Sudden death of chicken

[PeterB94]

Hi.
Would anyone be able to hazard a guess as to why my chicken died based off the picture please ?

I know there could be a million reasons but it came as a shock as she was healthy (seemingly) the day before.
I checked body and there was no injuries or egg bound.

Thank you

 

[DAjuanBird]

Depending on where you live. They might have eaten something poisonous. I know it sucks and hate loosing chickens. If it was missing feathers on its underside it might have had an infection. Keep an eye on your other chickens if they are sneezing or coughing or just not as active as they are there might be a sickness going around.

 

[Loving my girls]

Hi and sorry for your loss,
From the picture there seems to be a bald patch. At the top of the bald patch it appears a little yellow ? Perhaps some injury that has gone nasty ?
Hugz

 

[PeterB94]

Hi both, thanks for replying.
The bald patch is something all my chickens have as they peck at each other whilst they are dust bathing for some reason.
Tried all sorts to stop it, to no avail.
The was no wound visible.

Just one of those things I guess.

 

[coach723]

There are so many variables. How old was she? Do you know when she last laid? Any abdominal bloat? How was her weight? Any known diseases in your flock? Variables in feed, housing, etc. that we can't know from here. When a bird dies of an unknown cause, getting a necropsy is the best way to know for sure. You are correct, there are numerous possibilities.

 

[Bawkbok]

It's devastating to lose a chicken. I'm sorry for your loss. We had a young pullet die suddenly after only having her a month (purchased at 9 weeks of age). As in your case, "normal" at coop time but the next day behavior was odd. no visible signs of illness (no leakage anywhere), no crop issues, vent clean and open and no injuries. Throughout the day, lethargy increased and self isolation. By evening she was gone. I initially suspected Marek's disease as the breeder did not vaccinate, or coccidia but the other hens were fine. Could be a bad heart as more experienced chicken owners surmised in our case. Happens quickly. I'm learning there are "mystery" diseases and many times we will never know what has occurred. Frustrating for sure. As coach723 mentioned, a necropsy is the only way to know for sure, unless you dissect the bird yourself and try to investigate root cause.

 

[coach723]

I do most of my own necropsies. Those allow you to look for obvious things, liver abnomalities, blood clots where they shouldn't be, tumors or cancerous lesions, reproductive infections and cancers, internal laying, obvious organ abnormalities, etc. For some viral or bacterial causes having a professional necropsy done provides labs which can identify those. If I started losing multiple birds and my necropsy was inconclusive, or appeared to be something I really need to identify exactly, I would send off for a professional one.

 

[Bawkbok]

I do most of my own necropsies. Those allow you to look for obvious things, liver abnomalities, blood clots where they shouldn't be, tumors or cancerous lesions, reproductive infections and cancers, internal laying, obvious organ abnormalities, etc. For some viral or bacterial causes having a professional necropsy done provides labs which can identify those. If I started losing multiple birds and my necropsy was inconclusive, or appeared to be something I really need to identify exactly, I would send off for a professional one.

Wow, coach, that's awesome. I don't think I could stomach it myself nor would I know what I was looking at to identify issues. Is there a reference book or something you can recommend that would supply that information? Thank you

 

[coach723]

I can tell you, that years ago I did my first necropsy on a beloved bird, and I cried the entire time. It was difficult, no lie. But I really wanted to know what had happened to her. I've done many since then, it does get easier. I kind of feel like it's the last gift they give to me and their flock mates, information that may help me in the care of the others down the road. It can also bring peace of mind in some cases, that it's not something that is going to affect any others.
Here are some links to get you started in learning. The most important thing I've found, have a box with the equipment you use that is ready, so you can just grab it when you need it. And take your time. If you become overwhelmed, walk away for a few minutes to gather yourself and relax. At that point it is NOT an emergency, you have time. And take pictures, lots of them. Then if you have questions, you have pictures to show what you saw. There are many people here who will look at necropsy pictures and tell you what they think based on their own experience. You can do a search to see other necropsy pictures that others have posted, and see the comments and questions they generated. You can learn a LOT. I still learn a LOT from what others post here.

 

[Bawkbok]

That's incredible information; thank you for sharing. I wish we would have had this months ago - along with knowing about this site. (I'm new here in addition to being a new first time chicken momma). It's folks like you that drew me here, willing to help and advise and share. I printed the docs for future reference and will keep in our emergency medical tote. Hopefully, we will never need to reference them but that is probably not a realistic expectation.