Wyandotte found dead in coop

[Elmbrooker]

I have a flock of 8 guinea fowl and until today, 12 hens. One of my two silver laced Wyandottes was dead when I went in the coop tonight to fill the feeder and waterers.

She was lying in front of the roost between the waterer and feeder on her stomach with her neck outstretched and head turned to the side. The other birds were freaked out so I took her outside to look her over.

I have had a picking problem with about half of my chickens the past few weeks and she had all of her feathers. I saw no obvious sign of trauma. Her wings were out a bit, not outstretched and not pulled tight. I put her in a cooler overnight to get a better look in the morning.

I’ve read an egg can get stuck but other then that I have no explanation. What can I look for? Are there any preventative steps I can take with the rest of the birds? I know sometimes things just die but she was under a year old and is fed high quality feed and bottled water (we have arsenic in our water and I don’t know if it would end up in eggs. A rain barrel will be set up in the spring). I don’t think she was long gone. Rigor Mortis had not fully set in but she wasn’t limp.

I have an automatic coop door that lets the bird out in a fully enclosed run all day. There is snow on the ground but today was mild.

Thanks for any advice. I imagine she’s not safe for consumption if we don’t know what killed her and the ground is frozen. We have a lot of predators around and I don’t want them to get a taste for chickens. I’m wondering what to do with the bird, what to look for, and what preventative steps I can take with the rest of the birds. Thanks again.

 

[hayley3]

Sorry about your chicken...
It's hard when you don't know what happened. I had a beautiful, healthy Buff Orpington that was laying dead in the barn but I assumed the rooster did it because he was on top of her. I was never really sure though. Not knowing is hard because you can't change or do anything.

 

[micstrachan]

I have a flock of 8 guinea fowl and until today, 12 hens. One of my two silver laced Wyandottes was dead when I went in the coop tonight to fill the feeder and waterers.

She was lying in front of the roost between the waterer and feeder on her stomach with her neck outstretched and head turned to the side. The other birds were freaked out so I took her outside to look her over.

I have had a picking problem with about half of my chickens the past few weeks and she had all of her feathers. I saw no obvious sign of trauma. Her wings were out a bit, not outstretched and not pulled tight. I put her in a cooler overnight to get a better look in the morning.

I’ve read an egg can get stuck but other then that I have no explanation. What can I look for? Are there any preventative steps I can take with the rest of the birds? I know sometimes things just die but she was under a year old and is fed high quality feed and bottled water (we have arsenic in our water and I don’t know if it would end up in eggs. A rain barrel will be set up in the spring). I don’t think she was long gone. Rigor Mortis had not fully set in but she wasn’t limp.

I have an automatic coop door that lets the bird out in a fully enclosed run all day. There is snow on the ground but today was mild.

Thanks for any advice. I imagine she’s not safe for consumption if we don’t know what killed her and the ground is frozen. We have a lot of predators around and I don’t want them to get a taste for chickens. I’m wondering what to do with the bird, what to look for, and what preventative steps I can take with the rest of the birds. Thanks again.

I am so sorry for your loss. There are a number of things that can cause sudden death in chickens. Really the only way to be sure would be to send her in for a necropsy.