Early Bird Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Sadly I opened the nest box this morning to find Sam dead inside. Whilst I am naturally sad and upset at this I am wondering if anyone might advise of any possible cause. She has not appeared unwell (I know they can hide it) and yesterday morning she was feeding well and seemed her usual perky self. She has not laid for a few days, but I put that down to the time of year. We were out yesterday, but I checked them as usual when we got home and everything was fine. This morning she was gone. I have some concern as although the others all seem fine, they are only 2 years old and Sam has gone before her time. I have cleaned out thoroughly as a precaution, but thought I would ask if this is a common occurrence as this is my first fatality. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollyripkim Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Sorry I can't offer any advice other than to say it does seem to happen suddenly with them. Sorry for your loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I wouldn't exactly say it's common, but it's certainly not rare. Really sorry to hear it - if she was showing no signs of illness (and you're right, they can conceal symptoms very successfully) then it may have been her heart, but that's just a guess. It's unlikely that it would be something contagious without you having spotted signs in her or your other hens, so I wouldn't be too worried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Sorry to hear it. I found one of my White Stars dead under similar circumstances on Tuesday. Just one of those things I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 So sorry to hear about this. (And sorry to hear about your White Star as well Egluntyne). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Sorry to read this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Early Bird Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 Thank you everyone for your kind words and reassurances. The rest of the girls will be getting extremely fed up with me by now as I have been out and checked on them 3 times this evening. All is well so far but I know I am going to miss Sam so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
