Two Adopted Hens Dropped Dead!!

[saintolgahomestead]

Less than 24 hours after adopting 2 one year old English Orpington hens, we ran some errands this afternoon and come home to find them both dead . No injuries, plenty of water, food and shade, but both just dead!! We had them separated in our run from our other chickens so they could slowly get used to each other. They were a little droopy when we got them yesterday, both had some missing feathers on her backend (owner said it was from rooster) and a swollen foot. The other was nervous. I cleaned them them both good when we got them home since they both had pooped in the cage during transport, the larger of the two didn't even move when I put water on her, at first I thought she liked it, but now when I look back I think it was because she wasn't feeling well. This morning they both ate a little but layed down most the morning. I kept hoping they just needed to adjust to the new surroundings. I just have no idea what was wrong with them!!! Maybe they had something??
My worry now is for our 4 RIR Hens, I want to make sure the area we had cornered off is free from any bacteria before I open it back up for them. Any suggestions for me to ensure I eliminate anything in the grass/dirt that the adopted hens might have been carrying?

 

[nuthatched]

How close were they to your flock?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We had them separated in our run from our other chickens so they could slowly get used to each other

SOunds like they were very close.

 

[saintolgahomestead]

How close were they to your flock?

Not close at all, completely separated by chicken wire and rocks. The 4 RIR are also only 13 weeks old, significantly smaller than the Orpingtons.

 

[saintolgahomestead]

SOunds like they were very close.

No, had a full chicken wire fence between them.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Separated by how many feet?

 

[nuthatched]

No, had a full chicken wire fence between them.

How far is that? This is important.

 

[SourRoses]

I would guess heat stroke.
English Orpingtons have a lot of floof and a wide body shape, both contribute to heat intolerance.
With a sudden passing of two around the same time, and the appearance of weakness without other symptoms, heat stroke is most likely.

It could be the previous residence had a cooler setup. Conditions can vary even in a local area. If you have less shade, or less ventilation. What is the coop like, or where they got shut in for the night?
Also, being moved can cause heat stress. I once made the mistake of going to get hens with two cardboard boxes.
They were very large, tall boxes and I put tons of big holes in them, so I thought it was great. Had the car AC blasting.
Then we got home with the hens and they came out panting so hard and in so much distress. They were a heat tolerant breed so they recovered ok with just some water.
But an English Orpington would have trouble dispelling that kind of overheating quickly enough to avoid stressing the heart.

 

[saintolgahomestead]

I would guess heat stroke.
English Orpingtons have a lot of floof and a wide body shape, both contribute to heat intolerance.
With a sudden passing of two around the same time, and the appearance of weakness without other symptoms, heat stroke is most likely.

It could be the previous residence had a cooler setup. Conditions can vary even in a local area. If you have less shade, or less ventilation. What is the coop like, or where they got shut in for the night?
Also, being moved can cause heat stress. I once made the mistake of going to get hens with two cardboard boxes.
They were very large, tall boxes and I put tons of big holes in them, so I thought it was great. Had the car AC blasting.
Then we got home with the hens and they came out panting so hard and in so much distress. They were a heat tolerant breed so they recovered ok with just some water.
But an English Orpington would have trouble dispelling that kind of overheating quickly enough to avoid stressing the heart.

They had a similar set-up as us, maybe a bit more shade from trees. We had them in a dog kennel with plenty of ventilation for the trip and used the same as coop. Lots of air movement, but yes so hot and humid here in south Texas right now.

 

[SourRoses]

They had a similar set-up as us, maybe a bit more shade from trees. We had them in a dog kennel with plenty of ventilation for the trip and used the same as coop. Lots of air movement, but yes so hot and humid here in south Texas right now.

Oh, Texas, well that kind of verifies it then. I've had English Orpington in similarly hot Florida, and while you can keep them in this sort of environment it really takes some extra effort in the summers.
Even if conditions are good for your other chickens, it was just too hot for them to handle the stress of being relocated as well.


Other respondents are concerned that it may have been a contagious disease. That's why the questions about distance from your existing flock.