Sudden Death in Hen (Fitting)

[hannahmaoo]

Hi All,

I have just this evening lost one of my hens and I am very unsure on the cause of her death
When we checked last night, she was not showing any signs of illness, yet I went down this afternoon and she was just sat there looking very unhappy.
I picked her up and checked her over, she had eaten some food but not a large amount as usual, her skin had a blue tinge and she had very shallow breathing. When I put her back down, she had no balance and just fell straight back over.
I went to get her a special treat to see if she would be able to eat that, but as I walked away, she had a huge fit (wings flapping everywhere and neck twisting in all directions), started frothing from the mouth and unfortunately passed away instantly.

Does anybody know of any illnesses that could cause this kind of death to a bird? It was such an awful thing to see and i'm so upset at the loss of one of our girls

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Lots of things.
Sudden death in mature birds from most common to least common.
Marek's, gout, colibacillosis, campylobacteriosis, ascites, lymphoid leucosis,
Fatty liver syndrome, streptococcosis, botulism, cholera, choking, pesticide poison.
Anaphylactic shock, listeriosis, erysipelas, malaria, bluecomb, aflatoxicosis, necrotic dermatitis.
Newcastle, influenza.

Don't overlook poisoning, bad food or gout.

How old are they and what have they been eating the last year or so?