Hen Suddenly Died

[Jsmith1006]

My four month old Plymouth Rock just suddenly passed. I found her this morning. She was fine yesterday. I found her on her side, and her legs were stretched out with her eyes closed. No sign of an injury, the ground around her was undisturbed, and her eyes and beak were clear with no crusty stuff in them. This is my first time owning chickens. What does it sound like to you? Help! They had plenty of water and food. She was laying in her coop. So, she wasn't in the sun and it's not real hot out.

Since this is my first time owning chickens, I'm learning as I go. Considering I have had her for her entire 4 months of life, and I have never noticed her acting strange, I'm assuming she could of ingested something somehow? Or maybe a heart attack? Could the bigger chickens have done something to her on accident to cause some type of internal bleeding? My 7 year old found her with me. This is her first time ever losing a pet along with my 6 and 3 year old.

 

[nuthatched]

The only way to even guess is a necropsy.
Sorry your bird died.

 

[Jsmith1006]

The only way to even guess is a necropsy.
Sorry your bird died.

Yes, I understand that. I know someone can't tell me exactly what happened over the internet. Just wondering what the possibilities are.

 

[Jsmith1006]

Yes, I understand that. I know someone can't tell me exactly what happened over the internet. Just wondering what the possibilities are.

Like I said I'm new to chickens. Just trying to learn! Seeing if anyone else has had a similar experience, or is it more common than I realize?

 

[Captain13]

I’ve had the same thing happen this week and lost four girls. No warning or issues. The rest are fine. Like you described, legs and neck stretched out. No strange poop, drinking, eating and laying until whatever killed them started.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hi! I'm so sorry! My guess would be something genetic. A bad heart perhaps? It usually manifests up to a year old.

 

[Jenbirdee]

I think it is somewhat common , there are a lot of posts similar to yours. Im so sorry for your loss and especially for your children

 

[Jsmith1006]

I’ve had the same thing happen this week and lost four girls. No warning or issues. The rest are fine. Like you described, legs and neck stretched out. No strange poop, drinking, eating and laying until whatever killed them started.

Oh, wow. Four within a week? I'm sorry about your girls. It literally came out of no where. She was such a sweet girl too! My favorite out of my little bunch. Just curious, what breeds were yours that passed?

 

[Jsmith1006]

Hi! I'm so sorry! My guess would be something genetic. A bad heart perhaps? It usually manifests up to a year old.

Yes, I already kind of assumed from the beginning it was her heart, but then I started googling it and it gave me a bunch of crazy answers so I started to second guess myself. Now I'm seeing a lot of other people posting the same thing. Just a terrible tragedy!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. In what state are you located? Sometimes a home necropsy can point to a cause of death if you take pictures of the organs and post them here. But the state vet can do a thorough one with histology and cultures, as well as looking at the organs. I have lost young birds before under 6 months to a year for no apparent reason. Heart or other organ problems, or a reproductive disorder might be an issue.