Lost a 9-Week-Old Cockerel, Cause Unknown -- PHOTOS ADDED

[3KillerBs]

Kung Pao, one of my two male Black Langshans from the Idea Dozen was found dead this evening just before dinner -- his body was no longer warmer than ambient and rigor had begun but was not total. In particular, his neck was floppy and I could spread his wings against some resistance. Insects had not yet attacked the body.

I had found this morning when I was letting the birds out that he had spent the night out, trapped between the electric netting and the inner, chick-tight curtain -- with the electric on. He was unusually docile when I picked up up to free him -- normally he would panic when handled. I put him down next to the waterer, wanting to make sure he could rehydrate since I didn't know how long he'd been there given the events of yesterday afternoon but couldn't stay and observe him

I cannot blame my 15yo for missing him when shutting up the chickens well after dark last night. I myself might not have seen a black chicken in the dark, sheltered spot where I found him come morning and with some of the chicks going in to roost on their own and others needing to be rounded up off the run clutter -- with some actually roosting and others still sleeping in a cuddle pile -- it would have been difficult to count them accurately.

There was a bit of yellowish poop around his vent but nothing you could call diarrhea. I've got him in a plastic bag in the fridge pending time to think about this overnight.

I wonder if he could have died of the stress and trauma of having been trapped that way, especially since the fence was on all night? He didn't seem to be touching a live wire when huddled down, but must have gotten zapped when he moved.

Any thoughts? Do you think I ought to do a necroscopy tomorrow?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Kung Pao, one of my two male Black Langshans from the Idea Dozen was found dead this evening just before dinner -- his body was no longer warmer than ambient and rigor had begun but was not total. In particular, his neck was floppy and I could spread his wings against some resistance. Insects had not yet attacked the body.

I had found this morning when I was letting the birds out that he had spent the night out, trapped between the electric netting and the inner, chick-tight curtain -- with the electric on. He was unusually docile when I picked up up to free him -- normally he would panic when handled. I put him down next to the waterer, wanting to make sure he could rehydrate since I didn't know how long he'd been there given the events of yesterday afternoon but couldn't stay and observe him

I cannot blame my 15yo for missing him when shutting up the chickens well after dark last night. I myself might not have seen a black chicken in the dark, sheltered spot where I found him come morning and with some of the chicks going in to roost on their own and others needing to be rounded up off the run clutter -- with some actually roosting and others still sleeping in a cuddle pile -- it would have been difficult to count them accurately.

There was a bit of yellowish poop around his vent but nothing you could call diarrhea. I've got him in a plastic bag in the fridge pending time to think about this overnight.

I wonder if he could have died of the stress and trauma of having been trapped that way, especially since the fence was on all night? He didn't seem to be touching a live wire when huddled down, but must have gotten zapped when he moved.

Any thoughts? Do you think I ought to do a necroscopy tomorrow?

Could have been due to stress.

A necropsy could help rule out some stuff, or show a different cause of death.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Kung Pao, one of my two male Black Langshans from the Idea Dozen was found dead this evening just before dinner -- his body was no longer warmer than ambient and rigor had begun but was not total. In particular, his neck was floppy and I could spread his wings against some resistance. Insects had not yet attacked the body.

I had found this morning when I was letting the birds out that he had spent the night out, trapped between the electric netting and the inner, chick-tight curtain -- with the electric on. He was unusually docile when I picked up up to free him -- normally he would panic when handled. I put him down next to the waterer, wanting to make sure he could rehydrate since I didn't know how long he'd been there given the events of yesterday afternoon but couldn't stay and observe him

I cannot blame my 15yo for missing him when shutting up the chickens well after dark last night. I myself might not have seen a black chicken in the dark, sheltered spot where I found him come morning and with some of the chicks going in to roost on their own and others needing to be rounded up off the run clutter -- with some actually roosting and others still sleeping in a cuddle pile -- it would have been difficult to count them accurately.

There was a bit of yellowish poop around his vent but nothing you could call diarrhea. I've got him in a plastic bag in the fridge pending time to think about this overnight.

I wonder if he could have died of the stress and trauma of having been trapped that way, especially since the fence was on all night? He didn't seem to be touching a live wire when huddled down, but must have gotten zapped when he moved.

Any thoughts? Do you think I ought to do a necroscopy tomorrow?

I'm sorry for your loss.
Hard to know why he died, but I would be inclined to think it was due to being trapped and exhausted. He may have suffered some injury struggling to get out as well.

 

[3KillerBs]

Photos of the body. You can see that slight bit of yellow stuff on his feathers where it was under his vent in the position he was laying in.

I didn't know what might be useful. You can also see that he was still short on feathers, even moreso than the other Langshan cockerel. I wondered if that might have made him more vulnerable to the electric fence? I didn't see any burn signs, but I expect even getting mildly zapped over and over would be traumatic. Kung Pao has always been the chick who got most upset by any kind of handling and disruption.

I'm leaning against a necroscopy given that I've still got a headache from my injury and don't know what I might learn from it. But if you experts think it's advisable and tell me what to look for I can probably manage.

 

[3KillerBs]

Follow-up.

While he was in the fridge as I was making up my mind rigor developed but his neck remained floppy. This leads me to believe that he injured his neck panicking and died of that.

Poor thing.

It just so happened that my SIL bought me a new mini-rose yesterday so he's got a nice little memorial under the hummingbird feeder.