BERTIE MCSQUIRTY Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 i have found a chicken in the nest box this afternoon dead. she was one and a half. on picking her up she had a very dirty vent (it was ok this morning) with some yellowing to it.(the vent was ok earlier) i am assuming that it was some egg production problem? as she was in the box and i haven't had some eggs from her for a while, but not too overly concerned as she had been broody (with eggs under her for a while) and was about 3 months out of it plus being winter my egg collection has been small. what i had noticed about her for a few months is that her comb had a slight bluish tint to it. this morning she was ok, i didn't notice anything untoward about her, she was eating well. i last wormed them 5 days ago with flubenvet, and apart from that she looked very healthy (with good glossy plumage) am i on the right track with my suspicions of egg production problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 so sorry to hear about your hen, it must have been quite a shock to find her. The blue tint on the comb suggests a possible heart problem (heart failure?), you could be right with your theory about a laying problem , hens can go downhill so quickly & also mask their illness so well that you may never have guessed or prevented it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Sorry to hear that . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 When they keel over unexpectedly is can often be due to a heart problem. Maybe the strain of laying a dodgy egg triggered it. Sorry to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Sorry to hear about that, Bertie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERTIE MCSQUIRTY Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 thanks for your responses - i just wanted to make sure that there wasn't something i was missing. the others are fine and dandy today, had a good look at them this morning, nothing unusual. i am off to the vet this afternoon with daisy the puppy for her worming etc, so will ask there. i might ask them for a lice / mite application, although on checking the others they appear to be clear. i have some spray on stuff, given by the vet, but dont like using it on the hens -(its ok on the coop) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
