Sudden death of a hen

[Helloworld]

I have had birds (other types just getting into quail) look healthy and do that. Everything from chickens to parrots. Just hearing the evidence I would say her heart have out cause of her age. Looking at the facts.
She was in a secure place with no evidence of foul play ( chicks still in good shape) no evidence of disease ( again chicks were in good condition) and soft area where she could not have hurt herself. Seems likely it was her time. Sorry for your loss.

Yep... we all have a date. She was surrounded by her kids and happy. Perfect ending! I am sorry she left you so sudden. Looks like her legend will carry on in her peeps!

 

[MissChick@dee]

You could do a necropsy. I’m one to want to know why. If your not able send her to the state lab.
I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s awful to loose any. But when it happens so out of the blue it’s just harder. I pray you find peace. It sounds as if she had a wonderful life. Best wishes

 

[Silverbird99]

Sudden can come from some type of poison, plant or otherwise.
She is pretty old but I would think if age played a factor she would not be hatching out babies.
And what type of chicken is she?


BTW... I recently lost a chicken like this. All happy at bfast and by lunch dead. Necropsy showed she ate a scorpion.

She was a King Quail. I should've specified that in the original post sorry

 

[Silverbird99]

I couldn't see any signs of poisoning. Nor is there anything around where I live and where I keep them that would. Unless something got into the aviary while she was still outside but I would've thought some of my others would have gone as well. Are there any poisons that take a long time to act? She was inside two days before she died

 

[Silverbird99]

My guess would be age.

She may have been fine, but when she hatched her chickens they might have been enough just to finish her off. Sorry for your loss.

On another note i wouldn't try to put the chickens in with another hen, high risk of the hen killing them, unless you have another hen that is broody that has been on the nest for a week. (Not with chicks)

I do. I've done it successfully before with a hen that already had chicks and the other mother just wanted nothing to do with them. Most of my quails are the cinnamon colour and they have a completely different temperament to the normal and silver ones. Might stick with the brooder though anyway

 

[Silverbird99]

Yep... we all have a date. She was surrounded by her kids and happy. Perfect ending! I am sorry she left you so sudden. Looks like her legend will carry on in her peeps!

Hopefully! Her chicks look like they're going to grow up just like her. If they're girls that is.

 

[Saaniya]

One of my girls hatched a couple chicks the other day. They were all happy in a playpen I set up for them, she's a beautiful bird and was a great mother. Successfully hatched a dozen last year. I went out today to check on her and her bubs and she had died. Usually when one of my birds dies and crosses the rainbow bridge, I can determine a cause but this time I have no idea.

She was in a playpen, just her and her chicks, that has soft mesh walls and a mesh roof so it can't be a broken neck or head trauma from bouncing after being startled. She wasn't egg bound and there was no blood or evidence of any foul play. It was like she had just laid down and died. The room wasn't cold, and there are no stressful factors in or around it. I've used it successfully for years for sick or injured birds and mothers. Unfortunately it happened overnight so I didn't actually see it happen. She had been dead for awhile when I found her this morning.

Her chicks are both fine, just a little upset. I've moved them into a brooder for now until I can see if I can get one of my other girls to foster them. Does anyone have any ideas about what happened to the mum?

I feel for her an you buddy
I can understand your loss and m sorry for it

Well, heart attack can be a reason after I read your words like she lay down and go in her forever sleep

Happens mostly with hens who are heavyweight breeds or on high energy feed
What u feed her?

I suspect cognitive heart failure is going on with ur beautiful bird I'm so sorry

 

[Silverbird99]

You could do a necropsy. I’m one to want to know why. If your not able send her to the state lab.
I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s awful to loose any. But when it happens so out of the blue it’s just harder. I pray you find peace. It sounds as if she had a wonderful life. Best wishes

I've already buried her unfortunately. I'm not even sure there is a lab around here that would do it on her for me. I'll have to look into it if another one passes but I'm hoping not. With any luck it was just age

 

[Silverbird99]

I feel for her an you buddy
I can understand your loss and m sorry for it

Well, heart attack can be a reason after I read your words like she lay down and go in her forever sleep

Happens mostly with hens who are heavyweight breeds or on high energy feed
What u feed her?

I suspect cognitive heart failure is going on with ur beautiful bird I'm so sorry

I feed them a 24% protein game bird mix powdered and mixed with a budgie seed. I've been feeding them it for years and this was the first death like it.

 

[Saaniya]

I feed them a 24% protein game bird mix powdered and mixed with a budgie seed. I've been feeding them it for years and this was the first death like it.

Game Bird mix usually build high energy as that feed designed for game birds maybe she can't tolerate that much high energy
I've read that when hen hatch eggs it takes so much energy ..

My condolence with u