First death

[Simpx4]

My ladies are almost a year old and I just had my first death. I went to close up the coop and one of my very healthy sapphire gem ladies was laying underneath the coop, deceased. She was still slightly warm but the stiffness was setting in. She looked completely normal, no sign of an attack. No sign of an impacted crop or egg bound. Holding her after the only sign of death was that she wasn’t breathing. Her comb was even still red. She was running around like her normal nut self hours before so it was quite a shock to find her passed at bed time. The kids will bury her tomorrow under her favorite lilac bush. I have a feeling every death will suck just as bad as the first.

 

[the_peanut_coop]

My ladies are almost a year old and I just had my first death. I went to close up the coop and one of my very healthy sapphire gem ladies was laying underneath the coop, deceased. She was still slightly warm but the stiffness was setting in. She looked completely normal, no sign of an attack. No sign of an impacted crop or egg bound. Holding her after the only sign of death was that she wasn’t breathing. Her comb was even still red. She was running around like her normal nut self hours before so it was quite a shock to find her passed at bed time. The kids will bury her tomorrow under her favorite lilac bush. I have a feeling every death will suck just as bad as the first.

I'm so sorry this happened to you I hope this doesn't happen to any other of your birds!

 

[micstrachan]

So sorry for your loss. And you’re right; it does not get easier.

 

[Tonyroo]

She could have had a heart attack.

 

[AldrichP]

My ladies are almost a year old and I just had my first death. I went to close up the coop and one of my very healthy sapphire gem ladies was laying underneath the coop, deceased. She was still slightly warm but the stiffness was setting in. She looked completely normal, no sign of an attack. No sign of an impacted crop or egg bound. Holding her after the only sign of death was that she wasn’t breathing. Her comb was even still red. She was running around like her normal nut self hours before so it was quite a shock to find her passed at bed time. The kids will bury her tomorrow under her favorite lilac bush. I have a feeling every death will suck just as bad as the first.

Exact same thing happened to my silver laced Wyandotte less than an hour ago, completely normal in the morning and throughout the day and when I checked on them just now she was dead in the nesting box still warm with no physical signs of illness or attack. Only odd thing was when I went to close the coop door she was the only one still outside in their pen just laying under a bush.