I haven't been on here since October. My husband and I had a HUGE rescue on October 14th, a park was shutting down and they were already starting construction, draining their pond and they have over 60 ducks that had no place to go. So Will and I went out there in the middle of the night, in complete darkness, with all kinds of construction equipment and debris, and we managed to get all the Muscovy ducks out and safe. The mallards flew off. We rehomed all the Muscovies. So I felt we did a really good deed and I was quite proud.
Well, the next day I was giving my indoor chickens a treat, left over pancakes from McDonald's from that morning. Half an hour later, I found Neelix dead in one of the bedrooms. He was still warm but clearly gone and rigor mortis has already set in. I screamed and begged my husband to do CPR on him. He was my baby!
Neelix was my very first pet chicken. We got him at a garden center for Easter 2007. He went EVERYWHERE with us and he slept on the bed. He has big and gentle and a total sweetheart! He was only 3 1/2 years old! He has NEVER been sick, and the only time he's been to the vet was to get his spurs trimmed.
Now, running a rescue, we do lose a few. But Neelix was different. He was MY one and only. And I can't get over losing him and it's driving me crazy. We had him cremated.
But here is my question. He died on a Friday, and so we had to hold on to him till Monday to take him to Heaven't Pets. Monday when I picked him up, all this bloody water came out of his mouth and nose, when I pressed on his crop, more bloody water came out. We have had others die and never had bloody water come out of their crop. I called my vet to see if I could bring him in for a necropsy, but he said that since I didn't have him in the fridge, he wouldn't be able to tell what he died of because of decomposition. So I'll never know what he died from. He was acting normal, crowing, chasing me, always answered when I called his name. So how does a perfectly healthy rooster go from being himself one minute and dead the next?
I'm really devastated, there's this huge hole in my heart and I just can't stop crying. I have so many other chickens, but they're not Neelix. I joined this board right after I got him. I always lurked around but didn't start posting till recently. Can anyone help me figure out what he could have died from?
Well, the next day I was giving my indoor chickens a treat, left over pancakes from McDonald's from that morning. Half an hour later, I found Neelix dead in one of the bedrooms. He was still warm but clearly gone and rigor mortis has already set in. I screamed and begged my husband to do CPR on him. He was my baby!
Neelix was my very first pet chicken. We got him at a garden center for Easter 2007. He went EVERYWHERE with us and he slept on the bed. He has big and gentle and a total sweetheart! He was only 3 1/2 years old! He has NEVER been sick, and the only time he's been to the vet was to get his spurs trimmed.
Now, running a rescue, we do lose a few. But Neelix was different. He was MY one and only. And I can't get over losing him and it's driving me crazy. We had him cremated.
But here is my question. He died on a Friday, and so we had to hold on to him till Monday to take him to Heaven't Pets. Monday when I picked him up, all this bloody water came out of his mouth and nose, when I pressed on his crop, more bloody water came out. We have had others die and never had bloody water come out of their crop. I called my vet to see if I could bring him in for a necropsy, but he said that since I didn't have him in the fridge, he wouldn't be able to tell what he died of because of decomposition. So I'll never know what he died from. He was acting normal, crowing, chasing me, always answered when I called his name. So how does a perfectly healthy rooster go from being himself one minute and dead the next?
I'm really devastated, there's this huge hole in my heart and I just can't stop crying. I have so many other chickens, but they're not Neelix. I joined this board right after I got him. I always lurked around but didn't start posting till recently. Can anyone help me figure out what he could have died from?
