I have no pictures, because there was nothing to see.
I walked out this morning, to let the girls out to free range and to make sure there was water/food. No water, but food. Then I noticed Titan, our full stock Ameraucana rooster, was not comming out - as he usually comes out, makes sure the girls go out, then comes out himself. I called for him quite a few times - no response. I panicked, went into the run and saw him laying in the "spa" underneath the coop, right up against the wires. I knew he was dead - so I went in, and asked dad to get him out from beneath the coop.
Dad walked around the whole coop - there were absolutely no signs of entry - no wires bent, no holes dug beneath the run fence. He was just laying there, dead. No feathers were missing, except for a few in the base of his neck, and some saddle / back feathers - but the down was visible, and there was NO blood. There were no signs of attack on him - no punctures, rips, or tears in the skin that we could see. I couldn't spot anything "off" about the corpse in any way. Dad seems to think his neck was broke, but I don't think so - We couldn't really tell, as he was in deep rigamortis. His head was against his chest, as if he was cold and trying to sleep.
But the coop door was open, and he knows how to get inside! I don't understand why he would've just sat there and froze to death!
I don't think there was any way he was that severely dehydrated. None of the girls were lathargic, and there was water the previous day!
I just lost a hen about a month ago - but we decided that was internal laying issues, or quite probably a prolapse as some of her innards were outside of her vent.
Please help! Im so sad that he's gone. He was turning out to be such a good roo......
I walked out this morning, to let the girls out to free range and to make sure there was water/food. No water, but food. Then I noticed Titan, our full stock Ameraucana rooster, was not comming out - as he usually comes out, makes sure the girls go out, then comes out himself. I called for him quite a few times - no response. I panicked, went into the run and saw him laying in the "spa" underneath the coop, right up against the wires. I knew he was dead - so I went in, and asked dad to get him out from beneath the coop.
Dad walked around the whole coop - there were absolutely no signs of entry - no wires bent, no holes dug beneath the run fence. He was just laying there, dead. No feathers were missing, except for a few in the base of his neck, and some saddle / back feathers - but the down was visible, and there was NO blood. There were no signs of attack on him - no punctures, rips, or tears in the skin that we could see. I couldn't spot anything "off" about the corpse in any way. Dad seems to think his neck was broke, but I don't think so - We couldn't really tell, as he was in deep rigamortis. His head was against his chest, as if he was cold and trying to sleep.
But the coop door was open, and he knows how to get inside! I don't understand why he would've just sat there and froze to death!
I don't think there was any way he was that severely dehydrated. None of the girls were lathargic, and there was water the previous day!
I just lost a hen about a month ago - but we decided that was internal laying issues, or quite probably a prolapse as some of her innards were outside of her vent.
Please help! Im so sad that he's gone. He was turning out to be such a good roo......
