My chicken died abruptly and I don’t know why

[Katattack29]

I have a flock of 3 Buff Orpingtons. I was out of town for 2 days and the weather was 82 degrees one day and 84 degrees the next. They have shade and water but that was there first heat experience. They are 8 months old. For the 3 months that I’ve had them, Bone Saw ( my chicken’s name) has always been a bit smaller, paler in color, broody, smaller eggs, looser or liquid droppings. She was laying almost daily but maybe in the past month she’s been more infrequent. There was also 2 shell-less eggs in their dropping tray last week and one this morning.
Yesterday evening I noticed a ton of liquid dropping stuck to her vent. I wasn’t too concerned as I figured it was the heat from the day before. I gave her a quick trim to clean her up.
Today, the weather dropped and it was cold and rainy. At lunch I noticed her in a corner of the coop and thought it seemed a bit odd but that she must be cold. In the evening, I finally realized something was wrong with her. She could barely hold her head up and her eyes were slightly red in color. Her comb seemed paler and almost crackly. I quickly moved her to a spot in the garage where it was warmer. She could barely move and couldn’t hold her head up. Her breathing was labored. I got a dropper with water and electrolytes and got maybe 2 squeezes in. Finally, she started flopping around on the floor. It was terrible. 10 minutes later she was dead. Any ideas? I’m worried for my other birds.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh goodness, I’m sorry you had to witness that and couldn’t help her. Honestly, it’s really hard to know how she declined so quickly without a necropsy. If you really want TJ know what happened, you refrigerate (don’t freeze) her body, you could send her for necropsy on ice packs. What state are you in? I think @Kiki keeps a list of the labs for each state.

 

[Colonel Bertie Wooster]

I can’t help, but I am sorry

 

[MickWithChicks]

Probably egg yolk peritonitis in a hen that young. Unlikely anything you could have done.

If you can't get a necropsy done, I'd treat the others for worms just in case of internal parasites.

 

[William Mellor15]

Sounds like it could possibly a case of SDS (Sudden Death Syndrome) "Sudden death syndrome is a condition in which apparently healthy chickens die suddenly from no apparent causes. There is usually a short wing beating convulsions prior to death."

Or Possibly She was Egg-bound

You can read up about it here: https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultr...ens/sudden-death-syndrome-of-broiler-chickens

Sorry for your loss

 

[William Mellor15]

Altho to the sounds of it, she was slowly deteriorating and in that case it wouldn't be SDS. Are there any more symptoms? like was she standing up properly? was she still eating and drinking?

 

[Katattack29]

Oh goodness, I’m sorry you had to witness that and couldn’t help her. Honestly, it’s really hard to know how she declined so quickly without a necropsy. If you really want TJ know what happened, you refrigerate (don’t freeze) her body, you could send her for necropsy on ice packs. What state are you in? I think @Kiki keeps a list of the labs for each state.

My fiancé was out of town and I was so distraught and crying and it was pouring rain and I ended up just putting her in a garbage bag in the trash : ( So no necropsy for me.

 

[Katattack29]

Altho to the sounds of it, she was slowly deteriorating and in that case it wouldn't be SDS. Are there any more symptoms? like was she standing up properly? was she still eating and drinking?

On the last day she was alive she was not standing and was not eating or drinking. She was acting kind of like a blacked out drunk person.

 

[Katattack29]

Probably egg yolk peritonitis in a hen that young. Unlikely anything you could have done.

If you can't get a necropsy done, I'd treat the others for worms just in case of internal parasites.

Reading the symptoms, this sounds most like what happened. Thank you!