Second Hen dead

[shejay]

I need some ideas on what's going on with my hens. I found the second hen dead in the pen in the last month. My hens are almost a year old and look healthy(clear eyes, normal poo, active and eating). The pen shows no sign of a predator. Hen was not dismembered in any way. We do let them free range in the afternoons when we get home from work. I'm wondering if possibly some poisenous plants could be the culpret. We live in South Mississippi. This is my first group of hens and have not had any trouble up to this point. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[Mahonri]

Sometimes they'll just have a heart attack and die.

The only real way to know for sure is to call you county ag. agent and find out how to get a necropsy.... they'll examine your bird and send you a report.

 

[Renee]

I second Mahonri's suggestion: send her for a necropsy.

There is a good possibility it could be poisonous plants, fungus or botulism from compost or rotting vegetation, or snail or rat pellets. Have you checked their vent areas for lice? Is it possible they have developed a heavy load of roundworms? There are just so many things that go wrong with perfectly healthy-looking chickens.

Good luck.

 

[NotTheMomma]

I agree with the above posters. With two dead, I would want to know why. Many times this is free, so worth checking into.

I would also check the rest of my chicks. What age? Any signs of lice, or mites? How's the poop? Any signs of blood in ANY Of the poop? Any diarrhea? When were they wormed?

There's many things that can happen, and without a necropsy, you'll never truly know, and you might could save the rest of them.

I immediately think cocci, worms, and/or lice when they suddenly die, but those are only three of probably hundreds of reasons.

Do check the rest of your flock for the tiniest thing that is out of the norm. Chickens don't let you know they are ill until it's often too late. In the wild, if they showed weakness, other chicks would kill them, or they would become easy prey for predators..