Hen dying suddenly - Found lying on her back

[BigBlueHen53]

I asked about temps, not because of the chickens but because of the possibility of a snake. That does seem cold for a snake to be out and about. Thus I am at a loss.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Ok. DH is chiming in. He likes a good mystery as much as anyone. Here are his questions. Was it FULL dark when you last checked on your hen, or just late dusk? In other words, COULD she have gotten up to get a drink, a snack or chase one ladt bug? Since it's evident whatever happened to her, happened early, shortly after you left her - hence why there are no droppings under her roost.

Second, is there any possibility whatever got hold of her was ALREADY in the coop when you closed them up? I don't remember if you said you ever free range them but if so, would the door to the run have been open during that time, allowing an unwanted visitor? But the intact body is the big mystery. What predator would leave the body?

(Pardon typos, am a passenger in a car and road is sometimes bumpy lol)

 

[Papaye]

Was it FULL dark when you last checked on your hen, or just late dusk?

It was almost full dark!

Not late dusk, but really just a few minutes away from complete darkness.
Too much dark for her to get out, even to drink... unless she did : Pierrette actually was one of my two hens I would qualify as night owl, so maybe there is a chance she did get out of the coop in the evening...?

Sometimes, really not very often, she just did not want to go to sleep untill it was so dark I had to turn on the light to watch my steps when I closed the doors of the runs...

Second, is there any possibility whatever got hold of her was ALREADY in the coop when you closed them up?

No chance.

I am obsessively careful with my birds, given that there are so much predators in my area...
I am counting them each evening, before I close the doors of the runs... and I make sure there are no animals in the runs AND the coops, especially the cats - since they apparently want the coops to be theirs...

I don't remember if you said you ever free range them but if so, would the door to the run have been open during that time, allowing an unwanted visitor?

All my birds free-range, but Pierrette and the rooster did not during these last days :
- the rooster having so much walking problems, I did not want him to worsen his conditions by walking in the garden,
- Pierrette having tore off a claw, I did not want to let her free-range for a few days, in order to avoid she re-opens her wound by scratching the ground.

So, I had locked them in a very small run.

But the intact body is the big mystery. What predator would leave the body?

That's why I immediately thought if a predator was responsible of her death, it was only by frightening her to death.

There was no blood, no wound, no damaged feathers... just a cold body, lying on its back, feet in the air... and maybe a broken neck, but hard to really tell...

That's so weird...

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That's so weird...

Indeed it is.

 

[FSantana]

It was almost full dark!

Not late dusk, but really just a few minutes away from complete darkness.
Too much dark for her to get out, even to drink... unless she did : Pierrette actually was one of my two hens I would qualify as night owl, so maybe there is a chance she did get out of the coop in the evening...?

Sometimes, really not very often, she just did not want to go to sleep untill it was so dark I had to turn on the light to watch my steps when I closed the doors of the runs...


No chance.

I am obsessively careful with my birds, given that there are so much predators in my area...
I am counting them each evening, before I close the doors of the runs... and I make sure there are no animals in the runs AND the coops, especially the cats - since they apparently want the coops to be theirs...



All my birds free-range, but Pierrette and the rooster did not during these last days :
- the rooster having so much walking problems, I did not want him to worsen his conditions by walking in the garden,
- Pierrette having tore off a claw, I did not want to let her free-range for a few days, in order to avoid she re-opens her wound by scratching the ground.

So, I had locked them in a very small run.



That's why I immediately thought if a predator was responsible of her death, it was only by frightening her to death.

There was no blood, no wound, no damaged feathers... just a cold body, lying on its back, feet in the air... and maybe a broken neck, but hard to really tell...

That's so weird...

Wait, did you say tore claw? Maybe, when she tore her claw she got infected by something that got inside the bloodstream. there a lot of diseases out there that don´t show symptoms and all it needs is one bacteria or virus to get inside to kill the hen. With my hens I have hane inexplicable deaths too. One died while incubating the eggs and onether one just died for no reason at all. If you don't vaccinate your chickens like me, there is a chance she got a disease she wasnt ready for.
But I mean this is just a speculation.