Hen just died in me, should I worry about the rest of the flock.

[Quackwacker]

I went out to check on the broody ladies this evening because we should have hatch any day now. But I noticed my Easter egger, who is not broody, in a nesting box. All the other ladies were on the roost tucking themselves in for the night. She was standing in almost a squat with her wings slightly out. So I reached in to see if she was ok. She immediately started expelling liquid from her mouth in mass quantities. It was thick, yellowy, brownish and so much. I pulled her out of the coop to quarantine her in the barn until I could figure out what was wrong with her. I set her down. She flopped once, more liquid came out, so much liquid. And then she was gone. What was this? Should I be concerned for the rest of the flock. I can’t tell you if she was acting strange before or not. I’m pretty sure she has been laying daily because I only have two Easter eggers and I’m getting about two blue eggs a day. The eggs look good. We have a large flock so I dont really notice changes in behavior or food intake unless it’s drastic. I read something about ascites. Is that a thing? Any thoughts and prevention for the rest of the flock would be welcome. Thank you.

 

[SilverBirds]

To know for sure, you should get a necropsy done. It is possible that it was sour crop or another crop related issue, but I'm not an expert on that. Hopefully someone with more knowledge then me can tell you more. Sorry for you loss

 

[Lemon-Drop]

So sorry for your loss.

As for your hen- what treats and how much do you feed? What food?

Ascites is a ‘thing’, although I don’t know too much about it. Personally I suspect a crop problem.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound insensitive, but did you already bury/dispose of her?

If you haven’t, could you consider a home necropsy? If you you’re not comfortable doing that (I don’t know that I would) or send her to some place that can.

 

[Battlepants]

My gut says impacted crop. In itself, this is not contagious, but still worth looking into if your feed is good and your ladies are eating properly.

If possible, go out to your coop before sun up and grab a chicken or two and feel on their crop. It should be empty since they have had the entire night to digest yesterdays food.

 

[Quackwacker]

To know for sure, you should get a necropsy done. It is possible that it was sour crop or another crop related issue, but I'm not an expert on that. Hopefully someone with more knowledge then me can tell you more. Sorry for you loss

Yes thank you, I’ve just done some reading on crop related issues. It seems that impacted crop or sour crop was the issue. And since it’s spring time it’s very likely she got some grass that was too much for her. Ugh. And sometimes the ladies sneak in the barn where we keep the orchard grass for the goats. I just read orchard grass specifically can be too much for them. Oh man. We will have to be on top of this. The good news is it doesn’t seem to be anything contagious.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I went out to check on the broody ladies this evening because we should have hatch any day now. But I noticed my Easter egger, who is not broody, in a nesting box. All the other ladies were on the roost tucking themselves in for the night. She was standing in almost a squat with her wings slightly out. So I reached in to see if she was ok. She immediately started expelling liquid from her mouth in mass quantities. It was thick, yellowy, brownish and so much. I pulled her out of the coop to quarantine her in the barn until I could figure out what was wrong with her. I set her down. She flopped once, more liquid came out, so much liquid. And then she was gone. What was this? Should I be concerned for the rest of the flock. I can’t tell you if she was acting strange before or not. I’m pretty sure she has been laying daily because I only have two Easter eggers and I’m getting about two blue eggs a day. The eggs look good. We have a large flock so I dont really notice changes in behavior or food intake unless it’s drastic. I read something about ascites. Is that a thing? Any thoughts and prevention for the rest of the flock would be welcome. Thank you.

I'm sorry about your hen.
Without necropsy it would be hard to know why she died.

Expelling a lot of liquid from the crop like that, she may have aspirated. Crop problems are often just a symptom of an underlying condition. Reproductive disorders, worms, infection, etc., can all cause a crop to slow and you may see those symptoms.
If sending the body to your state lab isn't an option, then you may want to do your own informal necropsy to see if you find anything obvious. Look at the reproductive system, organs, etc. Sometimes you make a good guess depending on what you see, other times you may be left with more questions.

 

[Quackwacker]

I think I’m going to deworm all them to be on the safe side and check on the rest as best I can today. Thank you.

 

[Quackwacker]

My gut says impacted crop. In itself, this is not contagious, but still worth looking into if your feed is good and your ladies are eating properly.

If possible, go out to your coop before sun up and grab a chicken or two and feel on their crop. It should be empty since they have had the entire night to digest yesterdays food.

Good idea

So sorry for your loss.

As for your hen- what treats and how much do you feed? What food?

Ascites is a ‘thing’, although I don’t know too much about it. Personally I suspect a crop problem.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound insensitive, but did you already bury/dispose of her?

If you haven’t, could you consider a home necropsy? If you you’re not comfortable doing that (I don’t know that I would) or send her to some place that can.

shes been disposed of. I can’t handle a science experiment. I’m sure my boys could though. We feed them layer feed from the feed store and scratch from the feed store and table scraps. Mostly the vegetables and fruit trimmings and rinds. Sometimes they get spoiled with bread and pasta but I try to keep that as a not very often thing.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm sorry about your hen.
Without necropsy it would be hard to know why she died.

Expelling a lot of liquid from the crop like that, she may have aspirated. Crop problems are often just a symptom of an underlying condition. Reproductive disorders, worms, infection, etc., can all cause a crop to slow and you may see those symptoms.
If sending the body to your state lab isn't an option, then you may want to do your own informal necropsy to see if you find anything obvious. Look at the reproductive system, organs, etc. Sometimes you make a good guess depending on what you see, other times you may be left with more questions.

^ THIS. I've only ever experienced crop issues when something else was wrong. It's a symptom.

I am so sorry for your loss. I hate that part of animal keeping. Hugs.