Sudden death !!!

[farhan1997]

My hen's only chick suddenly died and she was acting weak and breathing heavily with eyes closed, and an hour later she is dead. What could have happened? Was it mental trauma ?
How can i prevent it in future ?

 

[LaFleche]

I am sorry you lost them. You might want to inspect your coop for poultry mites (bloodsucking kind), it is the time of the year.

 

[farhan1997]

Also forgot to mention that the chick was 8 weeks old yet the size of a week old and barely growing. Could it have been birth defects?

 

[coach723]

How old was the chick? There are a lot of things that can happen, from virus's, bacterial infections, failure to thrive, toxins, etc. So it's very hard to guess.

 

[farhan1997]

If i would have to guess i would say it died due to failure to thrive as its batchmates grew properly and were rehomed. Also I am more concered about the death of the hen as i already knew the chick wouldnt last long .

 

[coach723]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood your post, I thought only the chick had died. Now I understand better your question. I doubt that there was mental trauma involved. Broody hens tend to not eat and drink well while they are sitting, which can sometimes weaken them. Do you still have the body? If so then I would recommend that you refrigerate (don't freeze) and send her off to have a necropsy done. That is the only way to know for sure, there are many possiblilities from virus's to bacteria, etc., so it's very hard to guess without taking a look.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm