Sudden Death Syndrome - Please Post Your Necropsy Findings

[Gezellige_Poes]

Last night, I suddenly lost Roan, my Red Dorking Bantam. She was only 3 months old. Just like so many similar accounts, she was perfectly healthy "one minute and gone the next." I can think of only one potentially applicable cause from the list of suspects: Heart failure/attack due to panic/fright/startling.

I was tending to a special needs diamond dove and several of my dogs had followed me into this aviary area, right next to Roan's coop. I thought nothing of the dogs being there, as my chickens are part of my dog pack. I have two disabled chickens who "cuddle puddle" sometimes with my dogs. While I always closely monitor and supervise interspecies interactions, esp. where there is a predatory "chain of command," did they cause Roan's death? My dogs often follow me around as I tend to my animals and they often pass right by Roan's coop. They follow quietly, without any ado, nothing threatening whatsoever, show no interest in chickens and bunnies along the way. But, this time? Did it startle Roan, maybe she had her back turned and was not expecting them? Did her heart register such intense alarm, however false it was, that it could no longer beat? This reminds me of sudden death in cotton tails. They can literally die from fright. I heard a commotion, rushed over, and picked her up just as she took her last breath. Attempts to revive her failed, I imagine her heart's last memory was one of fright and she was not ever going to respond to CPR. The other chickens in her coop, a Gray Dorking bantam (Rachel), 2 Mille Fleur D'Uccle bantams (Flo and Pepper Anne), and a Porcelain D'Uccle bantam (Sprout), all also 3 months old, stood perfectly still while cackling dismay and a resounding "Wut?!" as they witnessed their sister flutter wildly for a few seconds and die. Similarly, my dogs stood perfectly still with "Wut?!" written all over their faces. They retreated without commotion, not even a sound. They are used to things being peaceful and had no idea what to do with this chaotic event.

My mind instantly blamed my dogs. I mobilized them by ordering them away from the area. Now a day later, blaming the dogs does not add up, either. All they did was follow me quietly, their only "crime": walking past this coop.

The Internet has a seemingly endless supply of sites with stories and blogs and, and, and,... about sudden death in chickens, varying only in the number of things it "could be."

To the BYC audience, if you've lost a chicken to sudden death and had a necropsy done, could you post your findings here?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm so sorry you lost your Roan so suddenly and unexpectedly. Have you considered doing your own necropsy on her? Do you still have her body?

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

Thank you. I'm not comfortable doing my own necropsy. Roan is currently in my freezer. With this post, I'm looking to expand on the generalized lists on the Internet.

I recognize that a look internally would help determine the cause. For what it's worth, I did do a thorough physical exam and curing CPR, I gave mouth to mouth, no strange or putrid fluids/smells. No lumps or anything strange, perfect weight, crop, etc. She came from Meyer Hatchery as a 1-day old chick with her sisters, and all received the Merck's vaccine upon birth. All of them are inside, so have not been exposed to any of a long list of possible bacteria or pathogens they could encounter outside.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Okay. Once the body is frozen a necropsy cannot be done. Otherwise, if kept refrigedated or otherwise chilled, she could have been sent to a state lab for a necropsy which might have given you some answers. I'm really sorry.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Maybe some of the Educators or other BYC members will come and add their comments and observations. Our @Eggcessive, @Wyorp Rock @coach723 and some others can be really heloful, so I've tagged them for you.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

Okay. Once the body is frozen a necropsy cannot be done. Otherwise, if kept refrigedated or otherwise chilled, she could have been sent to a state lab for a necropsy which might have given you some answers. I'm really sorry.

Thank you, I knew that, but was never going to get a lab necropsy done so there was no point in keeping Roan's body unfrozen. So many deal with chicken sudden death and I thought it would be helpful for those who have performed or had labs perform necropsies to share their findings for a deep dive into potential causes for sudden death that is comprehensive, rather that the list on repeat of causes that are really a way of saying, Well, we just don't know, so here is a list things to consider because we need to fill up this blog space with some---thing.

Thank you for your care and information.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

Maybe some of the Educators or other BYC members will come and add their comments and observations. Our @Eggcessive, @Wyorp Rock @coach723 and some others can be really heloful, so I've tagged them for you.

Thank you!! I'm familiar with the users you referenced and am hoping to hear from them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Last night, I suddenly lost Roan, my Red Dorking Bantam. She was only 3 months old. Just like so many similar accounts, she was perfectly healthy "one minute and gone the next." I can think of only one potentially applicable cause from the list of suspects: Heart failure/attack due to panic/fright/startling.

I was tending to a special needs diamond dove and several of my dogs had followed me into this aviary area, right next to Roan's coop. I thought nothing of the dogs being there, as my chickens are part of my dog pack. I have two disabled chickens who "cuddle puddle" sometimes with my dogs. While I always closely monitor and supervise interspecies interactions, esp. where there is a predatory "chain of command," did they cause Roan's death? My dogs often follow me around as I tend to my animals and they often pass right by Roan's coop. They follow quietly, without any ado, nothing threatening whatsoever, show no interest in chickens and bunnies along the way. But, this time? Did it startle Roan, maybe she had her back turned and was not expecting them? Did her heart register such intense alarm, however false it was, that it could no longer beat? This reminds me of sudden death in cotton tails. They can literally die from fright. I heard a commotion, rushed over, and picked her up just as she took her last breath. Attempts to revive her failed, I imagine her heart's last memory was one of fright and she was not ever going to respond to CPR. The other chickens in her coop, a Gray Dorking bantam (Rachel), 2 Mille Fleur D'Uccle bantams (Flo and Pepper Anne), and a Porcelain D'Uccle bantam (Sprout), all also 3 months old, stood perfectly still while cackling dismay and a resounding "Wut?!" as they witnessed their sister flutter wildly for a few seconds and die. Similarly, my dogs stood perfectly still with "Wut?!" written all over their faces. They retreated without commotion, not even a sound. They are used to things being peaceful and had no idea what to do with this chaotic event.

My mind instantly blamed my dogs. I mobilized them by ordering them away from the area. Now a day later, blaming the dogs does not add up, either. All they did was follow me quietly, their only "crime": walking past this coop.

The Internet has a seemingly endless supply of sites with stories and blogs and, and, and,... about sudden death in chickens, varying only in the number of things it "could be."

To the BYC audience, if you've lost a chicken to sudden death and had a necropsy done, could you post your findings here?

Thank you. I'm not comfortable doing my own necropsy. Roan is currently in my freezer. With this post, I'm looking to expand on the generalized lists on the Internet.

I recognize that a look internally would help determine the cause. For what it's worth, I did do a thorough physical exam and curing CPR, I gave mouth to mouth, no strange or putrid fluids/smells. No lumps or anything strange, perfect weight, crop, etc. She came from Meyer Hatchery as a 1-day old chick with her sisters, and all received the Merck's vaccine upon birth. All of them are inside, so have not been exposed to any of a long list of possible bacteria or pathogens they could encounter outside.

I'm sorry for your loss

Without necropsy, it would be hard to know why she suddenly died. There are so many conditions and illnesses that affect laying hens. Refrigerate, don't freeze the body and send it to your State Lab for analysis, this will give you the best information.

If you aren't able to do that, then doing your own can sometimes be informative. If you decide to do that, post photos and we'll try to help you with what you see.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

I'm sorry for your loss

Without necropsy, it would be hard to know why she suddenly died. There are so many conditions and illnesses that affect laying hens. Refrigerate, don't freeze the body and send it to your State Lab for analysis, this will give you the best information.

If you aren't able to do that, then doing your own can sometimes be informative. If you decide to do that, post photos and we'll try to help you with what you see.

Thank you so much for your informative reply! The video is particularly helpful - I have bookmarked it. Of note, none of the 5 bantams, now 4, had/have started laying. I did check Roan for any signs of impaction or egg binding or any signs of unusual lumps and bumps. Nothing to be found from palpation - I recognize that this is limiting. I will add a wee note here that I've done advanced rehab of many species for decades, and had two extreme Manx cats who needed daily expressing of both #1 and #2, so I'm very familiar with "finding" anatomy parts, LOL. I spent quite a bit of time with the remaining 4 this evening, and they are all happily going about their curiosities and clucking as they go. Sprout, Flo, and Pepper Anne, the D'Uccles are such fun little characters. I examined them, including full body palpation, and they found things to be in order, weight, crop, etc. Unlike Roan, Rachel, the gray Dorking, is especially shy and sensitive - she has been this way since she was a wee chick - and if anyone were to have succumbed, I would have expected it to be Rachel...

 

[chickengr]

I cannot know why your chicken died but I can tell you that many chickens die suddenly without any dogs around. last week a friend of mine lost a roo. his chickens are fenced in 1/4 acre area, no predators around. the roo was perfectly well and crowing and about an hour later he was dead.