Heartbroken -- I've lost a hen for the first time… no idea what happened to her

[dvsmith]

A short while ago, I discovered one of my 12 week old Cuckoo Marans, Fifi, laying motionless at a funny angle under the henhouse inside the run. I retrieved her body -- no apparent injuries; her legs and wings were stiff, her eyes closed and slightly sunken, but her head and neck just flops around.

She and her sisters had been acting completely normal yesterday -- it's very hot (100°F / 38C) today, but their coop is in the shade and they have plenty of cool, clean water and have been eating normally. They are on a 20% start and grow feed, with occasional (chicken-safe) scraps, including some fresh basil yesterday evening. The coop perimeter is intact and no signs of predator intrusion. I have a camera in the run, but of course, her body was almost directly underneath of it, in the only real blind spot.

Is it possible that she could have broken her neck? My partner and I are just heartbroken -- Fifi and her sister, Freda, were the youngest of the flock, because we really wanted to have some Marans in the mix.

 

[CCsGarden]

I'm sorry for your loss! I'm not sure of what could of happened!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Sometimes chicks just die. Happened to a 4-5 week old chick I had in the brooder recently.
Perfectly fine, then dead.

 

[RiDaGeckoGuy]

Most likely heat stroke, no matter how healthy you are you will lose chickens, it’s sad the first few times but eventually you become immune and it’s less of a “why why oh no I’m sad” and more of a “well this sucks, let me make sure no one else is sick ” I mean no offense at all but be prepared to lose most of the ones you have today within like 5 years, it’s been one year since my first 6 chickens and I lost 2 in the brooder and then one got a throat parasite, and one was killed by a dog, I only have 2 left. So just prepare for loss.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. If you can keep her body cold in a cooler on ice or refrigerated until morning, you can take her in to your state vet lab for a necropsy. That is the best way to get a diagnosis. Here is a list of contacts for your state vet lab:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm sorry, I know how sad you must be. The neck flopping around is no indication of cause of death. When animals die they lose all muscle tone, everything goes floppy. It just means she's dead, I'm sorry.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Question, is that metal hardware cloth surrounding your pen or is it plastic?

 

[FrostRanger]

Sorry for your loss. She was a beautiful bird! I second a necropsy. It may give you both closure and useful information

 

[dvsmith]

Question, is that metal hardware cloth surrounding your pen or is it plastic?

Vinyl coated 19 gauge galvanized steel ½" hardware cloth.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Vinyl coated 19 gauge galvanized steel ½" hardware cloth.

I like it, it looks nice.