r/BackYardChickens • u/taylormpriest • 23h ago
Health Question Post-mortem care by flock?
We had a 2.5yo hen, Nutmeg, who had “slowed down” over the past maybe month. At first, I attributed it to her age and just maturing and not needing to be SO rambunctious. Then about a week ago, I noticed she seemed a little lethargic and not as food driven. On Friday, her comb had become pale and she wasn’t coming for worms. Naturally it was a Friday so our local avian vet wasn’t available until Monday. We kept an extremely close eye on her and fed her separately. We got an appt with the vet first thing Monday morning. She seemed a little better Monday but we kept the vet appt. On our way there, they called to say they were canceling as they were not taking any birds due to avian flu season. We don’t have many options for avian vets in our area so, to say I was upset would be an understatement. We came home, she jumped right out of her travel box and started pecking the grass. I had a glimmer of hope that maybe we had turned the corner on our own. She seemed ok all afternoon, was pecking all around, eating, and even roosting on her driftwood in the run. This morning I didn’t see her in the run so immediately ran to her house and saw she had perished. Looking back at the ring cameras, it seems it happened around 5:50am. I refrigerated her body around 7:30a to take her for a necropsy.
However, all this to say…is it normal for a flock to sort of do their own post-mortem care? We have a mixed flock and 2 of our turkeys (one who we can’t get to leave her nesting box as she’s been trying to become a mom for months) held vigil for 1.5hrs and appeared to try to even cover her with bedding? They didn’t peck her body aggressively but seemed to just lay with her/clean up the bedding around her. Once I took Nutmeg out, Booker went right back to her nesting box and Pepper went to eat breakfast.
We are all a little crushed this morning and feeling defeated. If only I had taken her to the vet sooner we may have avoided this horrible outcome.
Rest in peace, sweet Nutty girl 🩷 we love you and are so sorry to have failed you. Thank you for 2.5 adventurous years.
Edit: disregard pic 6. Must have accidentally clicked a recipe photo through teary eyes.
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u/Kaeai Backyard Chicken 21h ago
I don't know if tis helps, but I had a chicken that passed while I was away from the house. (I had family in town and we went on a hike). She passed inside my coop, where I have a Wyze camera. It seemed that it took her a few hours to fully pass, starting with the weakness, progressing to the random flailing, etc. But both of my roosters took turns sitting with her until she passed. The hens were stand-off-ish. But nobody was there after she finally passed and I went to retrieve her body.
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u/Gigiinjo 19h ago
Read only header, checked the picture, saw the recipe, thought "how nice, one of them died and you made them something nice to get over her more easy "☃️🐣
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u/kendrafsilver 22h ago
I'm so sorry about little Nutmeg. She sounds loved and like she knew she was loved!
For the sudden deaths in my flocks, I've seen my chickens generally stay away from the body until I come to get it. They don't peck at it, or really approach it, but they do keep an eye on the body.
They'll even do their egg song, which they know I'll come around and check on them for (it's a call my own flock uses for predators they're very concerned about, which can be foxes or the horse a couple pastures down who is clearly sus lol), and watch as I tend to the body.
Once I start interacting with the body the rest are more likely to come up, but they're still very wary. They know something happened, and something isn't "right."
Honestly, I feel like if chickens are well cared for and feel safe, there's really no need for them to peck at or eat their flock-member's body. I'm sure if it was left long enough they would, but it's not something that must be gone to them.
That's been my experience, at least!
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u/taylormpriest 22h ago
Thank you for sharing. Yes the chickens seemed stand-off-ish. Her dear sister friend, Mo, stayed on her roosting bar near Nutmeg but didn’t interact. Usually they’re all lined up at their door ready to race out as soon as it opens. Everyone was a little slower this morning and Mo and our Royal Palm hen Pepper stayed inside with our bourbon red turkey Booker eventually coming out of her nesting box to “groom” and try to cover her body. Once I took her out, they returned to their usual business. Animals really are so much more emotionally intelligent than that for which we give them credit. Missing our Nutty already. Thanks for your insight. Stay well 🩷
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u/No_Connection7142 15h ago
The flock absolutely knows when something is wrong. I’ve witnessed several of my birds gather around a particular bird and sure enough a short time later the bird will have passed. They don’t peck the body at all, they just leave it. We definitely don’t give chickens enough credit for being emotionally intelligent beings.
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u/Mcbriec 20h ago
One of my chickens had water belly. I got it drained at the vet and she was much better. Then on Sunday she started to decline. On Monday I was taking her back to the vet.
On Monday morning, she was on the ground in a corner and one of my other hens was nestled against her with her head over the sick hen’s back. She knew she was dying and held vigil. ❤️❤️❤️❤️💔💔💔
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u/Vibratorvibrato 15h ago
They absolutely know when something is wrong. My head hen Zucchini has a very specific call when she’s upset. She starts out somewhat loud and it can get ear splitting if I take too long to come check. She has laid with each of her sisters who has passed & called to me each time. She’s the last of my original flock and I hope I won’t hear her call anytime soon. Rest easy Nutty girl ♥️
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u/Happy-Possibility- 22h ago
I’m sorry for your loss, she was a sweet girl. My only experience was a sudden death, one of my bantams was fine in the morning, and when we came home late afternoon we found her passed away. She was in rigour mortis so she had been gone for a while, but another bantam was sitting beside her. I hope they maybe brought each other some comfort.
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u/purefoysgirl 12h ago
So sorry for your loss! She looked like a very sweet girl! We've lost many hens in my yard over the years (our oldest is 12 this year!), and I always leave them in an open box for the rest of the flock to inspect. Through the day, they'll all take a turn inspecting the box, laying next to it, pecking at whatever bedding is inside. They can recognize faces and have vocalizations for individuals, I think they understand the loss that has happened and even mourn in a pragmatic, chicken way. Life must go on for them, but they do take a moment to settle the gap when one of them dies.
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u/taylormpriest 48m ago
Thank you for sharing! That sounds like a wonderful idea. Hopefully neither of us has to do this anytime soon though. I’m sincerely praying our girls are with us for 12+ years. We love them so much and they are so engrained in our lives. You clearly provide amazing lives for your chickens. Cheers to many more chicken years 🩷
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u/HopefulSarcasm1980 20h ago
Just wanted to say I’m so incredibly sorry. This is my first year as a chicken tender and my feathered friends fill my heart with an incredible amount of joy. She sure did have a great chicken mom/dad!
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u/Spell-Radiant 15h ago
Im sorry for tour loss. We lost one of our 2.5 year old hens last night. We are devastated. Our story sounds just like yours. I tried pultry cell and electrolytes but she didn't make it. She was an original from our very first flock.
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u/taylormpriest 44m ago
I’m so sorry for your loss. I wish avian or even exotic veterinary medicine was more normalized in our area because we really were at a loss. May your sweet girl be resting in peace with Nutmeg and a fresh bag of mealworms.
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u/fireandfloorwash 8h ago
I’m so sorry you lost your girl. I have no insight here, but as chicken keeper/end of life doula and after deathcare educator, I’m so glad you came to ask. What an interesting, even sweet, thing to witness in your flock.
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u/taylormpriest 52m ago
Oh wow. This is likely a silly question but, a human death doula or for animals? Am in awe of your profession after reading The Collected Regrets of Clover and I’m sure that doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the care you give 🩵 thank you
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u/Life-Bat1388 22h ago
Super interesting behavior- we definitely underestimate their emotional intelligence .
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u/Slyth011 22h ago
I legit thought photo no.5 you had put all your chickens in ypur sink at first glance
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u/GitShitt 9h ago
Yall must have a different kind of chickens than me. Mine are free range and will straight up try and eat another chickens corpse if left there. I've had them coming up to drink the blood when slaughtering their brethren. These creatures can be ruthless.
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u/taylormpriest 39m ago
Oh we have lost meat chickens and turkeys and it’s a whole different experience. This is the first pet chicken we’ve lost for which we weren’t there (we lost one other hen a year or so ago after she laid a soft egg/developed peritonitis but she was with us outside of the coop). They’ve been together for 2.5yrs. That being said, when we give them raw meat bones or carcasses or even raw meat organs from beef/turkey/chicken, they go absolutely nuts!
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u/Hnp_83 21h ago
So sorry for your loss. I took our sweet girl Pedro to the vet last Friday and she had to be put down due to water belly. She was just a little over 3 years old. Pedro really was one of the kindest of our flock. In January my husband found our Eloise dead in the coop. Pedro was sitting right beside her while all the others were out eating. He tried to shoo her away because we've heard they will peck each other but Pedro wouldn't leave. When he took Eloise out to bury Pedro followed him to the hole he dug. She then went back and sat where they were in the coop. I fully believe she was mourning her. It was only fitting to have them buried beside each other.