dead rooster

He was just lying on the floor of the coop. There was no sign of struggle, no feathers amiss, no blood and all the others except the Salmon Faverolle hen were milling about. She was in the bantam cage hiding under a board and would not budge. I wonder what happened. Chickens!!!

Happens more than you think F.E. Right now with the sudden cold we just had, it's enough to pick off even a healthy bird.

If a bird is found on its back with no obvious signs of injury or stress and to the best of your knowledge there was no signs of disease, most people write it if off as Flip-Over Symdrome which is usually caused by a heart attack.

If a bird is found lying as if it is roosting or on its side, again no injury, ect [as above] most people will write it off as something was wrong internally and with the sudden cold the bird couldn't cope.

I bet he weighed a good 8 pounds. He was hatched this spring and was a Speckled Sussex rooster , pretty gentle in nature and got along well with the whole flock. He had a name. He had a wife, now a widow. I saw no signs of illness in him or any of the flock. It was minus 25 last night. The single heat lamp was on high but at perch level. If he was on the floor he would have felt that cold for sure. There are enough perches for all the birds if they so choose to roost and most do. He was on his side. Poor guy.

Not much you can do Sorry for your loss.