Unsecure chicken perches

[Chooksrus]

I have just had a 2nd ex-batt die in the last 3 weeks or so and want to know whether there is something that could be wrong with the flock.

 

Both have gone the same way - they sit down, hardly move and close their eyes as if sleeping. No noises, no drama and they do look around if you get near to them. I had to help both into the coop and both died during the night. I guess I'm asking whether this is a normal way for a chicken that has got near to it's end. The chicken I'v just lost did have what seemed to be a build-up of air or something around the chest and this was expelled when I picked her up. They were around 2 & 1/2 years old, assuming that they were around 18 months old when we got them. I guess they could be older. The second had never laid for us while we had her.

 

Is there anything in how they've gone that suggests a problem that may affect the others?

[Tweety]

Unless they were showing signs of illness before they died, it sounds to me as if they had just come to the end. Are the rest of your flock ok?

Two of my original Omlet girls, both 4 years old, died in similar fashion in the last couple of months and I put it down to old age. Two and a half is not a bad age for an ex batt, sad to say.

[Plum]

Poor you Have you checked the house for redmite.

[Chooksrus]

Thanks for the replies.

 

No sign of red mite as far as I can see - I don't really know what I'm looking for but as I can't really see any little bugs of any kind then it seems not.

 

No real signs other than them just sitting down and not moving around much. In the second one to go it was more noticable as she did seem to slow up over a couple of days and then spent the last day sitting around looking as if she was sleeping. She would wake up if I went near her and ate/drank when I put it near her.

 

The other two seems ok and ran up to me yesterday so nothing that concerns me in them. One girl was squaking away from early morning to alert me that something was wrong with her friend - they are smart cookies these chooks.

 

My thought was that it was just their time and that because they were ex-bats would mean they may not last as long as others. They've had a full year here though and have at least seen seasons, sun, snow and all that comes with it.