what happened

[nickjohnston]

I just had a hen that dies. I don't know what happened. When I checked on them she was laying down and very docile. She also had a pool of drool under her. What could havw happened to her?

 

[Eggcessive]

That sounds like most chickens that are sick, Nick. The drool was probably contents of her crop, and it's common to expel that before death. It would help to have more details of her age, or anything else you could think of. Many things can cause a chicken's death, from worms, mites, crop problems, egg binding, coccidiosis, and heart or liver problems, just to name a few. Sorry for your loss.

 

[nickjohnston]

She was only 5 minths old

 

[Eggcessive]

At 5 months it could have been many things. A necropsy done by your state vet would probably get you ananswer if it happens again. Check your chickens' crops for grass impaction or sour crop, worm them a couple of times a year, pick them up and feel their keel bone for any weight loss, and look at their poops.

 

[HuntEmUp]

I have 3 flocks of chickens. The first group (11) are 2 year olds, the second group (10) were 3 months old, & the third group are 2 months old. Each group are certain breeds. Well, last week, my second flock, which were 6 Barred Rocks & 4 Buff Orpingtons, started dying. They were perfectly fine one minute, then they'd just drop dead the next. No warning or anything. I am waiting for necropsy results to come back. Out of the flock, only 1 Barred Rock survived. Mine are all free ranging chickens, but as soon as I started losing my second flock, I quarantined them. Now, what's really strange, none of the other flocks got sick.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have 3 flocks of chickens. The first group (11) are 2 year olds, the second group (10) were 3 months old, & the third group are 2 months old. Each group are certain breeds. Well, last week, my second flock, which were 6 Barred Rocks & 4 Buff Orpingtons, started dying. They were perfectly fine one minute, then they'd just drop dead the next. No warning or anything. I am waiting for necropsy results to come back. Out of the flock, only 1 Barred Rock survived. Mine are all free ranging chickens, but as soon as I started losing my second flock, I quarantined them. Now, what's really strange, none of the other flocks got sick.

It's always best to start your own new thread to get more answers, but at 3 months old, the first thing I would consider is coccidiosis as a possible cause. They will usually show signs of lethargy, puffing up, not eating, ruffled feathers, and diarrhea (sometimes but not always with blood.) The other things I would wonder about would be botulism or poisoning from a plant or mold in the feed. Here is a bit on botulism: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism

 

[HuntEmUp]

I have 3 flocks of chickens. The first group (11) are 2 year olds, the second group (10) were 3 months old, & the third group are 2 months old. Each group are certain breeds. Well, last week, my second flock, which were 6 Barred Rocks & 4 Buff Orpingtons, started dying. They were perfectly fine one minute, then they'd just drop dead the next. No warning or anything. I am waiting for necropsy results to come back. Out of the flock, only 1 Barred Rock survived. Mine are all free ranging chickens, but as soon as I started losing my second flock, I quarantined them. Now, what's really strange, none of the other flocks got sick.

Sorry, after re-reading this, I meant to add that you're not alone with wondering what has happened, or having your chickens suddenly die.