I just had a seemingly perfectly healthy leghorn die........

[cjatthefarm]

Within the past hour to an hour and a half, one of my beautiful leghorns died.

And it may be my fault.

I had read so much about not feeding potato peelings. And I didn't. I fed the scraps of a BAKED potato---along with other things that I collect in a tupperware as per usual.

I can think of nothing else that could have made this beautiful hen die. I looked her dead body over completely ---

---and I know she was fine.

I also ran back to the run to check on everyone else. All seem fine......I am soooooo sad.

 

[NovaAman]

It happens... Sorry you lost her...

 

[cjatthefarm]

Thanks NovaAman. But can potatoes be that deadly? I can't imagine anything else. And it was such a small amount between 29 chickens! Heck, I guess if it was the potato; I'm lucky only one died.....

She was a great layer, was gonna be 2 yeas old in October. She was one of the first hens I received from Ideal.

Dang, I'm sad.

 

[JiJis hens]

Oh my, I'm so sorry. I didn't know potatoes were dangerous.

 

[speckledhen]

Baked potatoes are not dangerous, so you did nothing wrong. You just don't want to feed raw potato peels as they are very hard to digest and the sprouts off them can be poisonous.

Leghorns are high production birds. Sometimes they develop a reproductive infection called Egg Yolk Peritonitis, which can kill quickly without external symptoms, or go on and on, with bloated abdomen and weight loss.

I'm not saying that's what your hen died of, especially if she was laying at the time, but chickens die of all sorts of things we cannot diagnose from the outside, like heart defects.


The first chicken death here was a Wyandotte. The only clue was the day before, she was sitting in the shade, not the bright sun, on a cold day. I picked her up and looked her over, and she looked fine. Then, we found her dead. We opened her up and found her abdomen full of loose egg yolk, so that was the first death from egg yolk peritonitis here. Since then, there have been many others, unfortunately, a hazard of owning the most common hatchery stock it seems. My breeder quality types never have this, at least they haven't so far, for some reason.

 

[KFaye]

So sorry for your loss. I feed my girls mashed potatoes all the time. My girls are my leftover eaters. I hope all of your other girls are ok.

 

[Sunflower]

Sorry for your loss. It's always hard to lose a happy member of the family like that. Sometimes, out of the blue we lose them. All we can do is the best we can.

 

[MadHens]

Just had to add my sympathies. I'm a newbie chicken owner and I lost 2 leghorns when they were less than a week old. Got them via mailorder the day after they hatched and all appeared healthy and active when I got them. I had 3 white leghorns, a cochin, and a mystery chick. My remaining leghorn (and the other two) are doing great! I was beating myself up wondering if the brooder was too warm or whatever. I'll never know what happened to them I guess I'm already a victim of chicken math because I went to my local feed store and bought another leghorn, an australorp, and an easter egger! So, I went from 5 to 6, even with the two deaths. Oh, and did I mention that I'm getting 9 more chicks mid-June via mailorder again?!! BTW, my original remaining leghorn is one of my favorites. She loves to fly up on my shoulders, walk around the back of my neck, and then sit on my head!

 

[cjatthefarm]

Thanks all...

Sorry to hear others have had deaths as well; nice to have a place to share.

I also for the 1st time had a few cucumber peelings in the mix..... I am vowing no vegetable peelings at all---ever again. Anyone had trouble w/ tomato peels?????

I kinda wish I had opened her up......'cept it'd be like me looking under the hood of a car......not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for.

Anyway, it's good to hear others input and experiences.

BTW, it wasn't mashed potatoes KFaye; it was scraps of baked potato---including and most troubling; the skin, of the baked potato.........

And MADHENS----one of my leghorns flies up my my shoulders too!!!! Thankfully, she isn't the one who died.

u guys rock!

 

[smithfam0908]

I am so sorry for your loss. Sending you gentle hugs