Stroke?

[KrisPorterFarm]

I just buried another hen today. I went out to check the flock again after letting them free range before supper. Dixie was fine, free ranging and dust bathing with the other girls. I did not see her get into anything that would be bad for her. She stayed close to the coop. When I checked on them the other girls were getting a last drink or bite to eat. Most were already up on their roosting bars. She was laying down by the waterer, panting. It is not hot here yet. I brought her out into the yard and she just laid there. She started to list to the side. She seemed to seize for a bit and was scratching at her head. Her pupils were blown and she was stretching her legs out. I was sitting there beside her as she passed. Her comb was normal color. She didn't seem to be choking on anything. Could this be a stroke? I had another hen do almost the same thing a month ago. They don't have symptoms of parasites, external or internal. They all get Kalmbach flock maintainer and free feed oyster shell. I change their water regularly and clean the coop often. I am at a loss as to what this could be. She was a Colombian Wyandotte and would have been 2 in September. Her flock mate Louise was a Dominique and the same age. I am hoping it was just a fluke or congenital and not something that is a danger to the rest of my flock. All were vaccinated for Mareks.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Is there any farm machinery on the property that might be leaking oil or hydraulic fluid or anything like that? If the chickens graze on grass that's been contaminated, or dust bathe under machinery like that, they could get toxified (is that a word?) and suffer seizures and death.

 

[KrisPorterFarm]

Is there any farm machinery on the property that might be leaking oil or hydraulic fluid or anything like that? If the chickens graze on grass that's been contaminated, or dust bathe under machinery like that, they could get toxified (is that a word?) and suffer seizures and death.

We have a tractor but it is away from their coop. They are never around it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We have a tractor but it is away from their coop. They are never around it.

That's good. I can't think of anything else, except to call on the experts:
@azygous
@Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive

 

[azygous]

Two is very young, but reproductive crises can hit at any age, and that may be a possible cause of death. In spite of available oyster shell, some hens may not be absorbing the calcium in adequate amounts. Low blood calcium can set up a domino effect and cause abnormal ovulation, leading to egg binding, and when two back to back eggs are involved, heart attack can occur when the hen's body draws on the last calcium in her blood to try to build a shell.

It's tragic but happens quite often.

 

[KrisPorterFarm]

Two is very young, but reproductive crises can hit at any age, and that may be a possible cause of death. In spite of available oyster shell, some hens may not be absorbing the calcium in adequate amounts. Low blood calcium can set up a domino effect and cause abnormal ovulation, leading to egg binding, and when two back to back eggs are involved, heart attack can occur when the hen's body draws on the last calcium in her blood to try to build a shell.

It's tragic but happens quite often.

Thanks. I haven't heard of that. Dixie and Louise both had similar symptoms, about a month apart. They went down and couldn't walk. Both were dead within 30 minutes of me finding them and were acting normal earlier in the day. I am sad to lose 2 good laying hens but I don't think I could have prevented this from happening.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Two is very young, but reproductive crises can hit at any age, and that may be a possible cause of death. In spite of available oyster shell, some hens may not be absorbing the calcium in adequate amounts. Low blood calcium can set up a domino effect and cause abnormal ovulation, leading to egg binding, and when two back to back eggs are involved, heart attack can occur when the hen's body draws on the last calcium in her blood to try to build a shell.

It's tragic but happens quite often.

Thanks, @azygous, I think I see the handwriting on the wall for one of my pullets. I keep getting "rubber" or completely shell-less eggs, sometimes two or more in a day. I've switched the flock from all-flock to layer feed temporarily even though there's calcium freely available. This has been going on for weeks, since they started laying, and I think I know who it is but I'm not positive yet.

 

[Eggcessive]

Getting a necropsy by your state vet on a body is the best way to determine the cause of death. If you can witness who is laying a rubber egg, you can treat them with calcium citrate with vitamin D 300-600mg once a day for up to 7 days. If that doesn’t help, there may be a problem with the shell gland in the oviduct. Sorry for your loss.