Hey everyone, I had a Light Brahma hen that just died this morning. It was very sudden, and I'm a bit bewildered. Could anyone help narrow down what happened to her or give any advice? I'll be writing what I observed, and will be posted a picture shortly.
Background information: She's a rescued chicken from an overcrowding incident. The owner who surrendered her claims that she was bought as a chick last year, making her ~1 year old. I've had her since the day after this year's Easter. She always had a weird gait, especially when running; she would kind of hobble. She also tended to sit on occasion away from the rest of the flock. This wasn't sun bathing, but she'd sit on her side in the shade. She had a tendency to rub her butt on the ground when she pooped, it was weird. She never roosted, she always sits on the ground to sleep instead of perching despite encouraged otherwise and having the space to. She never had bumblefoot, was promptly dewormed with Panacur the week after I took her in, and her leg never had any visible issues.
Yesterday: She was sitting underneath our main coop and not coming out, I thought nothing of it, as it was a hot day. She didn't want to join the rest of the flock in free-range or in getting vegetable scraps. She did however navigate back to her smaller coop that she sleeps in, so she still could've walked.
~9 AM this morning: I let her out of her coop a bit later, it was a warm morning. Her two flock mates immediately shoved their ways out of the coop, but she flapped around outside the door and eventually settled down. I carried her around for a bit, and even set her down. I noticed her legs were weak, but not paralyzed. She wasn't able to walk or even stand. I had to go to a meeting for my job at 10:15 so I put her by herself with food and water right beside her and left her, I didn't think much of her condition and would examine her when I got back home.
11:50 this morning: I come home and she's dead in the corner laying on her side with her legs out (the picture will show how she was positioned). Rigor mortis already took place, and her face was very purple. I think 3 hens and my rooster (somehow) got into her enclosed area by going under the fence that was dug up. It was never that exposed since today, so I'm thinking one of the birds did that to get to her. Her vent feathers were a little dirty from I suppose rubbing her butt on the ground. Her vent however was completely clean, nothing was bleeding or stuck inside her. No discharge. I checked her body, and no abnormalities that I could feel. No egg-binding or any sort of internal clogging. No bleeding or pecked areas caused by any other bird.
Can anyone help narrow this down, or is it too vague? I'm trying to understand if this is anything contagious like Marek's, so I'm hoping other birds do not contract what she had.
Background information: She's a rescued chicken from an overcrowding incident. The owner who surrendered her claims that she was bought as a chick last year, making her ~1 year old. I've had her since the day after this year's Easter. She always had a weird gait, especially when running; she would kind of hobble. She also tended to sit on occasion away from the rest of the flock. This wasn't sun bathing, but she'd sit on her side in the shade. She had a tendency to rub her butt on the ground when she pooped, it was weird. She never roosted, she always sits on the ground to sleep instead of perching despite encouraged otherwise and having the space to. She never had bumblefoot, was promptly dewormed with Panacur the week after I took her in, and her leg never had any visible issues.
Yesterday: She was sitting underneath our main coop and not coming out, I thought nothing of it, as it was a hot day. She didn't want to join the rest of the flock in free-range or in getting vegetable scraps. She did however navigate back to her smaller coop that she sleeps in, so she still could've walked.
~9 AM this morning: I let her out of her coop a bit later, it was a warm morning. Her two flock mates immediately shoved their ways out of the coop, but she flapped around outside the door and eventually settled down. I carried her around for a bit, and even set her down. I noticed her legs were weak, but not paralyzed. She wasn't able to walk or even stand. I had to go to a meeting for my job at 10:15 so I put her by herself with food and water right beside her and left her, I didn't think much of her condition and would examine her when I got back home.
11:50 this morning: I come home and she's dead in the corner laying on her side with her legs out (the picture will show how she was positioned). Rigor mortis already took place, and her face was very purple. I think 3 hens and my rooster (somehow) got into her enclosed area by going under the fence that was dug up. It was never that exposed since today, so I'm thinking one of the birds did that to get to her. Her vent feathers were a little dirty from I suppose rubbing her butt on the ground. Her vent however was completely clean, nothing was bleeding or stuck inside her. No discharge. I checked her body, and no abnormalities that I could feel. No egg-binding or any sort of internal clogging. No bleeding or pecked areas caused by any other bird.
Can anyone help narrow this down, or is it too vague? I'm trying to understand if this is anything contagious like Marek's, so I'm hoping other birds do not contract what she had.
