Sudden death !!

[farhan1997]

I brought 2 hens and a roo at the start of this month and one of the hens was dead yesterday morning and i witnessed my roo die of heart attack some time ago.
Will my remaining hen die too?
Also i read that heart attack is common in overweight chickens and roos, which was the case for both of them. The hen that died was wuite heavy(atleast twice the weight of roo). Also they were standard sized chickens of mixed breeds which i dont know exactly what they were.
All i know is that they were free ranged and so i too free ranged them.
Should i cull the remaining one or is there a chance she may not die?

 

[farhan1997]

Also i will be going to meet the person whom i brought the chickens from to know more about the cause of death tomorrow

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I brought 2 hens and a roo at the start of this month and one of the hens was dead yesterday morning and i witnessed my roo die of heart attack some time ago.
Will my remaining hen die too?
Also i read that heart attack is common in overweight chickens and roos, which was the case for both of them. The hen that died was wuite heavy(atleast twice the weight of roo). Also they were standard sized chickens of mixed breeds which i dont know exactly what they were.
All i know is that they were free ranged and so i too free ranged them.
Should i cull the remaining one or is there a chance she may not die?

I'm sorry for your loss.

Can you post some photos of the chickens? Or at least the one that is still living?
What breed?
What do you feed?
How do you know the Rooster had a heart attack, did you perform necropsy or have one done?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I brought 2 hens and a roo at the start of this month and one of the hens was dead yesterday morning and i witnessed my roo die of heart attack some time ago.
Will my remaining hen die too?
Also i read that heart attack is common in overweight chickens and roos, which was the case for both of them. The hen that died was wuite heavy(atleast twice the weight of roo). Also they were standard sized chickens of mixed breeds which i dont know exactly what they were.
All i know is that they were free ranged and so i too free ranged them.
Should i cull the remaining one or is there a chance she may not die?

Sorry for your loss.

What breed and age... feed including supplements and treats? I see now you say mix breed.

Way too often heart attack is blamed when folks simply don't know what happened. Could even be fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome, kidney failure, etc.... A necropsy is the most reliable way to diagnose something like this... If you are in the states here are links to help..
How to Send a Bird for a Necropsy

State poultry labs

No, I would not just cull a seemingly healthy bird for no reason... Yes, she will die sometime... just like all of us. But WOW, 2 birds in one month... GET a PROFESSIONAL necropsy.. and no more birds from that supplier!

 

[farhan1997]

Sorry but here in india i dont think they do necropsy.
Also i am saying it was heart attack beacause i saw the roo suddenly flap wings and fall down with some convulsions. Also when i picked up the roo to remove him, clear liquid was flowing through his mouth and he did an almost clear watery poop moments before dying.
Also i never took a picture of anyone and its dark(almost midnight) so i may post the pic of remaining hen tomorrow.

 

[farhan1997]

Also i dont specifically feed them anything.
They free range in our property or our neighbours', but they also get bits leftover food.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sorry but here in india i dont think they do necropsy.
Also i am saying it was heart attack beacause i saw the roo suddenly flap wings and fall down with some convulsions. Also when i picked up the roo to remove him, clear liquid was flowing through his mouth and he did an almost clear watery poop moments before dying.
Also i never took a picture of anyone and its dark(almost midnight) so i may post the pic of remaining hen tomorrow.

If you can get some photos that would be good.

Just a note on the sudden flapping/falling down with convulsion - that sounds to me like normal death throes in a chicken - it's not really a symptom or indication of the cause of death. Without an examination after death, it's really hard to know why he died. You very well could be right it was the heart. You mention they are/were overweight.

What do you feed? Even if they are a mixed breed - do you have any idea if they are a meat type bird or a dual purpose type (egg layer+meat). Meat birds can be drastically overweight if they are not butchered in a timely manner and are prone to have organ failure due to the weight.

 

[365username]

Sorry for your loss, it's not a good idea to give them left over food. I had some neighbors last year who only gave their chickens left over food and all their chickens had health problems.

 

[365username]

It may also be a good idea to get some more chickens so that hen is not lonely, and yes there is a high chance your remaining hen could die, but there is also a chance she will live. So it's a very good idea to keep her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sorry for your loss, it's not a good idea to give them left over food. I had some neighbors last year who only gave their chickens left over food and all their chickens had health problems.

How birds are kept and where the OP is located should also be considered = India, Free Range, birds are not fed anything specific.
Sometimes commercial feeds are hard to get, they may not be available in certain parts of the world or simply may be too expensive. In this particular situation, scraps would be supplemental to free range.

I do agree with you - confined birds that have a lot of scraps or scratch often have health problems - obesity and fatty liver disease comes to mind.

Also i dont specifically feed them anything.
They free range in our property or our neighbours', but they also get bits leftover food.