Unexpected Dead Chicken

[ukchick]

Hi All,

Went out to check on my wee flock this morning and found my gorgeous golden wyandotte huddled in the corner dead. She was going around the yard great yesterday and now gone..... any thoughts? Wilma was only 20 weeks old, she may have been a little timid yesterday to get back in the coop/run when I brought the other girls in, she took a bit more rounding up than usual, but I actually thought it was because she was looking for a spot to start laying, didn't even get a first egg from her, I'm so sad

.

 

[liz9910]

sorry to hear about your loss

chickens are masters at hiding whether they are sick or not, it's a predator/prey defense. Are any of your others displaying any different behaviors?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

 

[ederob]

Hi All,

Went out to check on my wee flock this morning and found my gorgeous golden wyandotte huddled in the corner dead. She was going around the yard great yesterday and now gone..... any thoughts? Wilma was only 20 weeks old, she may have been a little timid yesterday to get back in the coop/run when I brought the other girls in, she took a bit more rounding up than usual, but I actually thought it was because she was looking for a spot to start laying, didn't even get a first egg from her, I'm so sad

.

And

. Did you do any thing new or add anything to her food? (If you feed them.) Was it really cold outside? Was it really hot? Chickens can die from humidity and coldness. Did she have marks on her? One of the other hens could of got her. (That has happened to me several times.) She could have been egg bound.

 

[ukchick]

No marks on her, no change in feed, temperature or anything like that. I did think about egg bound. How do you check that, this is my first rodeo with chickens

 

[ukchick]

The rest of my girls look fine

 

[ederob]

The rest of my girls look fine

No marks on her, no change in feed, temperature or anything like that. I did think about egg bound. How do you check that, this is my first rodeo with chickens

Were did you get her? Is she vaccinated? Here is a few ways you could tell if she was egg bound:
lethargy, loss of appetite, draggy wings, closed eyes, puckering vent that is dripping clear or white liquid, swollen vent, tail either straight up in the air or at "half mast". Stretching the neck and straining the vent are not typical for an egg bound hen, but it can indicate stress - the vent can sometimes strain and push out if the hen is distressed. was she choking? Was she shaking her head?

 

[ukchick]

No signs of any of your egg bound description. My husband thinks she may have been bitten by a snake or spider for it all to be so sudden. We have an overgrown shrub area in our back yard where they go and explore for a while during the day before going back in their run at bed time, so it may have happened then. She really was perfectly fine yesterday, no signs of any sickness or anything and yes, she was vaccinated, all my girls have come from the same source. I guess it's just one of those unfortunate things, she was so beautiful too, I hate when animals die or get hurt.... so sad :-(

 

[ederob]

No signs of any of your egg bound description. My husband thinks she may have been bitten by a snake or spider for it all to be so sudden. We have an overgrown shrub area in our back yard where they go and explore for a while during the day before going back in their run at bed time, so it may have happened then. She really was perfectly fine yesterday, no signs of any sickness or anything and yes, she was vaccinated, all my girls have come from the same source. I guess it's just one of those unfortunate things, she was so beautiful too, I hate when animals die or get hurt.... so sad :-(

She might just have been sick. Eating spiders can not kill chickens when they eat them. It could have been bitten by a spider. Did she look like she had a snake bite?

 

[drumstick diva]

It's not uncommon for chickens to just die for no apparent reason. If you had others die it would be good to have them necropsied.