diamondsilkies
Songster
Hi everyone,
This morning I went out to check the chickens and found one of my serama girls dead in the coop. I know that there truly is no way to know how she died without a necropsy, but I am unable to get one right now. The circumstances of her death seem very mysterious to me, so I would appreciate any brainstorming. I am also curious if anyone has experienced something similar.
She was just a little over a year old, eating organic layer pellets with the occasional treat. This week their treats consisted of watermelon rinds and some slightly overripe pears/apples (I took out all the apple seeds). Had access to calcium and grit. She went broody on Monday, as she tends to do, but was an easy one to break, so she spent just a little over a day in the nest. Her crop was full when she went to bed last night and she roosted in her usual spot with everyone else. The only thing I noticed about her this week was that her comb was slightly pale, but that's not uncommon during this time of year, because of the heat. When I noticed her pale comb, I gave her a quick check over. She seemed alert, a good weight and appetite, and had no signs of external parasites. It's warm, but not quite hot enough to make me suspect heat exhaustion. I haven't seen any unusual droppings in the coop, either. I don't let them free range without supervision, due to a large number of predators in my area, but have been very busy this week and wasn't able to let them out. So no chance of her eating something she wasn't supposed to. Everyone else seems just fine.
The weirdest thing about her death is the way she was positioned. She was laying perfectly on her side, only one wing slightly splayed. It looked like she was standing and then just literally flopped over on her side and died. The coop is very predator-proof, and there were no signs of external trauma.
Again, I realize that only a necropsy will give me an exact answer, but would appreciate any speculation, in case there's something I haven't thought of. Normally I would just chalk it up to the fact that some chickens just die without warning, but her weird laying down position is making me feel that something may be off here. Am I just overthinking? My chickens have been my main source of entertainment during quarantine, so perhaps that's why this one is bugging me so much. Thanks for any insight you have.
This morning I went out to check the chickens and found one of my serama girls dead in the coop. I know that there truly is no way to know how she died without a necropsy, but I am unable to get one right now. The circumstances of her death seem very mysterious to me, so I would appreciate any brainstorming. I am also curious if anyone has experienced something similar.
She was just a little over a year old, eating organic layer pellets with the occasional treat. This week their treats consisted of watermelon rinds and some slightly overripe pears/apples (I took out all the apple seeds). Had access to calcium and grit. She went broody on Monday, as she tends to do, but was an easy one to break, so she spent just a little over a day in the nest. Her crop was full when she went to bed last night and she roosted in her usual spot with everyone else. The only thing I noticed about her this week was that her comb was slightly pale, but that's not uncommon during this time of year, because of the heat. When I noticed her pale comb, I gave her a quick check over. She seemed alert, a good weight and appetite, and had no signs of external parasites. It's warm, but not quite hot enough to make me suspect heat exhaustion. I haven't seen any unusual droppings in the coop, either. I don't let them free range without supervision, due to a large number of predators in my area, but have been very busy this week and wasn't able to let them out. So no chance of her eating something she wasn't supposed to. Everyone else seems just fine.
The weirdest thing about her death is the way she was positioned. She was laying perfectly on her side, only one wing slightly splayed. It looked like she was standing and then just literally flopped over on her side and died. The coop is very predator-proof, and there were no signs of external trauma.
Again, I realize that only a necropsy will give me an exact answer, but would appreciate any speculation, in case there's something I haven't thought of. Normally I would just chalk it up to the fact that some chickens just die without warning, but her weird laying down position is making me feel that something may be off here. Am I just overthinking? My chickens have been my main source of entertainment during quarantine, so perhaps that's why this one is bugging me so much. Thanks for any insight you have.
