Mystery chicken death

[Schrebergaertner]

Today we lost one of our original girls. Found a RIR dead on the floor of the coop in the middle of the day. She couldn't have been gone more than a couple of hours, since I had been in there not long before. No signs or symptoms beforehand, she had plenty of weight, and nothing noticeable wrong when I looked her body over. She was on the floor right by a waterer and when I picked her up some water dribbled out of her mouth. Could she have asphyxiated while drinking? We've had more than our share of good fortune--this is the first one we've lost--no predators, diseases, or anything else in about three years. She wasn't that old, either, about three years old. Anyone have any ideas? Does this sometimes just happen and you never figure out the reason? More importantly, are there things we should be on the lookout for with the other girls to make sure we don't have a bigger problem?

Thanks very much.

 

[sourland]

Sometimes this just happens. Chickens can succumb from heart attacks. Keep an eye on the rest of the flock for anything out of the ordinary, but this probably falls into the category of 'stuff happens'.