Dead pullet - botulism?

[plucky]

A friend of mine and I are on vacation, several hundred miles from home, and hubby is in charge of my 12 pullets (10 weeks old).

He called to tell me he'd found one dead this evening in the coop, with what he described as a "rubbery neck" and her intestines protruding from the rear. I'm guessing it's botulism, and the intestines were possibly caused by being trampled? (It rained all day, so they spent the day in the coop).

I've told him to wash out the waterer and feeder, and be sure he's cleaning out the coop. This is all I know to do...we'll be home in a couple days.

Any other ideas? Was my instruction appropriate?

Thanks in advance...I'm pretty bummed about my chick.

 

[ChinaChicks1]

Questions..What makes you think this is botulism? How big is the coop area? How long had the chick been dead for? Sorry for all the questions, but just necessary to figure this out. I don't really think it sounds like botulism to me as they would all have it..or at least more than one..and you'd have other symptoms. If they are crowded, sometimes things like this will happen.

 

[plucky]

No problem...the coop has a floor area of 10' x 5', and a raised enclosed area of 5' x 5' with nest boxes and roosts. In the day they go out into a yard 40' square.

The limp neck made me think it was botulism, just from what I've read...and the admission by hubby that he's been less than diligent about cleaning out the water and food containers. There's been some real gully-washer thunderstorms, and even though the food is in a covered feeder inside the coop, can still get damp and moldy if not tended to...and he called later to say that he did indeed find a glob of moldy food. The pullet that died was the largest of all, too.

So far according to hubby the rest seem ok.