Super quick death of one of my hens yesterday

[0kie0fmusk0gee]

It was a sad morning yesterday for the fact that our biggest young barred rock hen 'Big Bertha' passed away in the morning. I went into to collect eggs as usual and notices her quiet and lethargic. I scooped her up and brought her into the house hoping that she would warm up and recover but she didn't make it even an hour. She had a mucus (or perhaps just saliva?) coming out her mouth. It was colorless and there was NO odor. She was not wheezing and did not seem to have an respiratory difficulty. The ONLY thing I could think of is that we had a ton of rain for many days. I moved feed into the barn where they stayed most of the time, but i didn't think to remove the existing food outside until the rain had stopped a few days later. I'm almost thinking she may have ingested ruined food from the rain. I feel pretty bad and guilty, any advice or experiences in the past? She was great the day before, i held her and she was jumping up at my coat to get my zipper and then dead the next morning. I sure miss that girl.

 

[Wisher1000]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

I'm sorry to hear about your hen. It is hard to lose one you are attached to. Don't beat yourself up over it though. Clean out the food, wash the feeder, and start over. That may or may not have been what caused her death, but it won't hurt to be extra careful. We can do everything right and will still lose one occasionally. It is part of keeping animals.

Good luck with the rest!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am sorry you lost such a pretty gal in such an unexpected way.

I have had totally normal acting and looking chickens drop dead running across the yard right in front of me. Sometimes these things happen and we never know exactly why.

Yes I would also wash out all the water dishes and clean up the food containers. It still may not be the reason for her untimely demise but cannot hurt.