My chicken died and was alone with the rooster...but

[hayley3]

there's no blood...could he have killed her? What can I look for?

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

No blood? Probably a heart attack or fatty liver disease. What were you feeding them? Treats included.

 

[azygous]

Circumstantial evidence and coincidence don't always give you the actual truth. The death of a chicken can be from just about anything, and the rooster being directly responsible is a long shot at best.

To be certain of the cause of death, a necropsy is about the only way you will ever know what killed the hen.

We can post guesses on your thread until the cows come home, but you still will not know what killed your hen. Call your state agricultural lab or university extension office to find out where you can have the hen necropsied. Meanwhile refrigerate her body, don't freeze, until you find the lab or vet that will do this. Lots can be learned from a necropsy.

 

[hayley3]

No blood? Probably a heart attack or fatty liver disease. What were you feeding them? Treats included.

She's not even a year old yet. They get chicken scratch and mealworms for treats. Mainly in the winter. He hurt my other chicken in the past and I keep them separated but they fly back over where he is, cause they like to lay eggs there. sighs...I'm heartbroken really. I love my chickens.

 

[hayley3]

Circumstantial evidence and coincidence don't always give you the actual truth. The death of a chicken can be from just about anything, and the rooster being directly responsible is a long shot at best.

To be certain of the cause of death, a necropsy is about the only way you will ever know what killed the hen.

We can post guesses on your thread until the cows come home, but you still will not know what killed your hen. Call your state agricultural lab or university extension office to find out where you can have the hen necropsied. Meanwhile refrigerate her body, don't freeze, until you find the lab or vet that will do this. Lots can be learned from a necropsy.

Basically what I was wondering if a rooster could kill a hen without drawing blood. Could he have flogged her to death with his wings, or stomped her to death.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

She's not even a year old yet. They get chicken scratch and mealworms for treats. Mainly in the winter. He hurt my other chicken in the past and I keep them separated but they fly back over where he is, cause they like to lay eggs there. sighs...I'm heartbroken really. I love my chickens.

I’d cut the treats. Medical problems can happen at any time. The rooster probably did not kill the pullet.

 

[hayley3]

When I went back out there he was dragging her around by her head, and then he'd try to mate her, and he was really rough. I keep him separate because he has hurt my chickens prettyt bad in the past but he seemed not to bother the newer chickens...only the ones he grew up with.

 

[azygous]

The rooster's past behavior with hens lends a little weight to him being responsible for her death, but usually when a rooster causes a hen's death due to his mating style, it's due to him spurring her with long sharp spurs to her sides, causing obvious wounds and bleeding.

It's also a possibility the hen was suffering from a terminal illness and the mating activity pushed her over the edge. Again, I recommend the necropsy. It could give you valuable information that could affect the rest of your flock.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Basically what I was wondering if a rooster could kill a hen without drawing blood. Could he have flogged her to death with his wings, or stomped her to death.

Absolutely a rooster could kill a hen without drawing blood. A cockerel of that age can be very rough with hens. What kind of rooster is he and how old was the hen?

 

[hayley3]

The rooster's past behavior with hens lends a little weight to him being responsible for her death, but usually when a rooster causes a hen's death due to his mating style, it's due to him spurring her with long sharp spurs to her sides, causing obvious wounds and bleeding.

It's also a possibility the hen was suffering from a terminal illness and the mating activity pushed her over the edge. Again, I recommend the necropsy. It could give you valuable information that could affect the rest of your flock.

He hurt one chicken really bad...he sliced open the back of her neck , she almost needed stitches.