Dead roo

[docdubz]

I let my birds out this morning and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with any of them. After they were taken care of I went fishing and just came home to my dominant roo picking at the body of one of the other roos. All the other chickens were staying far away so even though I haven't seen my roos fight yet I'm thinking the dominant one killed him. What should I be looking for to determine cause of death. I'll post pictures in a follow up post because I have a slow connection.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Well, obvious wounds are usually helpful. Cant help much other than that.

 

[neo71665]

I'd look for plucked feathers and spur wounds

 

[docdubz]

The wounds are only on one side of the body so... Maybe not fighting? The crop feels like a sloppy water balloon and is the only part of the body not completely stiff.

 

[britesidefarm]

If it’s on only one side and not as much on his back, I’m gonna say a predator.

 

[Chicalina]

he might have been sick and just wasn't showing it. Sour crop perhaps. Chickens will eat other dead chickens so your other rooster may not have killed him

 

[docdubz]

What predator would leave wounds like that and then eat nothing? The wound in the third picture is from the dominant roo picking at the tail feathers, I saw him doing that when I noticed the body

 

[Chicalina]

I'm wondering if all of the wounds are post mortem from pecking. And he just died of illness.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I let my birds out this morning and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with any of them. After they were taken care of I went fishing and just came home to my dominant roo picking at the body of one of the other roos. All the other chickens were staying far away so even though I haven't seen my roos fight yet I'm thinking the dominant one killed him. What should I be looking for to determine cause of death. I'll post pictures in a follow up post because I have a slow connection.

Dear chicken friend.. I've seen LOT's of rooster confrontations.. and THIS death is NOT the result of such! What was his age?

If you want to know the truth.. refrigerate and send in for necropsy.. could be disease like Marek's causing slow crop or other problems.. The testing is often free or affordable to back yard keepers.
State poultry labs

IMO.. that also was NOT a predator attack.. the poofy crop being the number one clue here.

Sorry for your loss!

Hope others thrive!

 

[docdubz]

It being the crop would make sense since the crop does feel like a squishy water balloon right now but idk if I would have been able to notice it while the bird was alive it's not like super enlarged. So on a bird that's fidgeting from being held I don't think it would have been noticeable