Sudden death

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CMW

CMW

In the Brooder
Mar 24, 2021
9
3
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Cape Cod, MA
Hi all, I'm new to chicken parenting, having adopted 6 last May. Three months ago one of the chickens died suddenly. Running around the outdoor mesh covered run in the morning, but when I checked on her at lunch she was dead in the middle of the run. No signs of injury and she had been a healthy chicken. She was an Ameraucana. Friends with chickens predicted it was a heart attack. But, then yesterday, another died (an Easter Egger). Again, she was fine in the morning. But this time, when I checked on her at lunch she was panting and laying in the straw in the run. She's normally very affectionate and runs up to me to get picked up. I tried giving her water but she wouldn't drink. Unfortunately, I had to leave for a vaccine appt (!) and when I returned a couple hours later she was worse. I felt around her stomach and didn't feel anything unusual (but not sure I would know any better). She had just started laying eggs a few weeks ago, but her eggs look similar to another chickens so I can't tell if she laid that day or the day before. I placed her in a nesting box to rest and her back end/tail was pulsating up and down. I went in to get my husband, when I came back she was dead. I'm devastated.

Some things it could be I'm guessing -
(1) impacted egg - but would it happen that fast?
(2) mold/parasites in the run? we live in the northeast and it just started getting warm. The run is a pretty sizable area with dirt/a tree/raspberry bushes and a lot of dirt/hay on one side. Could the wet soil/hay be a problem?
(3) old food in the run - the chickens spill quite a bit of food from their feeder in the run and I haven't been cleaning it up. I bring their food into the enclosed run at night so critters won't get it. Can this old food make them this sick?
(4) others?

Any advice would be so helpful. I don't think the two chickens died of the same thing - the first chicken had definitely laid an egg the day before and she didn't have this labored breathing. I found her dead laying on her back/side. The second chicken was definitely showing signs of sickness with breathing and she wouldn't stand.

Thanks for any help! I'm not sure if I should completely clean out the run and get new soil or cover it entirely with straw. For the time being, I'm cleaning up all the dropped food and now feeding them out of a large bowl so they won't spill so much.

Sad new chicken mom,
Colleen
 
Sometimes you just get unlucky and hit with a double-death. Often they're related, but in your case it sounds like two different issues. Be extra diligent with the remaining hens now. Make sure they aren't showing any signs of illness that could explain the deaths. If they seem healthy, then it was probably a freak accident and an egg binding. If not though (any sign, even runny poop), then you might have something to worry about. Sorry for your loss!
 
CMW said:
Any advice would be so helpful. I don't think the two chickens died of the same thing - the first chicken had definitely laid an egg the day before and she didn't have this labored breathing. I found her dead laying on her back/side. The second chicken was definitely showing signs of sickness with breathing and she wouldn't stand.
Click to expand...
The only way to know for sure would be to do an necrospy,
either DIY or at a lab where they can test for disease that is not visibly obvious.

Doesn't sound like the second was was ill for long before dying?
She may have choked on something or had a heart attack or gotten into a squabble and flew into run wall breaking her neck or.....many possibilities.

Thanks for all the info. Good, if sad, first post.....and....
Welcome to BYC @CMW
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
1616590415936.png
 
Thanks for the replies! No the second one was sick for a few hours. When I checked on her at about noon, she was laying on the ground panting. She died at 5pm. She wouldn't stand up, and her would just go to sleep in my lap. I got her to drink a little water so I don't think she was chocking. Her tail was pulsating up and down.

We live on Cape Cod in MA. I'll update my profile so that can be more helpful.

It doesn't seem like anyone so far thinks it could be something in the dirt or old food? I would guess she was egg bound - but I have no idea since I'm new to all this!
 
CMW said:
It doesn't seem like anyone so far thinks it could be something in the dirt or old food? I would guess she was egg bound - but I have no idea since I'm new to all this!
Click to expand...
It's possible, but hard to say.
Other birds would be having breathing issues too.
Best to feed where spilled feed stays dry.

Egg bound is a wild off the cuff guess, was she walking funny, like a penguin?
Necropsy would confirm or deny.
 
aart said:
It's possible, but hard to say.
Other birds would be having breathing issues too.
Best to feed where spilled feed stays dry.

Egg bound is a wild off the cuff guess, was she walking funny, like a penguin?
Necropsy would confirm or deny.
Click to expand...
By the time I found her she wasn't walking at all. When I would put her back down, she would just lay back down. So, unfortunately, I don't know if she was walking funny.

We are looking into getting a necropsy now.

thanks again!
 

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