Heard a commotion in coop & found dead rooster

[terri1nd]

My husband heard a commotion in the coop & went to check it out & found a dead rooster. It had just died because it was still warm when he was brought inside. I have not seen any blood on him & no visible signs of what happened.

We are in North Dakota & still getting snow & in fact they still cannot get outside due to the height of the snow (we are lucky we can still get to the coop). I'm wondering if ammonia build up could be the problem. I went out & had a look around & did not seen any sign of intruder in the coop. I did open a window for some fresh air, at least for a few hours, unless it starts SNOWING again.

It might have been a rooster fight but I have not found any obvious signs.
I have not been out there all winter due to being ill & husband has been doing all the chicken chores, & so I was shocked that we had 4 roosters & about 18-20 hens (they kept moving on me, so counting became futile). I know there are too many roosters for the hens & maybe that was a factor if they were fighting, but like I said I have not seen any obvious injuries.

Now that I have this dead rooster & a mystery as to how it died, should I toss the body in the burn pit since I'm not sure it would be SAFE to use him for soup?
Not sure how to handle this.

 

[Haunted55]

If there are too many roos it could have been a problem with fighting and an internal injury that you couldn't see. It could also have been a heart issue. I don't think I'd want to eat him. If it was heart or even fighting, the brain has released enzymes that aren't a good thing to have in the meat.

Only you could tell if it were ammonia build up. How are the others?

 

[terri1nd]

The rest of the chicken seem fine, so I'm not sure what it is really.

 

[Haunted55]

If you wanted to go the route of necropsy, you need to put him in a plastic bag and in the fridge to keep him cold.

http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/statevets.aspx

This link will help you find your State Vet and you can contact them to find out how to send him for this to be done and the costs involved. In maine, it cost me right around 35.00 for shipping and testing. this would at least tell you what caused his death and if there is anything going on in your flock.