Just lost a chicken - don't know why

[chick2good4u]

I just lost one of my year old RIR's - Dorothy.

She appeared fine earlier today - she was sitting in the nest box when I checked. No signs of trauma - just laying on the floor of the chicken house with her legs out behind her. about 9 weeks ago she went broody and I let her hatch some eggs. She only started laying again a week or two ago. It did get up to 90 degrees today but they had plenty of cool water, shade in the coop and a well ventilated chicken house. Any ideas as to what happened? All the others look fine.

 

[jemagsy]

*hugs* So sorry for your loss. It is always hard when you lose one, especially so suddenly.

How does the poo in your chicken yard look? Color, consistency, odor? Any change in diet or problems with predators or anything that might have over-excited her (was she just put back in with the others?)

In cases like this where a seemingly normal and healthy chicken just dies for no apparent reason it is usually wise to get a necropsy done. Call your local vets and see who can do one for a reasonable price, it may be something that you can treat in the others or may be of no cause for concern, but you won't know until it gets checked.

We'll keep our fingers crossed it's nothing to serious and won't affect any of your others. Good luck and let us know what you find out and if there is anything up with their poo or anything else.

 

[chick2good4u]

Quote:
She was never separated from the others - she was able to hatch and take care of the chicks since she was the top hen. Poo is all normal from what I can tell. Only diet difference was they got some turnip greens today. How much does a necroscopy cost?

 

[sammi]

check with a vet..or your county extension department for lab info..

since she just hatched out chicks, she might have been a little down in nutrition..and starting to lay might have been too much on her weakened system..
could her crop have been impacted?
had she been eating as usual?
what all do you feed?
could she have been eggbound?
treated for mites?

it's really important when they are sitting, that they are taken out of the nest box to eat, drink, "go" and exercise the legs.

check the area for odd droppings..

if you plan on having a necropsy done..keep the hen refrigerated..not frozen.

sometimes, it's nothing we can know in time to help them..or nothing we could have done.

sorry you lost your Dorothy..

 

[chick2good4u]

Quote:
She hatched the chicks 9 weeks ago. Crop was fine. I wondered if she could have been egg bound since she was in the nest box around 2:30 when I checked on them. Or could she have over heated? it got up to 90 today. My husband said we were NOT putting her in the fridge, so I guess that's out. She has been eating fine. All of them eat layer crumbles - never changed brands and they get a handful of scratch every other day and some fresh greens every day. The other 7 chickens all look good and healthy. Thanks for the info. This is the first chicken I've ever lost.

 

[sammi]

eggbound or overheated are both possibilities..

I don't blame your husband..
I have a frig in the shop/garage...
comes in handy for meds and other stuff..
have to admit, I've never had a dead hen in there tho..

I was just letting you know that freezing is not the way the store, since most people think it is.

some people do their own necropsy..a member here recently did one on a hen.
but not everyone can..