Dead molting hens

[Pied Piper]

Hi Kathy,
I live in SE CT. Both birds were outside the coop when the others had gone in for the night. They were cold and lethargic. They were put inside and survived the night. The Brahma died the next morning while the Leghorn slept a day and then died. The two birds died around six weeks apart.

 

[casportpony]

Hi Kathy,
I live in SE CT. Both birds were outside the coop when the others had gone in for the night. They were cold and lethargic. They were put inside and survived the night. The Brahma died the next morning while the Leghorn slept a day and then died. The two birds died around six weeks apart.

You might want to contact you state vet and ask about necropsies:
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
University of Connecticut, Unit 3089
61 North Eagleville Road
Storrs, Connecticut
06269-3089
Phone: 860-486-3738

-Kathy

 

[Mrs. K]

Often times chickens are not real long lived animals. 1.5 years is young. But I have had chickens die exactly as you were describing. Fine, then lethargic, then dead. I always figure that it is internal issues.

Several years ago, I lost 4 birds in about 6 weeks. I was like you, very concerned, questioning what I was doing... and it just stopped. Did not loose anymore for a long time.

Mrs K

 

[Pied Piper]

Mrs K.
Thank you for your supportive words! It's hard to lose a bird and not know why. They are all named and come when I call. I try to be very careful about their care so as you said, it makes you question what you could be doing wrong or what you missed. Hopefully we're finished for a while!

 

[chicknmania]

More than half of our flock is in a hard molt this year; it's very weird. That almost never happens; normally, when they molt, they molt lightly to where in some birds it's barely noticeable. The same thing happened to us; we had a four year old mixed breed hen who seemed healthy in every way, except that she was in a hard molt, I've never seen her like that. I noticed that she didn't eat breakfast one morning about a week ago, but that same morning she was begging for treats and was fine, and then on subsequent days she was eating and drinking normally. She just couldn't roost as high as normal and I assumed that was because she had lost most of her flight feathers. I was worried about her being cold because it has been so cold here, but she always seemed to have a buddy to snuggle with, so I didn't worry too much, she was a little quiet, but seemed fine otherwise.. This morning I found her dead; she apparently fell from her perch and was dead when she hit the ground. Her weight was good; she was not fat or underweight. Good color prior to today. Nothing to see other than the feather loss. We feed Flock Raiser, sometimes layer, cracked corn, sometimes scratch grain once in a while. They've been having cracked corn at night lately due to the cold.
It just makes me wonder if there IS a link between molting and aging or mortality, as I have a friend who has an old hen who has molted this year several times. Most of our hens that are in a hard molt this year are older hens.

 

[aart]

It just makes me wonder if there IS a link between molting and aging or mortality,

Molting can be hard on a bird, it's stressor that can kick off latent diseases or exacerbate under-conditioning.

They've been having cracked corn at night lately due to the cold.

Better to let the fill up on their regular flock raiser before roosting,
extra protein can help during molt.
Cracked corn does not really provide more 'warmth'...any digestion generates 'heat'.

 

[chicknmania]

We actually feed both; I just meant that I add the corn to the flock raiser. The main reason I brought it up is because I was wondering why an older bird would molt several times within a space of a couple of months during the late summer and autumn; ( as my friend's bird did. who is an old bird) and I mean hard molts. I understand that birds can molt for a variety of reasons, most usually having to do with seasonal light changes, but what is it that starts the molt; is it a drop or rise in hormones, and, if so, would repeated molting over a period of weeks be a result of a gland that produced those hormones failing, possibly due to aging? And if it is gland failure, maybe that contributed to my own bird's hard molt and death as well, who was, or seemed, perfectly healthy throughout her whole life. Does this make sense?

 

[chicknmania]

And, I just researched and answered my own question....so...it is the bird's thyroid gland that produces the hormone which starts the molt. Thyroid gland failure and/ or cancer seems to be pretty common in many species....so maybe it is in poultry, too? Just a thought....

 

[chicknmania]

Also....

Molting can be hard on a bird, it's stressor that can kick off latent diseases or exacerbate under-conditioning.


Better to let the fill up on their regular flock raiser before roosting,
extra protein can help during molt.
Cracked corn does not really provide more 'warmth'...any digestion generates 'heat'.

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/foods-that-produce-heat-in-the-body-1839300

 

[aart]

Also....
https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/foods-that-produce-heat-in-the-body-1839300

Not sure that applies to chickens.....
...also, did you know that most chicken feeds are mostly corn anyway.

I just meant that I add the corn to the flock raiser.

Do you add it to the FR, or feed it separately?