Dead chicken

[kstan2222]

We had a raccoon come in our yard and hurt two chickens. One has a tear in the crown, the other one lost her crown all together. I put them in a separate coop and put antibiotics in their water. They are doing fine. The raccoon got into our big coop and killed two chickens. I have a cinder block on the nesting box so it can't get in. So its been several days and no sign of the raccoon. Surviving chickens seemed to be doing fine.

This morning our chicken Dim Sum was let out of the coop. She was fine. The girls were out playing several hours ago and she was fine. Then my daughter came and brought the chicken to me. She could not stand on her own, her eyes were half shut. She was open and closing her mouth. We separated her thinking maybe she was sick. 15 minutes later she tried to walk up the ramp in the coop, fell back and died. I examined her and discovered she had a bloody area on her wing that looks old.

So I'm wondering what she could have died from so quickly. Or if you think maybe she was injured and I just didn't catch it. She had been running around the yard, eating and drinking. She seemed like she was fine up until about an hour or so before she died. Could this be an illness?

Thanks
Kathy

 

[CMV]

"Fell back and died" sounds like flip. It is a heart related issue that has no warning but is fatal. Basically, it means your chicken had a heart attack. It is more common in males than females, but happens in both genders. It is more common in certain breeds (CXs are notorious for flipping over and dying), but happens in all breeds. It has few or no warning signs, but poultry keepers that have seen it first hand say the chicken sometimes appear to have some sort of seizure just before perishing. It is always fatal. And there is absolutely nothing that can be done about it.

I am sorry for your loss.

Keep an eye on the rest of the flock, but it is likely that the problem was just with Dim Sum. I think the rest of your flock will be fine.

Good luck.