My chicken just died suddenly

[cactusx]

A few weeks ago one of our hens was badly ill with vent gleet. I bathed her and applied Monistat for 4 days, gave her water from a dropper, and tried to get her to eat, but ultimately she died.

Today I noticed another hen acting lethargic, as the first one had been, and she had that nasty poopy butt like the other one. So I decided to clean her up and put some Monistat on her. I prepared a warm bath with a little Dawn in it. She wasn't as amenable as the first one had been, but primarily because she wasn't as sick as the first one. She flapped around a bit, but I easily and gently controlled her. I'm somewhat accustomed to handling the hens, and they all are very comfortable with me.

Once I got her cleaned up, I placed her on a towel on my lap and began drying her a little bit. Then I went to put the Monistat in her vent, and I saw a big bulge extending out of the vent. At the same time, the hen went completely limp, her head flopping down. She died. I have tried in vain to see any sign of life, and I've laid her in the coop for a while to be sure I'm not mistaken. But pretty sure she's dead.

So what happened? Heart attack? Stroke? Opinions, please.

By the way, this is a common New Hampshire Red. We now have one more like her, plus two Rhode Island Reds. They are just plain ol' chickens, bought from the general store. Nothing special...except to me.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

A few weeks ago one of our hens was badly ill with vent gleet. I bathed her and applied Monistat for 4 days, gave her water from a dropper, and tried to get her to eat, but ultimately she died.

Today I noticed another hen acting lethargic, as the first one had been, and she had that nasty poopy butt like the other one. So I decided to clean her up and put some Monistat on her. I prepared a warm bath with a little Dawn in it. She wasn't as amenable as the first one had been, but primarily because she wasn't as sick as the first one. She flapped around a bit, but I easily and gently controlled her. I'm somewhat accustomed to handling the hens, and they all are very comfortable with me.

Once I got her cleaned up, I placed her on a towel on my lap and began drying her a little bit. Then I went to put the Monistat in her vent, and I saw a big bulge extending out of the vent. At the same time, the hen went completely limp, her head flopping down. She died. I have tried in vain to see any sign of life, and I've laid her in the coop for a while to be sure I'm not mistaken. But pretty sure she's dead.

So what happened? Heart attack? Stroke? Opinions, please.

By the way, this is a common New Hampshire Red. We now have one more like her, plus two Rhode Island Reds. They are just plain ol' chickens, bought from the general store. Nothing special...except to me.

I'm sorry for your loss

Unfortunately, without a necropsy there's no way to know for sure what happened.

A large bulge extending out of the vent sounds like a prolapse, but without seeing it, it's hard to know. Chickens can have heart attacks, stroke or a hidden internal laying/reproductive disorder that suddenly takes them out.

I wish I had better answers for you. If you do have another that passes, then you may want to send the body in for necropsy, this will give you some information on the cause.

I think all chickens are special regardless of where they come from, I'm very sorry and hope the rest of your flock remains healthy.