Swedish Flower Hen Thread

[Raven1]

Well found my Rooster dead in the pen last night I have no idea what happened to him! I have 2 chicks growing out from Bernie56 so hope springs eternal that one of them will be a rooster. Spring will tell.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Well found my Rooster dead in the pen last night

I have no idea what happened to him! I have 2 chicks growing out from Bernie56 so hope springs eternal that one of them will be a rooster. Spring will tell.

You are not the first one I have heard of having their rooster die suddenly, are you going to have him tested to see what happened? How old was he?

 

[Raven1]

He was about a year and a half old.I will not be having him tested.

 

[ChickNmamma]

He was about a year and a half old.I will not be having him tested.

Thank you for replying. I am sorry you lost him like that and I am very sorry if my question about testing upset you.

I just think it odd that I keep hearing of SFH boys dying suddenly while still young of no known cause. If any of my boys or girls do that I am going to have them tested (necropsy is free in CA) - I would want to know if there is a genetic problem or if something is wrong so I can plan on how to get away from this problem. It may be linked to the limited genetic pool we have over here and doubling up of unwanted genetic traits. If anybody else has this happen and will test their birds, please let me know the results?

 

[madamwlf]

I would think an issue like that would be genetic. If young roosters are dying from different parts of the US, it makes sense for it to be genetic. I know the same issues was being had with Isbar chicks. They would just die with no visible signs of injury or sickness. And that too was happening in different parts of the US. And I do believe GFF was having that issue as well.

 

[Raven1]

I was not a bit upset by the ? on testing I have just already disposed of the body and did not think about testing. It would have been a good idea and I will think about it next time as it is kinda weird. He was his happy go lucky self the day before, sad really

 

[Raven1]

I was not a bit upset by the ? on testing I have just already disposed of the body and did not think about testing. It would have been a good idea and I will think about it next time as it is kinda weird. He was his happy go lucky self the day before, sad really

Sorry double post it just does that sometimes :/

 

[TxFlowers]

I would think an issue like that would be genetic.  If young roosters are dying from different parts of the US, it makes sense for it to be genetic.  I know the same issues was being had with Isbar chicks.  They would just die with no visible signs of injury or sickness.  And that too was happening in different parts of the US.  And I do believe GFF was having that issue as well.

I hadn't had swedish flower long enough to have really been aware of this but I would be curious to know what time of the year these unexpected deaths are happening. If it has been during the summer months i would wonder if the fact that these birds originated from a cooler climate is a factor. Maybe they don't handle the heat as well as we have been thinking they do. Another possibility is that these sudden deaths are due to some type of cardiac abnormality.

 

[Penny Hen]

He was about a year and a half old.I will not be having him tested.

Raven the Ag Center in Nashville will test for free if you can get the body to them.

 

[ChickNmamma]

I was not a bit upset by the ? on testing I have just already disposed of the body and did not think about testing. It would have been a good idea and I will think about it next time as it is kinda weird. He was his happy go lucky self the day before, sad really

I sincerely hope there is NOT a next time, but if everybody can be aware of this if it happens to them, and have the birds tested perhaps we can understand what is going on - and figure out something to do to stop it...

I don't recall it was seasonal related, which is why it struck me as odd. My memory isn't the best, but I think I remember one from winter, one in fall, one in spring? If anybody else has had one die suddenly, perhaps if they all post it on here, when, how old, etc.. maybe we can find a pattern. I too thought perhaps the heat with one of them - but I think its cooling off so being fine one day and gone the next is just weird!