She just died! :-\

[Dianekw]

This morning I took my 5 month old rooster to be processed cuz I dont have enough hens for a second rooster and my 1 1/2 year old roo is a sweetheart, so he stays. When I went into the run to get the extra boy, everyone was fine, healthy, happy, ok...maybe a little freaked out cuz I took the roo-boy out and put him in a box to take to the local farm for processing, but otherwise everyone looked great. That was at 8am. I ran some errands after dropping him off, and ended up being out for a bit, so it was about 1:30pm by the time I went back out to the coop to see if things were calmer without the little teeny-bopper with the raging hormones(he'd been harrassing everyone for the last couple weeks). When I stepped into the run, the chickens were all a bit high strung...extra edgy. I opened the coop door and there was Charlotte...on the coop floor, upside down, on her back with her legs stretched out and beak pointing pretty much straight in the opposite direction(think "rubber chicken"...that was the pose she was in). Her body was mostly cold and very stiff, just a tiny bit of warmth left under her wings, so I'm guessing she'd been there for at least an hour or so? I thoroughly checked her...no signs of attack, no blood, no feathers destroyed/plucked/wet, no lumps no bumps. She did seem fairly skinny, but I know she's been eating. I cant imagine what could have happened! Help? Our coop/run is completely predator proof...the fort knox of coops...our friend and my husband built it to my specs after MUCH research, and they both thought I was nuts with all the "overkill". Anyway...she was only 1 1/2 years old, still laying eggs, though molting lightly, and hadn't laid in a week and a half, which is why I suspected maybe eggbound, but she hadn't been walking funny or acting wierd or anything, and I couldn't feel any lumps or bumps anywhere on her belly or near her vent. I wish I had seen what happened, cuz the way she was lying there, it LOOKED like she did one of those cartoon death acts...stiffen up completely and fall over backwards, lying flat on her back with legs stuck straight out(down). Could she have had a heart attack? this young? Could it have traumatized her THAT much to see the Roo leave? She saw the last two roos go(last year...when she was about 6 months old), and didn't seem to have a problem then. Any ideas? The whole flock saw me take her out of the coop and it completely freaked them out to see her lifeless body...took about an hour before they calmed down and came near me(did they think *I* killed her???). Poor babies! This is the first chicken(in my 3 1/2 year chicken career ;-) ) that died not as a result of being an extra roo, so *I*m a bit traumatized too. :-\

 

[Ebony Rose]

First, I wish to express my opinion that your hen did NOT die of a broken heart because you got rid of the randy hormonal cockerel. For the most part, unless you only have two birds, the remaining birds in the flock aren't as much concerned over the absentee; they're just glad it isn't THEM.
That said, without a necropsy done at your state lab, you may never know the exact reason. A DIY necropsy at home may provide the answers if she died of disease. This would involve processing her as if you were going to prepare her for your freezer, but paying very close attention to her internal organs; how they look, where they're positioned, the odor. Both would require that you either perform the necropsy immediately (for DIY), or REFRIGERATE (not freeze) her body, to send off to the lab or perform the necropsy at a later date. Without an internal examination of her remains the following is merely speculation, and merely possible reason(s) for her passing.
You indicate that she was going through a soft molt, and that she'd not laid an egg in over a week. It is possible that she was laying internally, which may have caused egg yolk peritonitis [really bad news].
Was she of a high-yield (egg) breed, such as production red, etc.? These types of hens are notorious for having reproductive diseases and often seemingly 'drop dead' due to the infection caused by their disorder. There are several diseases that fit into this category.

 

[azygous]

Chickens can die suddenly with no warning. This is why it's a good idea to do a postmortem (necropsy) on the body right afterward. Most often you will discover the reason the chicken died.

Were the chickens given anything to eat that was chunky and may have gotten stuck in her airway? Once I was feeding my flock cherry tomatoes and suddenly an older hen began to race around in a panic, then she keeled over. I ran to her and shook her and the tomato popped out of her throat. If I hadn't been there, she would have choked to death.

Sometimes when a young chicken dies it's due to genetic issues catching up to them such as underdeveloped organs, heart, lungs.

 

[blackandtan]

I empathize with you! It is not uncommon for a chicken to die suddenly, heart failure is often suspected but it can only be confirmed with a necropsy. Myself, I doubt that removing the roo caused undue stress.

 

[Dianekw]

First, I wish to express my opinion that your hen did NOT die of a broken heart because you got rid of the randy hormonal cockerel. For the most part, unless you only have two birds, the remaining birds in the flock aren't as much concerned over the absentee; they're just glad it isn't THEM.
That said, without a necropsy done at your state lab, you may never know the exact reason. A DIY necropsy at home may provide the answers if she died of disease. This would involve processing her as if you were going to prepare her for your freezer, but paying very close attention to her internal organs; how they look, where they're positioned, the odor. Both would require that you either perform the necropsy immediately (for DIY), or REFRIGERATE (not freeze) her body, to send off to the lab or perform the necropsy at a later date. Without an internal examination of her remains the following is merely speculation, and merely possible reason(s) for her passing.
You indicate that she was going through a soft molt, and that she'd not laid an egg in over a week. It is possible that she was laying internally, which may have caused egg yolk peritonitis [really bad news].
Was she of a high-yield (egg) breed, such as production red, etc.? These types of hens are notorious for having reproductive diseases and often seemingly 'drop dead' due to the infection caused by their disorder. There are several diseases that fit into this category.

She was not a high production breed, though she WAS a good producer. She was a cross between an EE roo and a Buff Orp hen...so...kind of a mutt. Her eggs were a beautiful olive green, but not terribly big...I think she got up to about a medium.

She's been disposed of, so cant do a necropsy...not sure I'd know what looked/smelled "normal" even if I did want to cut her open, and I'm dont want to spend the money on a "formal investigation" ;-) Thanks for the "possible reasons"...that's really all I'm looking for...I'm pretty sure she wasn't sick(I've seen the subtle "not feeling so great" cues in my Roo...twice when he was going through some stuff)...this was pretty sudden.

 

[Kiki]

I am sorry for your loss.


What exactly do you feed your flock on a daily basis?

 

[Dianekw]

I am sorry for your loss.


What exactly do you feed your flock on a daily basis?

I give them 20% protein layer pellets(free choice in big feeders all over the coop and run...4 of em, so no bullying issues). I also give em scratch(a mix of corn, wheat, oat, sunflower, peas, safflower, milo, an a bunch of supplements...it's called VitaMix Gold Gamemix). Then I also toss handfulls of dried mealworms into the run for more protein. They get fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen, but not a ton, and nothing on the "dont feed this to chickens" lists you see everywhere. On rare occasions they get a little bread or cooked rice, but only a slice or two(or about a cup/rice) to split between a dozen of em so it's really just a taste for each...nowhere near 10% of their food intake.

 

[Kiki]

I give them 20% protein layer pellets(free choice in big feeders all over the coop and run...4 of em, so no bullying issues). I also give em scratch(a mix of corn, wheat, oat, sunflower, peas, safflower, milo, an a bunch of supplements...it's called VitaMix Gold Gamemix). Then I also toss handfulls of dried mealworms into the run for more protein. They get fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen, but not a ton, and nothing on the "dont feed this to chickens" lists you see everywhere. On rare occasions they get a little bread or cooked rice, but only a slice or two(or about a cup/rice) to split between a dozen of em so it's really just a taste for each...nowhere near 10% of their food intake.

My guess would be that she could have died from Fatty Liver disease.
It seems like you feed a lot of treats which can lead to being over weight quick.
This is just a guess but this is all too common.

I highly recommend you stop feeding all of these extras and if you feel the need to continue some treats to limit them to once a week and only a tablespoon full amount per bird.

Feeding ONLY a complete balanced poultry feed really is better for the health of your birds.

 

[glassdragonfly]

Sorry for the loss of your hen. No warning no signs,I would think heart failure.

 

[microchick]

I've read that when they die looking as you put it 'a rubber chicken', flat on their backs, legs in the air, it's from a heart attack. Chickens like humans and other animals can have heart defects that lead to sudden death.

Please don't think that removing the feathered hormone from the flock upset them. Sometimes they just die. Chickens are very good at hiding the fact that they are sick. In the wild, sick=dead as in some other wild animal's lunch.Once they get to the point where we notice they are ill, often it's too late to help them.

Have to agree about Buff O's tho. They pork on the weight easily. When I had them I had to put my girls on a diet, and even then when I had the older hens butchered, they had more fat under their skin then I would have suspected they had.