Sudden Chicken Death

[Ozark Momma]

We let our girls out to free range this morning. They followed me down to forage by the spring. All were pecking around as usual. Suddenly one of my Black Stars simply fell over, flopped around for a few seconds and was dead by the time I got over to her. She was 3 or 4 years old and a nearly daily layer. Her vent was clean, her color good, and no evidence of injury.
Any ideas as to what might have killed her? A heart attack?
Thank you.

 

[azygous]

It's impossible to say, but cutting the dead chicken open and examining the abdominal cavity and organs may give you some clues. Some things just pop out at you.

 

[Ozark Momma]

It's impossible to say, but cutting the dead chicken open and examining the abdominal cavity and organs may give you some clues. Some things just pop out at you.

Ozark Momma​

Chirping​

6 Years
Dec 29, 20152153
We have already disposed of the body, just in case. I didn't want to expose any of my ladies to a potential danger any longer than they already had. Thanx.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

Very sorry for your loss.

It impossible to say without a necropsy. There are threads on here that walk you through that and also labs that can do it if desired.

That's a decent age for sex linked type birds.. many of them will have tumors on their reproductive tract.

Heart attack is often blamed for sudden death. But kidney failure or fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome are not uncommon either.

Due to age and breed, I would suspect natural causes more than anything that is contagious. But if you want the lab to check in the future then refrigerating the body is recommended. All other birds will have already been exposed to anything she had, so refrigeration or dissection wouldn't actually increase exposure. Limiting exposure when possible is good thinking though.

Very sorry for your experience.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have witnessed chickens suddenly do exactly what you described. It happens to all ages and usually is not something contagious. But in the future if it happens, your state vet will perform a necropsy to look for a cause. I do them on any chickens I lose, just to look to see if the organs appear normal, and make sure there is nothing that looks unusual.

 

[Myrshine]

I’m so sorry for your loss, if you suddenly lose another, I suggest sending in the body for a necropsy right away because the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is going around and it can cause sudden death.

 

[theoldchick]

Terrible way to lose a hen. So sorry. There are so many things that can cause sudden death. Cardiac events, viral infections and so forth. Keep an eye on the rest of your flock, and as suggested, sending in a body for necropsy will give you the answer you see. Again, so sorry.

 

[Ozark Momma]

Thanks to all who responded to my query. So far the rest of the flock appears fine and production is abundant. That said, I am keeping a close watch over them.
Over the years my losses have almost always come from predators (coyote, hawks, raccoon...). I simply have never witnessed one of my girls keel over and die.
Thanks again.