Lost my favorite rooster today

[horsekeeper]

I lost Ivan, my favorite rooster today. He was a sweet and friendly blue copper marans from a good line.





He was fine this morning and behaved like he usually does when I let them out today, and I found him dead in the coop just now when I went in to check for eggs. His comb and wattles are a dark mulberry color. He was 4 years old. I wondered if anyone knew if this might be a heart attack, since the comb was so dark. Not a mark on him and I was outside near the coops most of the day, so I know there were no predators or undue excitement.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

What a handsome boy he was - I am so sorry for your loss.
There are a few different possible causes of death that could be related to the comb/wattle coloration -- without a necropsy it would be impossible to determine which played a part in this particular bird's demise.

 

[horsekeeper]

I'm not terribly concerned, just sad to lose him. I've had a bad year, losing a lot of my older birds. They have all been healthy until I found them lying in the coop, usually under the roost area or just inside the door. The younger ones are lively and free ranging quite far, but the older chickens are sticking closer to the coop. I believe the extreme heat we had during the summer took its toll on the older ones even though they had some nice shade spots under the bushes and I made sure they had lots of cool water. Two days ago we had frost and a cold wind and today it was 80 degrees. Most of them are just finishing up a hard molt and covered with winter fluff, so it was hot for them.