We lost our first chicken tonight and it's not been easy for us. Problem is, we have no idea why? She was healthy, active and eating this a.m. when I left, the kids collected eggs after school and she was fine, then we got a bad storm when we noticed she was laying under the ramp of the chicken run. We ran out in the hail storm to get her and she was literally passing away in my husbands arms. Can a chicken be scared to death? I have no idea what happened. There was thunder and lightening and hail with heavy rains but they do have a bit of a cover to the run. I don't think hail was hitting her but maybe making extra noise as it hit the run cover? I just don't get it. My kids are quite upset and really so am I. She was a Silver Laced Wyandotte, just shy of a year in July. RIP my Lacey.....
Sorry for your loss. They can have heart attacks, I had a new hen die in my arms not 5 minutes after I brought her home.
I am real new at chicken owning - have studied them for a while though. Possibly a heart attack from a nervous breakdown. Or over-stress... My condolences are with you.
Was she having a seizure while she was dying? I've had birds where certain events or "emotions" (fear, excitement, etc.) triggered seizures. Eventually they were fatal.
I'm sorry for you loss. She probably died from fear. It happens, even people can die from sudden heart failure, such has happened recently. My cousin died from fear, at age 8. It's sad if she was prone she would have had a early death anyway. It's not too late to get more biddies.
so sorry i know it is sad, we had bought two peacocks and one got scared the only thing we could figure out it died from like what other people are saying a heart attack. we still have the one but wanted a pair and possibly to have babies. have not bought another one yet, maybe one day but they are $35 dollars each now, we paid $30 each when we bought them together a little over a year ago. that has to be hard for children, i remember losing a rabbit when i was younger than 9. we have always had dogs and have lost some of them too over the years. we buried a puppy that got run over, i was the youngest and my older sisters were fighting about who's turn it was to watch the puppies to be let to go potty. well one got run over and we got a shovel and our Bible and a shoe box and buried it in the back yard and read from our Bible knealing on the ground at the grave site. our parents were not home yet we did all this without them. almost 40 and still remember all our animals though. not an easy thing for kids but they will be okay, they will probably fair better than us adults do. wendy
She fluttered alot according to my husband so a seizure could make sense too. I just worry about the others but she was my most flighty bird. You could never really pick her up or anything. One other thing, do the other chickens notice? Our other SLW slept last night where Lacey always did. And in fact when everything was happening she was also hovering over Lacey in the storm..... The kids are getting better. I am getting my friends last 2 bantams soon, that was planned before this all happened so maybe that will get our minds off it all. Thank you for your thoughts everyone...