Hen dead - blood loss, shock or something else?

[Zanna]

Went out tonight to lock up the boys and girls and one of my white leghorns was on her normal spot on the roost among her 53 mixed flock roomies covered in blood. I noticed a nick on the tip of one of the points on her comb and her comb was really pale. It was still dripping blood so I assumed a new injury, maybe a peck from one of the young roos. Made the decision to bring her into the house as it was 26 degrees outside and also did not want the flockmates to peck at her in the morning before I let them out again. As soon as I got into the house I set her down on a towel and she went limp. 20 minutes later she did the death squawk and died. Blood loss? Shock? Cold?, all of those things combined? I looked her over thoroughly, no other injuries. She was born last february and laid an egg yesterday and maybe today (I have 6 WL, got 6 eggs yesterday, 4 today) and seemed her normal self this morning.

 

[RedneckChikns]

Wow...so sorry for the loss. Dont think a nip and peck to comb would have done her in or cuased her to bleed out...chickens can get in to some ruff n tuble squabbles (think angry roos) and no one dies tho there is bloodshed. Shaking head here....MAYBE egg bound. Thats a strange one. MAYBE??? just thinkn outloud...something like a coon or dog grabbed her by head/comb...even a roo...and twisted up her neck...then she went into shock (felt no pain) and got on roost??? Maybe a broken neck??? I dunno...so sorry.

 

[drumstick diva]

I wonder if chickens can have hemophilia- bleeding disorder. It wouldn't seem a little nick could bleed that much otherwise but, when you say her comb was so pale I think blood loss and shock. Poor girl. Could you find any other source of the bleeding?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I agree with your assessment. It's entirely possible your roo got her and made her bleed a little...with the help of 53 other chickens picking on her after the fact. The combination of blood loss, shock and the cold was too much stress. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Zanna]

Thanks for the ideas everyone, it is just nice to bat things around in case similar issues arrise. She had no missing feathers if the others had been pecking at her, only the little nick at the tip of a comb point which was still bleeding slightly when I got her to the house. Sad but life goes on............... I have had roosters with way more beat up combs and blood than her and after a day or two of separation were just fine. Thanks again!