She just died! WHY?

[countrygirl4513]

Last night I went to close up the babes and noticed my Light Brahma hen was missing. Went to find her and I did, in the barn DEAD! Flat on her back, feet in the air.No wounds or anything like that. Her body was still warm so it had to have happened a couple of hours earlier. I can't figure what happened. I checked her all over, no blood,or injuries, her crop didn't have any knots or anything. It's like she just died.

She was a healthy hen, good egg layer and now she is gone. What in the world could have been the problem. I've read threads where others have had this happen but I never figured it would happen to my babes. After 2 dog attacks I'm down from 25 babes to 9!!! And now this!!!What a waste!!

I was so hoping we had seen the end to all this death and now the unknown comes along. I just hope it isn't anything the other babes could get. Any one got any ideas?

 

[Lothiriel]

It might be Sudden Death Syndrome. I looked it up on a Chicken Illness Flowchart that I have and it says that they'll die and be on their backs with their feet in the air. It's usually caused by an elecrolyte imbalance, or might be heat related. Hope this helps, or, if it doesn't, that you'll find out why!(I'm not an expert

) I'm not sure if it is contagious, but if it is a syndrome, then probably not. (I hope none of your others die or get taken! I can identify with that! Two of ours died, 3 were taken by a fox, one almost got eaten by it but we rescued it literally from the fox's mouth, and then she died. So I know how sad it can be. :|)

 

[countrygirl4513]

Thanks for the imput. My babes are freeranged and have access to water and cool places to chill out. So I don't believe it was heat related. The only thing I noticed a day or so ago, was that her comb was not as bright as it had been. She had been laying for about 3 weeks now. Not sick at all, eating, drinking, playing, all that good stuff. It's awful cuz her boyfriend is lost with out her. They were stuck like glue to each other. I'm beginning to loose hope that they would re-populate after all the dog attacks. I didn't want to buy anymore chicks with cold weather just around the corner. I was hoping to leave that to the hens. But it looks like I'm increasingly losing my flock!!!

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

Sorry for the loss, RCG

 

[jjthink]

So sorry for the poor hen, and for her roo (I have had this very situation - hen dying, roo lost without her, and it's miserable). So sorry also for all your prior troubles. Hope it gets better from here forward. JJ