Sick chicken

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry to hear

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She ended up dying

Very sorry.

That does look like a bit of blood on that egg. Poor girl! Chickens will hide what they are going through just as long as they possibly can so they don't become easy prey or a target for their own flock even. So by the time we can tell there is something wrong, it is often too late.

I'm pretty sure this was your first experience with illness, per your first post on this thread. Keeping chickens includes a learning curve, even after 6 or so years in for me. Her passing will not have been a waste... she has clued you in.. that when you see a lethargic bird, immediate action MUST be taken that does not include encouraging them to be energetic. I'm not saying that you did anything wrong at all! It's a learning process for all of us here. Yes, handling our first deceased bird can be a little traumatic. It's nice that you had somebody to help you.

I don't suspect what happened to your gal to be contagious, which would be good news. Necropsy is the only way to know for sure what happened if it's important to you. It cost $40 here in Ca. I didn't gather if you were planning to do that or not with the other person helping you or not... but I can provide links to help out if you are...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Your gal was a real beauty!

Reading back, I'm sorry if I sounded "snarky"... that wasn't my intent.

I have done that before too. You comment really wasn't too bad at all, more matter of fact... but so awesome that you are conscious of how it might have sounded and working to maintain a positive friendly BYC environment.

 

[Didi84]

Very sorry.

That does look like a bit of blood on that egg. Poor girl! Chickens will hide what they are going through just as long as they possibly can so they don't become easy prey or a target for their own flock even. So by the time we can tell there is something wrong, it is often too late.

I'm pretty sure this was your first experience with illness, per your first post on this thread. Keeping chickens includes a learning curve, even after 6 or so years in for me. Her passing will not have been a waste... she has clued you in.. that when you see a lethargic bird, immediate action MUST be taken that does not include encouraging them to be energetic. I'm not saying that you did anything wrong at all! It's a learning process for all of us here. Yes, handling our first deceased bird can be a little traumatic. It's nice that you had somebody to help you.

I don't suspect what happened to your gal to be contagious, which would be good news. Necropsy is the only way to know for sure what happened if it's important to you. It cost $40 here in Ca. I didn't gather if you were planning to do that or not with the other person helping you or not... but I can provide links to help out if you are...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Your gal was a real beauty!


I have done that before too. You comment really wasn't too bad at all, more matter of fact... but so awesome that you are conscious of how it might have sounded and working to maintain a positive friendly BYC environment.

I lost a couple of them when we got a bad cold spell her I bought in my house and keep her warm so she didn't have to be in with the other hens I tried to keep her alive

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I lost a couple of them when we got a bad cold spell her I bought in my house and keep her warm so she didn't have to be in with the other hens I tried to keep her alive

Sorry to hear that too.

Hang in there... chicken keeping does have some heart break involved. But hopefully for most people the joy can out weigh the sadness.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to support you. As cold or heartless as it sounds, the joy of bringing new life in... can quickly surpass the heavy emptiness left inside your heart. If you truly believe there was nothing contagious, maybe consider rebuilding your flock.

 

[Latestarter]

I have no idea where you're physically located so when you say "bad cold spell" I can't put numbers with it. I had a flock of over 30 chickens living in 2 unheated coops in Colorado and they survived spells with night temps of -20°f for over a week with no issues at all. They had lots of ventilation but some still developed frostbite on comb tips and toes, but none died from it.

Generally, when a chicken dies in cold conditions, it's NOT from the cold. It's something else that has caused it and they were too weak to survive the cold. So when this happens, most associate the death as due to cold when that's simply not the case. If it were cold enough to kill that bird, why not all the rest?

As ES4Life said, chickens, like most any animal, will try their hardest to hide any illness/weakness/injury to prevent being attacked or eaten. in the wild, only the strong survive. The weak get culled one way or another. You did everything you could to save her and many times, it's simply not enough... It's nothing you did wrong, or poorly, it's just that animal's time to go. Every living thing comes to that juncture at some point for whatever reason or due to whatever cause. It's never easy for those left behind asking "why"?

Hope you can take solace in the hens that remain with you, and maybe you can add to your flock and enjoy them as they grow and flourish.

 

[Didi84]

I have no idea where you're physically located so when you say "bad cold spell" I can't put numbers with it. I had a flock of over 30 chickens living in 2 unheated coops in Colorado and they survived spells with night temps of -20°f for over a week with no issues at all. They had lots of ventilation but some still developed frostbite on comb tips and toes, but none died from it.

Generally, when a chicken dies in cold conditions, it's NOT from the cold. It's something else that has caused it and they were too weak to survive the cold. So when this happens, most associate the death as due to cold when that's simply not the case. If it were cold enough to kill that bird, why not all the rest?

As ES4Life said, chickens, like most any animal, will try their hardest to hide any illness/weakness/injury to prevent being attacked or eaten. in the wild, only the strong survive. The weak get culled one way or another. You did everything you could to save her and many times, it's simply not enough... It's nothing you did wrong, or poorly, it's just that animal's time to go. Every living thing comes to that juncture at some point for whatever reason or due to whatever cause. It's never easy for those left behind asking "why"?

Hope you can take solace in the hens that remain with you, and maybe you can add to your flock and enjoy them as they grow and flourish.

I live in Pennsylvania and it has been down in the negatives for awhile. The coop is well ventilated and warm. In the spring I am going to get a couple of more hens

 

[Latestarter]

Just for future situations, please consider putting PA as your location in your profile. Doesn't give too much away but can really help folks if/when you need help again. If it's there, folks don't have to ask. Location adds so many factors/variables and can be really important to determining the answer. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks and best of luck moving forward.

 

[Latestarter]