The Poultry Keeper

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Sudden death is classified as one day your bird is fine and the next day you find them passed away without any signs or symptoms.

As chickens tend to have a very high blood pressure, they are more susceptible to heart attacks and strokes. This does not mean that you will necessarily find blood traces from their nose or beak.

A blackish color comb and waddles will indicate a sudden death arising from a heart attack.

There is not much that can be done to prevent such an occurrence. You can monitor your bird's weight, feed it healthy treats and reduce any outside factors that might induce a high stress level...i.e. stray dogs chasing them, other predators, etc. Making sure they have plenty of clean, cool water and shade to seek out during hot periods of weather will also reduce the stress to their bodies.