Hi all I'm Steve from Massachusettes

[Steveos Flock]

I had six RIR Pullets went out to feed the (DUMUR Layer pellets 16%) they are 32 weeks, I got them last August and still no eggs? the weather in new England was cold until now its beginning to warm up a little could this be the reason? I went out to feed them this morning and found one dead? Any thoughts?

 

[DobieLover]

Hello, Steve, and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Sorry to hear about your girl.
Did you examine her body? Are there any signs she was attacked? Do you still have her?
If you don't see any signs that she was attacked, do you think you could open her up and do an informal necropsy?

 

[007Sean]

Howdy Steve and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Steve and welcome to BYC. I hope that the ER folks will be along to offer additional advice.

More generally, this is a useful link of BYC guides to take a look at announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3I’d suggest including your location using the guide in the link. You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find your State's thread.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Hi Steve! Welcome to our FUN-omenal community! Best wishes and have lots of FUN!

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!!

Most likely the cold weather and short days stifled their laying. I'm sure they'll be starting soon. Sorry about your girl!

Feel free to check out the links below for some interesting reading. Good luck on your adventures!​

 

[alexa009]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens, Steve! Glad you decided to come on the roost.
Sorry to hear about your loss, were there any external wounds or punctures when you found her? Was she showing any symptoms of illness the day before?

 

[feathermaid]

Welcome to BYC!
RIR are a cold hardy breed, that shouldn't be the problem. If you're certain it wasn't a predator attack, it would be wise to send her body for a necropsy. It could be anything from reproduction issues to disease. At least you could know if what happened is contagious to the rest of your flock.

I had a similar mystery death last year but couldn't afford the official necropsy so I attempted one myself, as @DobieLover mentioned. I photographed every step and posted the pics of my findings in a thread in this forum to try and get advice from experienced eyes. There's lots of knowledgable folks here that are always willing to help. With my bird, I discovered an inch layer of visceral fat covering her abdomen so it was obvious I was feeding too many treats. Please refrigerate your bird's body until you can decide what to do. I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you can find some answers.

 

[meglynnie]

Good luck with your flock!

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
We are glad you joined this flock!
Jump right in and make yourself at home.
Sorry for your loss.
Can you open up the deadbird to have a look around ?

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