Single hen

[julia55]

I lost one of my ginger rangers yesterday but am so surprised at the speed of it. She appeared slightly lethargic in the morning but I wasn't unduly worried. I got home yesterday evening and let all of my girls out for a nice free ranging session before bed time. She wandered around but then settled down in the corner of the garden. I put the girls away and she went into her run quite freely. I then checked on her at 7pm and my other girls were roosting whereas she was too weak to get up the cube ladder and had settled in the corner of her run. I thought it best to bring her indoors, put her in a box with water and towels and left her quietly alone. When I checked on her at 10pm she'd passed away. Her tail feathers were down and she appeared plumped up but surely if she was egg bound death wouldn't have been so quick - would it?? I've kept chickens for about ten years now and have never seen one go down hill so rapidly. Any ideas? She was only a year old and has never appeared ill before.

[bluekarin]

I don't have any advice, just wanted to say so sorry to hear this.

[sparkysmum]

So sorry Julia, Allison & Hazelx

[Plum]

That's really hard losing her so quickly I'm so sorry.

[Egluntyne]

Sorry to hear it.

 

It could have been any one of a number of things.

 

They are very good at hiding the fact that they are ill as a defence mechanism so that they don't lose their place in the pecking order, so she could have been unwell for a few days. It happens to us all eventually.

[chelsea]

what a shock for you.

 

Eglutine is right, hens do hide illness very well. She may have been under the weather for a few days and hiding it or possibly had a poorly heart and went quite quickly.

 

so sorry.