Looking for Understanding to Mysterious Death

[dmesmith]

Hi everybody,

I experineced a loss last night when Frenchie, my Buff Orpington pullet of less than a year old (~10 mos?) died last night.
I found her alive, breathing hard, sitting on the ground (unusual), breathing difficultly. When I picked her up, her feet were cold. I tried to coach a few drops of water into her beak, no luck. In a matter of minutes, her neck became limp, she closed her eyes, jolted a couple of times and was gone. I didn't notice anything in her nostrils that might have caused the breathing trouble.

All other chickens seem to be healthy.

Any ideas on what happened or preventative measures?

 

[CMV]

Any chance of doing an at home necropsy? This would be the only way to see any gross anomalies.

I would guess at her age that the problem was either reproductive or heart related. I am tempted to say heart related due to the circulation problem (cold extremities) and the difficulty breathing.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[dmesmith]

Thank you for your condolences.

I'm not brave enough to perform a necropsy, but your answer makes sense considering she was quite plump maybe that added to her problems.