Jump to content
Chickens Dogs Cats Rabbits Guinea Pigs Hamsters and Gerbils Birds
princess

Dead Chicken

By princess, in Chickens, Eggs and Hatching

Recommended Posts

princess Freshly Laid Egg

princess

Posted
Posted

This is the first time I have ever used this forum and I need a bit of advice. I have had three chickens since March. They are very happy free ranging in our garden. Each one has been laying an egg everyday since May. This morning my partner let the chickens into the run at about 6 they were fine. At about 9.3o I was in the shower when I heard the girls making a noise which is unusual. Nothing could prepare me for the sight. Elvis (my favourite and the most tame) was dead in the run with her intestine (a lot of it) hanging out of her vent. There was blood EVERYWHERE. The other two girls were pecking at her intestines. There were flys everywhere. I took the other two girls to freerange in the garden as normal and started the big clean up. In the nesting box was a HUGE egg covered in blood (which explains the prolapse) and again there was blood everywhere inside the eglu. I was so upset. What I want to know is if I had noticed the prolapse of intestine could I have pushed it back in and saved her? There was so much of it though? Does this happen often? I am wondering if this has happened to anyone else. I work in operating theatres and honestly this was one of the most gorey things I have ever seen in my life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Egluntyne Eggsistentialist

Egluntyne

Posted
Posted

Hello princess.

 

What a terrible experience for you....and for poor Elvis.

 

I am very sorry to read about it.

 

It sounds as though she had a severe prolapse which the other hens pecked at, causing the extreme damage you describe.

 

Even if you had noticed it straight away, there might not have been anything you could do.

 

It does happen, but is not an everyday occurrence.

 

Am really sorry you have had this horrible experience.

 

Let's hope your next post will be a happier one for you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
chook norris Freshly Laid Egg

chook norris

Posted
Posted

hi, sorry to hear about elvis, unfortunately the same thing happened to one of my first chickens two months after i got them. they were hybrids from omlet. she was laying everyday for about a month then one day i found her dead in the run. she didn't show any signs of ill health before it happened. there was quite a bit of blood so i understand how distressing it must have been for you. did you get your hens from omlet or from a different supplier?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Dogmother Eggsistentialist

The Dogmother

Posted
Posted

TBH Princess, as the others have said, with a prolapse that severe, there wouldn't have been anything you could have done to help her.

 

Pure breeds don't lay as often, no such big eggs, so are less prone to problems with their egg-laying tackle. You won't get so many eggs, but you will still have a lovely bird.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TAJ Chicken Addict

TAJ

Posted
Posted

Sorry to here about this - I am sure you couldn't have done anything. My two hybrids often lay big eggs (biggest 101g) and that is always a worry. On the other hand my pure breed always lays an egg around 58g - but that is when she decides to lay. When she arrived she stopped laying for 2½ weeks, she hurt her foot and stopped for another 2 weeks. She has laid everyday for the last couple of weeks and now no eggs for 4 days - although she is perfectly happy and well and enjoying life in the garden with the other two.

 

Clearly you do not want to go through this again, but it would seem to me you are very unlucky to loose such a young hen in this way.

 

Tracy

Link to comment
Share on other sites
princess Freshly Laid Egg

princess

Posted
  • Author
Posted
What a ghastly way to lose a chook...poor you. However, on a more positive note, welcome to the forum. We appear to be building up quite a community of chicken keepers in Worcester! Whereabouts are you (if you don't mind me asking)? I am in Leigh, nr Alfrick.

 

I live in Lower Wick. I'm not sure where Leigh or Alfrick are. I am glad I posted today. Everyone is so nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bondinho Frequent Layer

Bondinho

Posted
Posted

So sorry for you :( I've only had to deal with 1 dead chook and that involved no blood and it was hard enough, so I couldn't imagine what it was like for you having to go through that.

 

Doesn't sound like you could have done anything about it though so don't worry on that front.

 

Now to find another 2 chooks to cheer you Elvis's friends up :) I personally think pure breeds are the best :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Olly SUPER CHICKEN!!!

Olly

Posted
Posted

poor you - that is an awful experience.

 

Nothing much to add to what others have said, except that I've been reading and posting on here for more than a year, and from what I've read prolapses are not very common, and are usually much less severe.

 

You have had a very rare and unfortunate experience, I'm so sorry to hear about it but from all I've read it isn't likely to happen again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...