Written by Carla, USA

References:

If a bird dies and you have other birds from the same source, it may help you to find out the cause of death, to know if you need to replace the entire breeding group (if the problem was hereditary).

Every state has several laboratories that will do a necropsy for free for a member of the public, I have used the one in Raleigh in the past and never paid a cent.

The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow (which every chicken keeper ought to have as a reference, it generally saves money and saves birds from suffering while we would otherwise randomly try treatments... Ask for one for Christmas!) Anyway, the CHH has a listing in the back of the book with contact info for the state labs in every state in the US, so you can reach them for a necropsy.

If a bird dies and you want to know why, get the bird to the lab AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after its death.

Actually, the Raleigh lab says if the bird is clearly dying, it is much better to bring him to the lab BEFORE he dies. They can euthanize the bird more humanely than most people are able to do at home, and they can learn a LOT more if they can necropsy (autopsy) IMMEDIATELY after death, because some germs die or visible evidence may change within a few hours after death.

If you found a dead bird and want to know why it died, do NOT freeze it, place it in a clean plastic bag and refrigerate it, then transport it to the lab as soon as possible (within hours, not days). Most labs have a huge refrigerated bin outside for night drop-offs.

If you contact the nearest state vet laboratory BEFORE you have a bird get seriously ill or die, and ask them to familiarize you with their intake process, then you will know how to handle getting the bird in to them, how soon you need to get the bird to them to have a reasonable chance of an answer, where the forms are, etc.

Trust me, when you are upset at losing a special bird, you may not feel like driving around trying to find a strange place for the first time, and fill out a government form you have never seen before.

When one of my birds is too ill to have a reasonable chance of recovering, then in addition to worrying about whether the bird is suffering, I am also wondering if my other birds will be affected, and whether the bird would be better off not having to continue to suffer.

Taking a seriously sick bird to the state vet saves you having to euthanize him if that is as hard for you as it is for me. It ends the bird's suffering. The necropsy doesn't hurt the bird, but gives you a much better chance to find out what really caused the problem, and whether you need to watch your other birds for the same thing (such as parasites or communicable diseases), or if you need to medicate the flock, or if the ailing bird had a unique problem and everyone else is fine.

It's hard to take a bird to the lab the first time or two, but the peace of mind is a great relief. Even if the lab only manages to rule out various problems, that at least means less to worry about for the birds you still have.

Carla