Lost my first hen, why?

[cadhoops]

I just got home from work and my 11 hens ran to greet me. Only 10 minutes later, one of the girls was isolated from the flock. When I checked on her she was all puffed out with an arched back, panting and seemed lethargic. She walked a few steps, pooped (seemed normal) and sat down. She was panting and her vent was pulsing. I just figured she needed to lay and couldn’t make it to the nesting box.

I’ve only had chickens for 11 months and is my only encounter with a health issue.

About 5 minutes went by and she stood up and wobbled 2 feet sat down again and could hardly hold her head up. At that point, I picked her up and she went limp. I checked her vent and it seemed normal.

Her neck went limp again, eyes closed. I tapped her chest and she flinched a couple times and the died. She was coming up on 1 year old, looked very healthy, and no signs of injury. How can I tell what happened?

How do I prevent the other girls from the same issue?

Sad day!

Any help is appreciated,
Chris

 

[PennelopeSpeaks]

Oh no! Im so sorry about your chicken! Could she have eaten anything poisonous or toxic?

 

[Jimmy W]

Sorry to hear this, I would also not know what to do. I have read here on the boards about sending the bird in for a autopsy can be done. I do not know how to do that though.

 

[coach723]

You can contact your state poultry lab if you want to have a professional necropsy done. They will give you particulars. You need to refrigerate the body, don't freeze it. And try to get it there asap. I will list a necropsy resource page, listing by state. In many states it's very reasonable, call and ask. If you are close, you may be able to drop off rather than ship.
You can also learn to do an informal home necropsy, to look for obvious abnormalities in organs. There are people here who will look at pictures and try to help, based on their own experience. A home necropsy will obviously not include lab work, which is a good idea sometimes, particularly if something viral is suspected.
Necropsy resources list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

I will attach a couple of documents on doing your own necropsy. There are other resources as well, you can search on line. If you choose to do your own, take your time. It's helpful to have pictures of organs in place, and then once removed, with something for size reference in the pictures, like a coin.

 

[cadhoops]

Sorry to hear this, I would also not know what to do. I have read here on the boards about sending the bird in for a autopsy can be done. I do not know how to do that though.

Sorry to hear this, I would also not know what to do. I have read here on the boards about sending the bird in for a autopsy can be done. I do not know how to do that though.

Thank you Jimmy. I will look into this.

 

[cadhoops]

You can contact your state poultry lab if you want to have a professional necropsy done. They will give you particulars. You need to refrigerate the body, don't freeze it. And try to get it there asap. I will list a necropsy resource page, listing by state. In many states it's very reasonable, call and ask. If you are close, you may be able to drop off rather than ship.
You can also learn to do an informal home necropsy, to look for obvious abnormalities in organs. There are people here who will look at pictures and try to help, based on their own experience. A home necropsy will obviously not include lab work, which is a good idea sometimes, particularly if something viral is suspected.
Necropsy resources list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

I will attach a couple of documents on doing your own necropsy. There are other resources as well, you can search on line. If you choose to do your own, take your time. It's helpful to have pictures of organs in place, and then once removed, with something for size reference in the pictures, like a coin.

Thank you. I will review the list and PDFs.

 

[cadhoops]

You can contact your state poultry lab if you want to have a professional necropsy done. They will give you particulars. You need to refrigerate the body, don't freeze it. And try to get it there asap. I will list a necropsy resource page, listing by state. In many states it's very reasonable, call and ask. If you are close, you may be able to drop off rather than ship.
You can also learn to do an informal home necropsy, to look for obvious abnormalities in organs. There are people here who will look at pictures and try to help, based on their own experience. A home necropsy will obviously not include lab work, which is a good idea sometimes, particularly if something viral is suspected.
Necropsy resources list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

I will attach a couple of documents on doing your own necropsy. There are other resources as well, you can search on line. If you choose to do your own, take your time. It's helpful to have pictures of organs in place, and then once removed, with something for size reference in the pictures, like a coin.

Thank you. I will review the list and PDF

Oh no! Im so sorry about your chicken! Could she have eaten anything poisonous or toxic?

Oh no! Im so sorry about your chicken! Could she have eaten anything poisonous or toxic?

Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Sometimes with a home necropsy, I have been able to tell what went wrong with a hen. When one dies on Friday, the body can break down when waiting for a professional state lab necropsy, but keeping the body refrigerated and cold wrapped in 2 garbage bags may help preserve it. I have lost a hen around the 1 year mark, and did not do a necropsy. Hopefully, you can find what happened.