HELP! Heat stroke chicken very weak

[Banana01]

She just had a seizure and died

Im so sorry for your loss. The stress must have been too much to handle.

 

[DianeB]

I feel so terrible. I always make sure to bring them in on hot days. Just didn't get to her in time. She got caught in one of my covered vegetable beds and couldn't get out. She dug it up quite a bit, so she must have felt fine up until this happened. I also highly suspected she was starting to internally lay. She was straining to lay a wind egg after I got her cooled down. That probably led to organ failure.

 

[DianeB]

At least it wasn't something contagious. I still have the other three hens. The thing is, they either live to be 7 or 8 or die before 3. She was going to be 3 in July.

 

[DianeB]

Also, she was a RIR. I always love my reds but they die young.

 

[DianeB]

Thank you, again.

 

[kurby22]

Thank you, again.

So very sorry for your loss. Chicken losses always hurt more than you expect. Hugs.

 

[DianeB]

Thank you.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Poor girl. If you're having especially hot days, you might try icing your chickens’ water and even adding electrolytes for a day or two to help cope with the heat stress. Do they have access to shade and cool ground?

 

[DianeB]

Thank you for your kind words and support. Yes, they do have shade and access to cool water. There is a large dog crate in a spare room I usually put them in on hot days.

I've been really upset with myself over this. But, I am wondering if there may have been something else going on. The other hens were perfectly fine this afternoon. No panting or any other signs of heat stress. They were acting completely normal.

Years ago, I had another hen who died all of a sudden, too. She also had a history of egg laying issues like this one. My girl who died tonight was laying a fart egg just as she was cooling down. This probably pushed her over the edge and caused mass organ failure.
I'll find out after the necropsy.

Thank you, again.

 

[DianeB]

The necropsy findings just came in today. She died of fatty liver disease. They only eat layer crumbles and the occasional vegetable scraps and run around the whole backyard. Not sure how this happened.