My chicken is dead.Help!

[Cachickmama]

We are devastated with one of our chicken dying and still trying to process what could have happened.
We are first time chicken farmers and have 4 chickens(two BO , one Speckled sussex and one NewHampshire red).

The two BO's are about a year old and the other two are about 8 months.
The BO's are also a little heavy and the dead one if the biggest(and much loved) among the two.

We live in Northern califormia and had a heat wave on Wednesday(90+ degrees), Thursday(100+). Usually all the chickens voluntarily
go in the coop as it gets dark but on Thursday night the two buff Orpington's did not want to go into the coop and after cooling down the coop we placed them in the coop. We realized that it got very hot for them and next day we offered more cold treats and water holes, misted them and all of them were behaving normally
so breathed a sigh of relief. Saturday went about smoothly , they went into the coop on their own both on Friday and Saturday nights.

We were pretty busy on Sunday with fathers day and all, made sure they had water, gave them treats, greens etc and even though one of them is not present
during the times, we just thought she is playing someplace else. But when we went to check in the evening, we found our beloved BO just sitting in the spot where they usually lay eggs, dead. It was pretty shocking and we did not further inspect as our young child( he goes around saying, i love all the chickens, but Chuckles(which is the BO's name) is my favorite) is around. Later we buried her in our backyard without much further inspection and thought it must be due to the heat wave..

But now we wonder if its really heat wave?? Every article and post i read says that if a chicken has heat stroke she wont even be able to get up but ours looked normal and going about her business for almost two days.

So question is, has anyone had the same experience where a chicken had heat stroke but seems to be normal only to die a coupla days later. Could the cause be something else? I am attaching the picture of her before we disposed her.

Thanks
Chickmama.

 

[Goosebaby]

I’m in Northern California and it was really hot the last few days, it’s supposed to get hotter next week if the weather predictions are accurate.

The heat could have predisposed her to illness, maybe she had a sudden stroke or heart attack, it’s really hard to say sometimes.
I’m sorry you lost your dear hen!

 

[Goosebaby]

I do know that Orpington are more prone to heat stress than other breeds because of their dense poofy feathers, maybe it was the heat.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am sorry you lost her.

Sometimes these things just happen.
It could have been any number of things from egg binding to heat stroke to genetic defect to heart issues.

We get really hot here (not usually hot AND humid). Over 100 is not unusual at all. I keep Orpingtons in my flock and while they are poofy birds they don't struggle with the heat any more than the Australorp or Speckled Sussex.

Since she was in the egg laying area I am inclined to think egg binding.

 

[Cachickmama]

I’m in Northern California and it was really hot the last few days, it’s supposed to get hotter next week if the weather predictions are accurate.

The heat could have predisposed her to illness, maybe she had a sudden stroke or heart attack, it’s really hard to say sometimes.
I’m sorry you lost your dear hen!

Yes, my heart sinks of the coming heat wave and to think that could have been the caused the death of our much loved chicken.

 

[Cachickmama]

I am sorry you lost her.

Sometimes these things just happen.
It could have been any number of things from egg binding to heat stroke to genetic defect to heart issues.

We get really hot here (not usually hot AND humid). Over 100 is not unusual at all. I keep Orpingtons in my flock and while they are poofy birds they don't struggle with the heat any more than the Australorp or Speckled Sussex.

Since she was in the egg laying area I am inclined to think egg binding.

Thanks for your reply.
I do wish we inspected her at least at the vent area before burying her just so we know what caused the death..First time chicken owner mistakes.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thanks for your reply.
I do wish we inspected her at least at the vent area before burying her just so we know what caused the death..First time chicken owner mistakes.

I don't think you did anything wrong.

These young deaths do happen to many of us. Even I have lost a couple young birds over the years. Many times there is no way except a necropsy to find out what happened.

 

[Cachickmama]

I don't think you did anything wrong.

These young deaths do happen to many of us. Even I have lost a couple young birds over the years. Many times there is no way except a necropsy to find out what happened.

Thank you @21hens-incharge

 

[Carson213]

i live in oregon...doesn't get as hot...but i have a box fan running all day long near the rafters to suck out hot air through gable vents. i have it on from 6 am to 9 pm year round.

 

[Carson213]

another idea is to use PVC pipes as waterers and branch them in the coop...

they will act like the old school radiators but in a cooling way. i am thinking about doing this. in the summer it will cool and in the winter it will warm