Favorite hen died--what happened?

[OzarksRider]

My favorite hen, a little silkie, died this morning and I have no idea what happened. She seemed normal when she came out of the henhouse yesterday morning, and my husband is sure she was pecking around the yard during the day. But yesterday evening when it was time to go to roost I saw her hunched in the yard not moving. I picked her up and looked for any sign of trauma or prolapsed vent but didn’t find anything. I put her in the henhouse and she spent the night on the ground in a corner. This morning I put her in a cage to bring her in the house where I could better examine her, but as I started to go inside she suddenly seized, flopped around for a few seconds, and died.

This hen had a prolapsed vent about six months ago that I treated, and she seemed to recover completely. Because of this, I suspect there was some problem with her reproductive tract. After she died, I examined her very closely but couldn’t find anything–no prolapsed vent, no egg stuck inside, no obvious sign of infection. Can anybody tell me what could have happened?

[fordtraktor]

I am so sorry.

I don’t have answers, but find that when my chickens die, they go like this usually. One day they are fine, then I find them dead the next day. It’s puzzling. My core group is 7ish though and about half (3 or 4) have passed away like this over the last 2-3 years.

[Simkie]

I’m so sorry. It’s so hard to lose them, especially so unexpectedly.

My guess, based on my own flock, and opening them up when they’ve died, is that there was an infection in her egg tract, and that eventually reached a point where it was systemic. She went septic from that and died.

Unfortunately, in my experience, once they get that sort of infection, there is very rarely anything that can be done. They are usually fine, until they’re not, and then they die. Maybe you’ll see some issues with laying, but it’s easy to chalk it up to “normal” chicken weirdness.

[cayuse]

I have no advice to offer but I am very sorry that you lost your hen. We have wild turkeys that frequent the feeder here and when, one day, my favorite one never returned I was heartbroken. She had been an almost daily visitor for 3 years.

[OzarksRider]

@Simkie

My guess, based on my own flock, and opening them up when they’ve died, is that there was an infection in her egg tract, and that eventually reached a point where it was systemic.

This is my best guess too. The fact that she had a history of prolapsed vent suggests that she was prone to reproductive problems. But, she was laying normally up until 2 days before she died–completely normal eggs and laid either every day or every other day. I will miss that little bird.

[2DogsFarm]

In 15yrs of having chickens, I’ve learned it’s just a Thing They Do.
As prey, they don’t act sick until they’re pretty far gone.
They can look normal one day & be dead the next. 🤷
You did nothing wrong & actually more than I’ve ever done.

Though… I did learn how to make a chicken vomit, when I suspected a sour crop. Didn’t save that hen
Had another get a tumor on her neck that eventually got so large she could barely lift her head. That one I culled.
And my PetHen - a goofy Houdan - once got a foot stuck in the chain the feeder hangs from & hung upside down for whoknows how long.
I thought she was dead when I found her, but nope. Once I got her upright, the blood returned to her teeny head & she was fine
Now I’m watching my 7ishyo rooster as he’s been sometimes sleeping on the floor of the coop instead of roosting.

[poltroon]

I just want to echo that this is just how chickens are. They are very good at hiding that they are sick, such that even in the official books of chicken ailments, often a “symptom” listed is sudden death.

If I see a chicken that is not quite right, I mostly just try to keep them isolated at a comfortable temperature and make it easy for them to eat. If I can keep them eating, they will sometimes recover.

But other times they go from fine to being very distressed quite quickly and there’s not much you can do. It could have been a virus she picked up or any number of things. Most chickens do not live all that long no matter how carefully you care for them, so there is that as well.

The only precaution you might consider is to ensure that the coop is cleaned and well aired out, in case there’s any infectious agent lurking.

I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s tough to lose any of them, especially a favorite.

[chestnutmarebeware]

@poltroon

I just want to echo that this is just how chickens are. They are very good at hiding that they are sick, such that even in the official books of chicken ailments, often a “symptom” listed is sudden death.

And not just chickens. Cage birds are like this, too. Seemingly fine one day, dead on the floor of the cage the next morning. (They always seem to die on their perch overnight.)

[MunchingonHay]

I am so sorry about your favorite hen. Losing a member of the flock is never fun.

[JB]

Aw man, I’m so sorry, btdt We had a couple who looked like they were happily walking along and just face-planted in stride, dead I’d read that chickens are prone to heart attacks, especially bigger/faster growing birds (so more common in with broilers),but those presentations seem to be finding the chicken on their back, ours were always face down. But given the seizure-like symptoms, that may be what happened to yours.

[SuzieQNutter]

I have learned never have a favourite. An animal or a thing.

It is the favourite thing that dies or gets broken.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I’m sorry about your hen. Silkies are very sweet chickens. It’s hard to lose these little feathered dinosaurs that we get attached to.

[Mosey_2003]

It can be so many different things, we rarely know. The best you can do is try to keep them from getting fat and keep good clean water in front of them.

[paint_hunter]

You can also send the body to your state’s Food Safety/Diagnostic lab for a necropsy. I have a friend who raises a group of heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving consumption. Last year she lost 6-8 growing turkeys fairly acutely over about a 2-3 week period. They are confined (large fenced area with nesting trees etc). No signs of trauma, no predation, etc. Because of the risk of Avian Influenza, she sent several bodies to our State Diagnostic lab for necropsy. Luckily for the geographical area, it was not Avian Influenza (she would have had to cull/depopulate her flock). The pathology folks did give her an answer (I don’t remember what she told me, but she was able to finish growing out her flock)

Food animal necropsies done at our State Lab in CA are very reasonable. I suspect might be the same for you.

So sorry for your loss. Chickens have a lot of personality and it’s hard to lose a friend.

[cayuse]

Suzie, this made me cry. It’s so very true.