I talked to the vet yesterday. He said the physical exam of my rooster was fine. He said he scored great, with a little irritation in the trachea and lungs. He said it wasn't bad, however. They run the labs down at Virginia Tech, and they'll be in by the end of the week.
For the good news, my other hen got off the roost, yesterday, and was perked up slightly. Today, she was eating and drinking this morning when I went out with them. She was even the second one over for treats. When I got home, she was not isolating herself and she was eating grass with the others when I let them out of the run. She's still moving a bit slower than normal, but seems to be on the mend. She even pecked at one of the hens that got too close to her green bean.
Since she is getting better, and the labs should tell me what was wrong, I didn't end up doing the necropsy. I kept the dead hen cold, in case I needed to do it, but since the other hen is feeling better, my kids wanted to bury her instead.
My hen that died had gone broody every month since March. We broke her of it with a broody cage, every time, but she may have been a little weaker because of that.
Thank you for your help with this. It's been a rough week in the coop for sure.
