Random Death of One Chicken

[PbBurnell]

We had gotten home and I checked on the hens. We had five of them and they were perfectly normal and all came running up to me. I collected four eggs (we could tell that the araucana hadn't laid yet) and left after giving them a random worm I found under a rock. About an hour (or a little less) later, my son ran in the house screaming that Dumbell (one of our two white-laced wyandottes) was dead. I investigated and the chicken was on the ground with dirt on its feathers. It was warm but without a heartbeat, showed no signs of blood or visible wounds and didn't have a broken neck. Next to its head though was the door latch we use to close out backyard enclosure. It is 18 In. high and six In. wide. It was about two pounds. We aren't exactly sure what happened because since she didn't have a broken neck and was around 11 months old. Is it possible she had a heart attack or a concussion of some sort? We don't have anything in their environment that would suggest that she was poisoned other than the worm, which shouldn't matter since it isn't a toxic food for them.

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, I am so sorry for your loss. It is always difficult to know with sudden death. Certainly it could have been a heart attack, but ya just never know for certain.

Again, I am sorry for your loss.

 

[RBurgess]

I don't know how old your son is, but I will relate my experience of another dead hen to you, and perhaps that will be pertinent to your situation, perhaps not. My then four year old son was playing in the backyard and came in to me saying, "Betty (my favorite Rhode Island Red hen) is dead, Mom, I just found her there." Well, closer examination and a few questions later revealed that my playful son had actually SAT on Betty until she had suffocated! He was not a bad child, just without understanding of what that would do to the gentle creature. Once the deed was done, he of course felt he had to lie to cover his tracks. My point is, the obvious answer is sometimes not the answer. In our case, we had to probe a bit to get the truth from our son. I hope that yours is a mere case of natural death for your dear hen. Good luck!