Dead Chicken...What is the cause?

[Wheeler Farms Chickens]

I had a chicken die on me today. We had temps of 106. I had ice in their water and they were all panting. This one died next to a Tonka Truck that I use for a nest. Earlier I thought she was just "waiting in line", but I went back in this evening and found her dead. I am guessing it was the heat. Is that why the discoloration of the comb etc?

 

[HEChicken]

Honestly, I've never seen a heat death myself so I'm not sure what they look like, but that would be my first guess. I am so sorry for your loss. Although there is ice in the water, even more important is that they have places they can get out of the heat. For example, a place in the shade where they can dig into the ground and wait out the hottest part of the day. And, because the sun moves and therefore different areas will be hotter at different times of the day, they really need multiple locations so they can choose the best place to be at any given time. Our temps are been around 110 the past few days (111 at one point today) and I haven't put ice in the water, but because they have plenty of space to move around and get out of the heat, none has looked particularly heat stressed yet.

Several people I know have bought misters to set up and keep a certain area cool. I guess the misters make about a 20-degree difference in temperature. Is setting up something like a possibility to prevent more losses?

 

[jrsno1fan]

I lost a hen today as well and it wasn't near as hot as that. Maybe in the hi 80s or 90. My husband found her and buried her before I got home so I didn't get to see what she looked like AD. My coop has plenty of shade and I added an extra water feeder inside the hen house out of the sun. I also added some electrolytes because their egg production had slowed down. I figured it was because it was hot. I'm really just as shocked as I guess you are and I hope that it was an isolated death and not anything more then heat.

So sorry for your loss, I hope you don't have any others.

 

[Cark]

I don't think it was from the heat.. Their combs turn color fast after they die. Unfortunately, today I had my first chicken ever die on me. I just got chickens about a month ago.. I was cleaning the coop when suddenly one of my chickens fell over and died right in front of me today! It was the strangest thing I have ever seen... all the other chickens gathered around it and were trying to wake it up.
It was just a matter of minutes the comb started turning blue/purple after it died.

I'm unsure why my chicken died either... I would guess it was a heart attack or organ failure. I think she was a few years old and a good sized barred rock chicken.