my hen dropped dead :(

[kanami]

i was at work today, went on my break to see one of my younger siblings texted me from home saying one of our chickens wasn’t responding, i called and they were freaking out.

so my mother went outside and was digging a hole in the yard when in her peripheral vision she saw a bird just hit the ground, not a chicken, but just a regular flying bird native to this area. she went to check it out and it was dead she then went inside to do something after burying if and came back outside to see one of our chickens had just dropped dead on the ground, not that far away from where the other bird died. the whole house panicked. we immediately thought the worst was happening and that our entire flock would die.

then they called me and i took my lunch break at work instead of my 10 and went home to go see what might’ve killed our girl. there were no visible wounds, nothing abnormal at all, her comb was already pale, though. after checking her whole body i noticed she had a prolapsed vent or what i assume to be a prolapsed vent. i’m pretty positive this is what killed her though. but it is so strange as yesterday i spent time in the yard with them and she had no signs of discomfort or anything. i even have a little video of her walking around with her sisters.

so distraught. can a prolapsed vent really kill that fast? i don’t know how long she might’ve had it but how long is it usually before it kills? i’m assuming it is not aviary flu and just coincidence that the other non chicken died in the same time frame, but i’m not positive! here’s photos. last one is a picture 24 hours prior :/

 

[Perris]

in her peripheral vision she saw a bird just hit the ground, not a chicken, but just a regular flying bird native to this area. she went to check it out and it was dead

Sorry for your loss.
Are you in an area impacted by avian influenza H5N1?
In any case, I'd use strict biosecurity protocols to clean up both the wild bird and your chicken asap.

 

[Tahai]

is it possible there was a toxin in the air that affected both birds? ie, a pesticide spray going on in the area, a neighbor doing a large burn of things that shouldn't be burnt?

 

[BastyPutt]

I wouldnt rule out a trouble maker in the area with a pellet gun either. Way too coincidental for the wild bird to go down, then the chicken and have no other birds affected.