Lost my 1st hen

[Lillysmom]

im so sad! This morning my favorite hen, a blue Orpington that was only 1 year old died. When I went to the coop early this morning, she was under the roosting bars still alive. Last night she appeared normal. She was listless this morning, so I gave her a little water with an eye dropper and checked her out. Her breathing was heavy and her vent looked more red than usual. I gave her a warm bath and thought maybe she was eggbound. But, within minutes, she seemed to have a seizure and died.i don't have a clue what happened. Our vets do not work on chickens. I'm hoping this will not be something contagious. I'm sure it will be hard to diagnose what she died of, but would appreciate opinions. I never knew I could get so attached to a chicken.

 

[rIrs roost]

You could take a stole sample to the vet. Even though they don't work on chickens they can still test the poop for worms .

 

[rIrs roost]

So sorry for your loss. It seems to always happen to our favorites.

 

[Lillysmom]

You could take a stole sample to the vet. Even though they don't work on chickens they can still test the poop for worms .

Good idea! Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry for your loss. It is hard when it is a young one especially. The best way to figure out what happened is to either do a necropsy yourself or to get a professional necropsy by your state vet or poultry lab. You can look for egg binding, a blocked crop or gizzard, or for some other organ problem. The body should be refrigerated, not frozen if sending off to a lab. A pro can test for certain diseases. If you do one yourself, it can help to take pictures of the organs, such as the liver, intestines, open the gizzard, and look at the abdominal contents. Here is some info about getting a necropsy:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Lillysmom]

Thank you!

 

[ChuSayBok]

How hot has it been there? I lost a hen in a similar manner last summer; we think it was heat stroke. I put acv and ice in their water afterwards and everyone was ok. So sorry about your girl. I totally understand.

 

[Lillysmom]

How hot has it been there? I lost a hen in a similar manner last summer; we think it was heat stroke. I put acv and ice in their water afterwards and everyone was ok. So sorry about your girl. I totally understand.

Thank you! It was hot , but it was early in the morning and I keep fans in their coop.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I'm so sorry you lost your hen! I would definitely have a necropsy done so that you know what happened.

 

[Lillysmom]

I'm so sorry you lost your hen! I would definitely have a necropsy done so that you know what happened.

Thank you!