My little girl died yesterday

[bonzomom]

I need some help please, I had 5 chicks 1 1/2 years old 3 sexlinks and 2 whites. We feed them a mixture of laying mess, grit, cracked corn and oyster shell. Plus we let them out in the yard a evening or 2 a week. They get fresh water daily black oil sunflower seeds and mixed fruit and vegies for treats. We clean there house out weekly and run out biweekly. So yesterday morning they all five where out and about and all five laid eggs too. Yesterday evening about 3;00 I went to check on them feed and water them. One red was in the house she was standing in the floor I took out the eggs and she came out onto the steps to go out of the house. I heard one little sneeze that was it. Then I noticed that her comb and face was a dark dark red almost purple color and she was kinda wheezing breathing through her mouth, then one only one of the white chickens ran over to her and jumped on her back and started to flog her around her head. I went into the run and got her tried to give her some water and placed her beside the water feeder the white chicken jumped her with me standing right there, I got her and put her in a dog house with water and feed and put a grate over the front so the white chicken could not peck her no more. I came back down to check on her in the dog house and she was sitting on the floor of the dog house still breathing through her mouth she had not drank or eat anything. We came back in about another hour to check on her again and she had died that fast. Has anyone had or heard of this happening before, how can a chicken go from being fine and laying an egg that morning to passing that evening. Please help me with this I am at a loss. Thank you Becky

 

[sourland]

She very likely died of a heart attack. The hen who attacked her saw an opportunity to improve her position in the pecking order so attacked because of the hen's weakened condition.

 

[FlyHigher]

Could it be Fowl Cholera?

 

[TeamChaos]

Yeah, I'm with Sourland. No symptoms beforehand and the rapid decline seem like it was something faulty in her mechanics rather and a disease process. The comb often turns blue when oxygen is compromised and hens will breathe with an open mouth when they are trying to get more air in or working against fluid/pressure in their body cavity. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[Ellochicken]

She was gasping for air, the purple on her face showed the lack of oxygen she was getting, and eventually she suffocated..... I know what it's like to loose a hen, and I feel your loss.

-Ellochicken

 

[casportpony]

I came back down to check on her in the dog house and she was sitting on the floor of the dog house still breathing through her mouth she had not drank or eat anything. We came back in about another hour to check on her again and she had died that fast. Has anyone had or heard of this happening before, how can a chicken go from being fine and laying an egg that morning to passing that evening. Please help me with this I am at a loss. Thank you Becky

Sorry to hear about your hen. I've never seen one lay an egg and die the same day, but I have seen a few do the blue/purple comb and gasping for air thing. Unfortunately, I've never been able to save one once they're at that point. And believe me, I've tried.

Where do you live? Here we have a state lab that does free necropsies on backyard poultry. I've sent off a few of mine and some from the local feed store and found the results to be very useful.

-Kathy
Gilroy, CA

 

[bonzomom]

I live in WV. I was just wondering if maybe she choked on something and I could not find it or see it. Thanks every one for you thoughts and concerns.