Mysterious death

[AlbionWood]

Welsummer rooster, about 9 months old, apparently healthy yesterday... today my wife found him stone-dead in a corner of the roosting shed. (Our chickens aren't cooped, they have a shed with roosts that they go in and out of freely. Their yard is fenced and hot-wired and has a fishing-line web overhead.) She isn't sure, but thinks she saw him out this morning; but if so, he didn't eat anything, as his crop was empty. She found him about 6:00 and he was quite stiff, though when I skinned him out, the meat was still warm. No visible wounds or blood on outside; comb and wattles look fine. The only possible injury I could find was a bloody spot on the back of his neck, as if something had struck him there without breaking the skin. I didn't investigate the innards, not wanting to deal with the smell and not really having any clue what to look for. The keel on his breastbone was quite crooked, I presume bad genetics.

Any ideas? Are Welsummers prone to sudden death? Anything I should watch for in the other chickens? (24 hens of several mixed heavy breeds, and one remaining Delaware rooster that I'd hate to lose!)

 

[peepnegg]

It sounds like you have a nice protected yard... Do you think it could have been something else like a snake? I have plenty of poisonous ones... and rats. Since it looks like you're in California it is probably warm enough for all the critters to be out. I know that I have one particular girl who is very dramatic. If something scares her she will take flight straight up into the ceiling or light in the hen house. Is there anything in the rooster shed he could have banged his head on or maybe fell on him? Good luck sorting it out.

Britta