Found My Silkie Roo Dead This Morning

[vfem]

Now I added a new roo to my birds recently. They were all seperated for awhile, watching for issues... then I let them free range a couple of days. My new roo (A very bossy aggressive bird) and my original roo (who is very submissive) did not get along... but long as they didn't tangle near each other's women... no problems! So I let them all together in the coop. The too tangled now and then, my original roo kinda held his ground, but when he was done fighting he'd hide in the coop or vise versa.

All that said, I fed and watered everyone yesterday, everyone seemed fine EXCEPT somehow my original roo had new roo cornered in the coop and wouldn't let him out. Somehow the aggressive one had lost a tangle to my submissive roo and was now at his mercy. I decided they would work it out.

Today I found my new roo dead inside the coop! Now I'm trying to figure out how this happened. He was missing feathers from his obvious tangles with my original roo. There was no blood though, his eyes were open and his neck feathers were all umbrellaed out like he was mid fight?! Otherwise he looked healthy. I noticed a broken toe nail, but that was already healing. Do you think they fought enough for internal bleeding? How long would that have affected him? YEsterday he was eating with the others.

Is there anything I should look for as a sign of what this could have been?

His body is stiff, so how recent do you think he died? Last night, Late last night, this morning, an hour ago!? Though his body is stiff, his neck is flopping around. Broken neck maybe? I just don't feel any disconnected bones to confirm that.

Any help would be great... I'm concerned about disease.

 

[SilkieTime]

Sorry for your loss, how many hens do you have?

 

[LarryPQ]

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

The other roo could certainly have killed him. Silkie roos tend to be on the spunky side most of the time, but they normally loose battles with a bigger, less fluffy feathered roos. Could an owl have gotten in the pen?

 

[vfem]

I really want to figure out what happened... I have 3 hens laying age, and 1 pullet who's got another month or so in one coop with them... but I have 2 pullets in a neighboring coop.

They just didn't fight as much as one would think... But I'm concerned because I saw no blood or traces of a big throw down other them some feathers.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
No way ANYTHING got in that coop other then some bugs. Again, no blood or open wounds I could see. Funny part is the roo I still have is slightly younger, but he's a show quality pretty boy patsy, as my husband says. The new roo was about a year older and much bigger weight wise, and less fluffy!

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

I'm thinking it's heat related with the added stress of fighting. My birds were suffering badly yesterday due to the temperature. I went to Twin Oaks and picked up a pack of electrolytes. They all perked up about an hour after giving it to them.

 

[vfem]

Yesterday I got a big bucket of watermelon rinds and tomatoes out to them. Again, he was cornered in the coop most of yesterday, my other roo just wouldn't let him out. Maybe it truly was the heat and everything that went with it.

 

[sourland]

Combination of stress and overheating. With the horrible temps. we've been having on the East coast the quarreling and stress caused his body temperature to rise to a point where he probably suffered heat prostration.

 

[Matt A NC]

I think it was everything together. Stress, fighting, and the extreme heat we are dealing with is enough to take down the healthiest of birds.

Matt