appeared sluggish and atypical last night, but went into the coop normally. There had been nothing noticable yesterday morning.

 

[junebuggena]

The purple comb indicates a heart problem of some sort. By the way, 12% protein is way too low. Even most adult birds need at least 16%. If you're trying to get them to gain weight, cutting back on protein intake will be counter-productive.

 

[mrsHinWI]

Thanks Junebuggena, I initially thought I'd find something wrong with the heart- but it looked fine. I suspect it was purple in the end because the bird was dying, and in circulatory collapse or shock at that point. But I'm not a poultry expert. The heart was uniform in appearance, maybe a bit darker in color than a bovine or porcine heart, but uniform, smooth, no fluid around it, normal colored fat.

 

[donrae]

I don't know if chickens can get a twisted intestine? That was my first thought, but horses are my background......or maybe a congenital defect in the intestines that didn't become noticeable until a certain weight.

Either way, it sounds like "one of those things", not anything related to feed or management style so I wouldn't stress it too much as long as the rest of the flock seem healthy.

don't suppose you took pics?

 

[mrsHinWI]

I really couldn't take photos...no camera with me as we keep the chickens at a farm, not at our home, and I had an old kitchen knife and my 3 small childen. It was rudimentary. I did speak with some university poultry experts and the pathologist at the vet diagnostic lab. They all thought heart attack (like you said, Junebuggena!). They all thought the intestinal lessions to be within normal limits for poultry. I was surprised. They thought the bird suffered heat exhaustion yesterday, rested during the night but wasn't ok and ran out of the coop this morning to suffer a heart attack. Told me I may not find gross lessions. So it doesn't sound like we are looking at an epidemic or some massive management issue. We plan to move the fencing so they are more shaded, and get another waterer.

Thanks for the input folks!