Dead chicken...how?!?

[enola]

What was his body condition? Had he lost a lot of weight? Is there poop on his butt feathers?

I am sorry he passed away.

 

[wallace707]

Seemed great, he was just crowing away yesterday morning or day before. Seemed completely normal

 

[wallace707]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7210803/width/200/height/400[/IMG

This was 2 days ago...

 

[enola]

Did you check his body condition? I mean actually pick him up to see what is under his feathers?

 

[wallace707]

By the time I got all this advice he was so stiff and I don't really know what his body condition was or should be.... We have only had chickens since July and this is 3rd set of young ones, others are all outside in coops now, and I haven't encountered one just dying out of blue. So pretty upsetting as these are pets too and no idea what happened. I've been watching the others and my older ones all day, like literally that's all ive done... Neglected my two kids and other fur babies for CHICKENS, that I've become way too attached to!!

 

[MeepBeep]

Only thing different was I put two small pieces of banana in (which now I know they aren't supposed to have soft food)

Sorry about your lose but whomever informed you chickens can't have soft food is completely wrong on all levels... Commercial feeds are dry and hard because they want a longer shelf life and cheaper transportation cost it's not for dietary reasons...

I regularly feed my chickens bananas in copious amounts (by the 5 gallon bucket full) along with many other 'soft' fresh items in the wild or free range they would be eating mostly soft items...

 

[wallace707]

Glad to know it wasn't bananas!! Though I don't think he ate any anyways..... Thankful other 5 chickens seem OK but just wish I knew what happened

.... The two silkies that I got with him ALWSYS cuddled up to and over him it seemed at times... Could he have gotten over heated or squashed? But they have slept that way since I got them at 6 days old.....

 

[MeepBeep]

Could he have gotten over heated or squashed?

If were piling on each other yes he could have been squashed and suffocated at the bottom of a pile, I have lost a few birds due to multiple birds feeling the need to go broody in the same nesting box and the same time the result being a suffocated bird on the bottom...

 

[wallace707]

That just breaks my heart. Why wouldn't he have gotten out.... The others are about same size but a little lighter I think. They always slept like that.

 

[MeepBeep]

That just breaks my heart. Why wouldn't he have gotten out.... The others are about same size but a little lighter I think. They always slept like that.

I'm not saying that is what happened, just that it is one possibility as I have seen it happen usually with younger birds when they are cold but as I said I have experienced it with adult birds as well...