I am new to chickens and this is my first flock. I purchased 76 Rhode Island red chicks on June 2 of 2014. There were approximately 34 hens. They started to lay a few weeks ago and I have had very good luck.
Today, I went into the chicken coop to collect eggs and found multiple normal size eggs and one gigantic one. While I was in there, I did not notice any dead chickens. There may have been a dead one but I really figure I would've seen it.
Anyway, I went back about a half-hour later and found a chicken dead on the ground. I removed her from the coop and her body was still warm. The weather has been cold around here lately but today was about 65°. However, the body was way warmer than that.
So, I am left to figure that she died after my first entry into the coop or shortly before that.
My question is, can a double yoked egg kill a chicken? My theory would be that she is so young and unable to physically handle delivering such a large egg. Before posting I read up on double yoked eggs and found that young hens and also overfed hens can produce these.
Any thoughts?
Today, I went into the chicken coop to collect eggs and found multiple normal size eggs and one gigantic one. While I was in there, I did not notice any dead chickens. There may have been a dead one but I really figure I would've seen it.
Anyway, I went back about a half-hour later and found a chicken dead on the ground. I removed her from the coop and her body was still warm. The weather has been cold around here lately but today was about 65°. However, the body was way warmer than that.
So, I am left to figure that she died after my first entry into the coop or shortly before that.
My question is, can a double yoked egg kill a chicken? My theory would be that she is so young and unable to physically handle delivering such a large egg. Before posting I read up on double yoked eggs and found that young hens and also overfed hens can produce these.
Any thoughts?