Possible Hock Abscess

[darkbrahmamama]

I lost one of my hens last week, & I'm trying to find answers as to why.

It started when I went to clean their stall, & noticed that she was in the corner & there were two other hens near her. The other two moved, she didn't. I thought she was dead then, but she was barely alive, & when I picked her up she had a lot of diluted blood around her one leg. I thought she just had a bad wound, so I cleaned it, wrapped it, & hoped she'd make it through the night. She was still alive the next morning, but hadn't ate nor drank. When I went to change her bandage her hock was swollen, reminding me of a hoof abscess on a horse. I put drawing salve on the padding, wrapped her back up, & she died seconds later.

She didn't show any signs of being sick or hurt before this, she ate & drank fine. I know that an answer can't be given for every death, but I'm hoping to get some ideas in case it's something I can prevent in the future. I've managed to heal one broken leg, one egg bound, & an impacted crop, & a few sour crops ..... but I guess we can't save them all.