Dead roosters

[Crazy chicken lady 77]

About 2 weeks ago I found a dead rooster at dusk. It was laying in the coop and I wasn't sure what happened to it. I have a quarter acre free range area that is completely fenced in with a large coop as well as a covered run. I have 24 hens and 7 roosters. My hens hatched 24 chicks last year and 12 were roosters. We butchered 6, but i was waiting for some to get bigger and trying to decide which to keep. The dead rooster was one of the 3 smaller roosters so 4 are larger. I decided it was likely a squabble eventhough I haven't seen anything. I'm fostering 4 hens for someone and have them in a 12x12 enclosed coop. I decided to move the 2 smaller roosters with those hens to get them away from the big ones. However tonight another rooster was dead. He was only in with 4 hens and 1 rooster. Was it because the space was small and they couldn't get away from each other or something else? I'm at a loss. I'm still assuming violence since the hens seem fine. How many roosters should I keep with this size flock?

 

[User690263]

First of all, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.
Second of all, did you notice if the dead roosters had any visible injuries?

 

[Crazy chicken lady 77]

First of all, I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.
Second of all, did you notice if the dead roosters had any visible injuries?

I didn't see any, but I also didn't look super close. Nothing obvious

 

[Ridgerunner]

I didn't see any, but I also didn't look super close. Nothing obvious

That is strange. If they kill each other it is with their spurs, claws, or beak, all of which are bloody. It should be obvious. It sounds like they are fairly young cockerels so they probably don't have much for spurs. A normal way of killing is to peck them on the head drilling to the brain, quite bloody.

It sounds as if they were locked in so predators could not have gotten to them. Predators generally attack the head or butt and leave a bloody mess.

So what would kill suddenly and with no visible markings? Something medical, like a heart attack or stroke. But two different ones like that? Unlikely. Poison? Maybe, but again two sounds unlikely. Many poisons would have them acting sick before it killed them but some can be swift. Do you have rat poison or something like that out? Their respiratory systems are fairly delicate, they can die from certain gasses, like a gas leak where the gas is heavier than air and settles into a deadly pocket. Are you using a gas heat source? Why two at separate times in different locations? This just doesn't make sense. I had a hen break her neck and die when she ran into something trying to get away from an amorous rooster or in a pecking order fight.

If you are located in the US you can call your county extension office and see what it takes to get a necropsy on a dead chicken. That way you will know what to do if another ones dies. That's where they cut them open to try to determine what killed them. In some states that is free or fairly cheap, in others it could be expensive so ask about price. And find out where to take the body and how to handle it to keep it fresh. They usually do not want them frozen but do want them refrigerated or in an ice chest with ice. I don't know what might be available in other parts of the world.

One of them just falling over dead without any signs isn't strange, could be a heart attack or accident. But two like that is really strange. Nothing makes sense.

Good luck. I'd be frustrated.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would want 1-2 roosters as a general rule of thumb for a flock of 24 hens. A LOT depends on the space, and how the space is set up. More space is best, but space with hideouts, roosts, mini walls is better. I call it clutter, but it allows birds to get away from each other.

I do not, however, think that your roosters were fighting. There would be obvious signs of a fight, feathers, blood, and gashes that would be pretty obvious even without close inspection.

So could be a genetic internal glitch. You mention that both birds are smaller and it might be, that they have not been processing food well, or they might have had a heart ailment, that made them poor doers. It could mean that they are not getting enough to eat, another consideration. But because you found them dead, it sounds like 'sudden death syndrome.'

You might consider the genetic relationship to the roosters you have left - might be a good idea, to process all of them and bring in fresh genetics to your flock.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

One of them just falling over dead without any signs isn't strange, could be a heart attack or accident. But two like that is really strange. Nothing makes sense.

One year, years ago, I had BA's hens. I found one dead - it happens, a month later, another one...odd, the third month... and number 3 was dead. I was pretty concerned, but things were financially tight. So I waited, and never had another one.

I think it was an inherited genetic glitch. I did not hatch any of the remaining BA's eggs.

 

[Perris]

In the circumstances I too would start to suspect some congenital weakness in, or that affects, the male line in some or all of your flock.

In 2021 I bought a clutch of hatching eggs; 3 males and 3 females hatched. All shared the same environment, feed, housing etc. All 3 males were dead, from unknown cause (but clearly of the sick variety, not from fighting), within 18 months. All 3 females are still fine, and have produced healthy offspring.

 

[red horse ranch]

A few years ago I caught a young rooster standing on top of a pullet. When I chased him off the pullet had suffocated and was dead. No visible signs of injury. Both the pullet and cockerel were harvested and eaten. But if I hadn't caught him doing it I wouldn't have known how she died.

I would also worry about bird flu since it is still going around. But if 2 young males is all that has died, that is not likely.

As far as how many males with hens, Usually 1 male for each 8 to 10 hens. IF the males get along with each other in larger flocks.

 

[Rillowen]

If they were about half grown and were the smaller ones then it sounds like genetic like the others said.perhaps they weren't doing good and that's why they were so small?

My only experience with them just dropping dead at mostly grown was poison (Although I did have a few scissor beaks i culled because they couldnt eat enough). It was curly dock that was seeding next to the coop, the smaller ones thought it was easier to eat the seeds through the coop then compete for the food. I saw them eating it, but just thought "oh cool, they like that, I guess that's a good food source then". Then they got withdrawn and tucked their shoulders up, seemed quiet and tired. I thought they were being bullied and tried to keep an eye for injuries or who was doing it, then they started hiding more until they just died. By curiosity I looked up the plant after they died and found it is poisonous to ruminating and crop animals, with those symptoms. I rampaged and pulled it all up, and no more deaths.

 

[Crazy chicken lady 77]

That is strange. If they kill each other it is with their spurs, claws, or beak, all of which are bloody. It should be obvious. It sounds like they are fairly young cockerels so they probably don't have much for spurs. A normal way of killing is to peck them on the head drilling to the brain, quite bloody.

It sounds as if they were locked in so predators could not have gotten to them. Predators generally attack the head or butt and leave a bloody mess.

So what would kill suddenly and with no visible markings? Something medical, like a heart attack or stroke. But two different ones like that? Unlikely. Poison? Maybe, but again two sounds unlikely. Many poisons would have them acting sick before it killed them but some can be swift. Do you have rat poison or something like that out? Their respiratory systems are fairly delicate, they can die from certain gasses, like a gas leak where the gas is heavier than air and settles into a deadly pocket. Are you using a gas heat source? Why two at separate times in different locations? This just doesn't make sense. I had a hen break her neck and die when she ran into something trying to get away from an amorous rooster or in a pecking order fight.

If you are located in the US you can call your county extension office and see what it takes to get a necropsy on a dead chicken. That way you will know what to do if another ones dies. That's where they cut them open to try to determine what killed them. In some states that is free or fairly cheap, in others it could be expensive so ask about price. And find out where to take the body and how to handle it to keep it fresh. They usually do not want them frozen but do want them refrigerated or in an ice chest with ice. I don't know what might be available in other parts of the world.

One of them just falling over dead without any signs isn't strange, could be a heart attack or accident. But two like that is really strange. Nothing makes sense.

Good luck. I'd be frustrated.

Thank you for your detailed response. I didn't see blood of any sort. The 1st one that died should be on video, I just had Christmas village stuff in the way so I couldn't access it. I'll check my cameras and see if I can see anything. It's weird that it's only roosters as I have way more hens. No poisons of any sort. Both cockrels were hatched in August or September so they were young