Sudden Hen Death, No Symptoms.

[urbanchixpdx]

One of my Silver Laced Wyandottes (Dot) passed away this morning out-of-the blue

She was a little over a year old and seemingly healthy. When I let the hens out to free-range this morning (~9:30am) she was looking very puffed-up and lethargic. When I opened the door, all the hens usually run out, but she slowly walked out. She wasn't making the usual little clucks either. She took a few drinks of water and pecked at some grass.

After a little while longer, it was clear something was wrong and my girlfriend brought her into the house. Dot was laying down in the bathtub and appeared to be panting. While my girlfriend was researching on the internet (and posting on a local chicken forum), she went to go check on Dot and a few moments later, she convulsed died in my girlfriends arms (~10:30-11am).

She was a healthy chicken as far as we knew. She had been laying normally all week, eating, drinking, sun-bathing and doing all the normal scratching/pecking behavior around the backyard. She was not lethargic and had no injuries we could see. Her vent looked fine and her crop felt fine as well. She had a healthy weight too. I didn't notice anything in the poop. It seemed all very regular.

I am calling around to find out about a necropsy. The state agency (OR) doesn't have an office in my city (PDX), so I'd have to ship her. They charge about $40 for the necropsy, and with the shipping cost, it would be the same to have my local vet do it. Or maybe there's someone here in PDX that has better info?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. My girlfriend and I are both shaken up and we're worried about our other hens. I hope its not a disease or something like that. I thought it might be an insect bite, but I didn't see any swollen areas. This is the first time any of our hens have died

 

[NancyP]

Sorry for your loss. Is it possible she could have eaten something toxic? or a poisonous plant ?

 

[pixie74943]

My first pair did that within a week of each other, no idea why.

Wasn't as bad with mine, they were 5ish, and had stopped laying ages ago. They were in their 'golden years'.

But still

not cool, youngens shouldnt die

 

[Rising_Phoenix]

My RIR hen that was a year old did something similar in April. She acted normal up to the day she died then it was to late. Was the hens crest and wattle paler then usual? Mine had that and within an hr she was dead, she had internal bleeding, and was told by a vet she either had a bacterial infection or she had taken blunt force trauma to the chest. Sorry for your loss.

 

[jkm]

my best buffy died three weeks ago, no warning, just dead. only 18 months old.
my 82 year old mother from the farm said "well it just happens".
sorry.

 

[urbanchixpdx]

Thanks everyone for the advice and kind words.

I just got off the phone with the vet and she said Dot died of "Fatty Liver Disease."

She said the chicken was overweight, which caused stress on the liver and a small impact (leaping off a perch, bumping into another chicken, etc) caused a fracture, which led to internal bleeding. I'm now going to reduce my feed for the rest of the chickens. My hens have a very slow feeder, so I was surprised to hear this. They also do not eat an abundance of high-calorie kitchen scraps. I suggest anyone with big hens to check their weight and compare the amount of feed they're eating. The doctor said Dot was in perfect health otherwise

The vet also said that during this time of year she starts to see these cases often. Something about the way chickens burn calories in the summer vs. colder months. Has anyone else had this happen to one of their flock?

btw, for those in or around Portland, OR the Avian Medical Center in Lake Oswego is a fantastic place. Fast service, knowledgeable staff and caring doctors who took the time to explain everything to me. They charge $60 for a necropsy and I highly recommend them. http://www.avianmedicalcenter.net/

 

[sammi]

what kind of feed did you use?
what percentage of protein?

did you give corn scratch?

 

[Thomas423]

I am so sorry about your loss, but thanks for letting us know what happened. I never thought about hens being overweight. I am going to cut back on bread and fatty treats from here out. Again so sorry for your loss.

 

[urbanchixpdx]

Quote:
I use a locally milled feed called "portland layer" blended by Urban Farm Store.

17% protein

ingredients: Wheat, Corn, Soy Meal (Midwest), Alfalfa Meal, Oats, Fish Meal, Flax Meal, Kelp, Limestone, Vitamins & Minerals.

more info: http://www.urbanfarmstore.com/feeds/

The scratch I give them has a bit of cracked corn, but also has flax seed, and other grains mixed with grit and oyster shell. We don't give them much though. Just a bit to get them in the coop at night and sometimes during the day. Usually just a small-handful (for four hens). The main kitchen scraps they receive are veggies/fruits and some stuff leftover from the garden. They do not eat any dairy or meat and rarely any breads.

 

[pixie74943]

That's not cool.

I thought that it was a good idea to let hens have constant access to pellets??

Would she have just gotten fat from the extras then??