One of our chickens died....

[luvmychicks79]

Hi, we just got our chicks last Aug. as day olds, my husband and I are new at raising chickens so we only got ten for a small flock. They started laying in Jan. Since it's been nice weather we've been letting them roam free around our farm.....they do have a nice run and coop also. This morning I went out to take care of them and one was dead!

It's a mystery to us, what are we suppose to do? I didn't want to check her over myself cause i'm 9 mo. pregnant (just in case..guess i'm paranoid) So my husband went out and took her out of the coop. I guess what I'm wondering is, if you find one dead what are you suppose to look for in the dead chicken? If she's egg bound? If she has cuts or scrapes from a predator? Are we suppose to do anything else like look at her eyes or nose? What do you do with the others? Do you just keep an eye out to make sure they don't start getting sick or something. Should we stop eating their eggs until we find the culprit? The others seem full of energy and like themselves.....?????? I don't know, any knowledge would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[schellie69]

look for any trauma, how was she acting before you found her. She could have just died of a heart attack. I know it sounds strange but it has happened. I hope you find out what happened. I know you could send her in for a necropsy that might help. You might call a few vets. I know some chicken owners do this themselves. Good luck. Sorry about your loss.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

You can check for any blood or injuries. If she was egg-bound, you wouldn't necessarily be able to tell after they are deceased. Whenever i have a chicken die of unknown causes, i take it to UC Davis for a necropsy. It's good to know what you might have in the way of diseases on your farm. They perform this service for free, with funding from the state. i got their name and address from my State Vet.

At the top of this topic there is a sticky that provides a link to all the State Vets. i would suggest calling yours to see if they have a resource to provide free or low cost necropsies. Here is your state vet:


WISCONSIN

Name: Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt
Title: State Veterinarian and
Administrator of the Division of Animal Health

Agency: Division of Animal Health
Department: Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 8911
Madison, WI 53708-8911

Office Address: 2811 Agriculture Dr.
Madison, WI 53708-8911

Office Telephone No: (608) 224-4880
Fax No: (608) 224-4871
E-mail : [email protected]

 

[luvmychicks79]

It was kind of strange, cause the other day after letting the chickens out I said to my hubby that one of the black hens wasn't really interracting as much with the others, she seemed to be kind of a loner that day. Then i said to him, maybe we should quarintine her...he didn't think there seemed to be anything off. Later that night she was back to herself, i've heard that chickens are good at hiding if they're not feeling well. Another thing that happened this wk. was I went out in the morning to feed, water, and let them out and their water bucket was tipped over. (We didn't use the normal waterer,over the winter, because it would freeze too easy) So I would give them fresh water morning and night in a icecream pail.....you don't suppose she could have accidently gotten water in her lungs from the bucket, do you??

 

[luvmychicks79]

Thank you both very much! I am going to do that...get the dead one checked out just because i want to make sure everything is safe. Thank you for the info!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i wouldn't think she would aspirate water from the bucket. If she did, you would be able to tell almost immediately. When chickens aspirate they will stretch their necks out and make a very strange sound.

If she was acting off, it could be any number of things. i had one chicken suddenly drop dead. On necropsy they found her liver ruptured. No real cause, it was just a genetic thing. Most illnesses will show themselves for at least a day or more before becoming critical. Something sudden like that could be a heart attack or stroke. Or she could have been egg bound, but you will generally see straining prior to it becoming urgent.

i think you will feel better getting a necropsy and knowing for sure. Do let us know what they find.

 

[kelidei]

I have lost a few under similar circumstances. One we think broke her neck. We found her laying headlong into the closed pop-door...we think she got spooked at night and ran right into the door... she had no visible injuries or signs of disease. Then we lost two during a long hot spell last summer... since they were all healthy, active and showed no signs of illness those were the best answers we could come up with. Sorry for your loss... the first one is the toughest... I know I felt like I had missed something... in the two years since I have just come to realize that sometimes chickens just die... they aren't the sturdiest of creatures. My motto...do the best you can to keep them safe and healthy and then love 'em while you got them