2 1/2 year hen died today not previously ill

[Cxwhit3]

Could it be old age? Hasn’t been laying at all this year. She appeared fine and bossing the flock around just a couple of days ago. She never went in the coop last night but was standing in the corner when I let the rest of the girls out this morning. She was dead when I got home from work. it did look like maybe the others had been pecking at her but I have no way to know if that was before or after she died. Is there any sanitation protocols I should follow since I don’t know why she died? Thanks

 

[Jenessa_096]

Is it hot where you live right now? Also, she could’ve been egg-bound if she hasn’t been laying in a while.

 

[Lizzy733]

Was she a hybrid production breed? They really aren't meant to last. We raised 3 brown shaver from chicks and they've all passed away this last winter at 3 years old. The weather here is quite mild, no freezing temps - two went on hunger strikes and the third had acites and suspicious abdominal lumps. Seemed to hit each of them post-moult, when they should have been getting back on the lay. Definitely wasn't anything infectious or worms; hit them each individually months apart too. Our first was a hunger strike and we caught it quite late... The last death was also a hunger strike, but we caught it right away and brought her in for medical attention. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have been worms or cocci and she was showing signs of organ failure, so we made the call to cull after a week of slow decline with treatment.

Bad genetics could also be a factor. We lost a heritage pullet to a raft of things when she was almost one year old. The breeder was breeding father daughter, but had only just established her breeding flock and I don't think she started with diverse genetics, so I'd already suspected inbreeding after losing a pair of chicks one late failure pre-hatch and one post hatch to 'mysterious' joint issues.

 

[Cxwhit3]

Is it hot where you live right now? Also, she could’ve been egg-bound if she hasn’t been laying in a while.

Temps have been lower lately. In the forties over night, about 70 during the day. She hasn’t be laying since early spring

 

[Cxwhit3]

Was she a hybrid production breed? They really aren't meant to last. We raised 3 brown shaver from chicks and they've all passed away this last winter at 3 years old. The weather here is quite mild, no freezing temps - two went on hunger strikes and the third had acites and suspicious abdominal lumps. Seemed to hit each of them post-moult, when they should have been getting back on the lay. Definitely wasn't anything infectious or worms; hit them each individually months apart too. Our first was a hunger strike and we caught it quite late... The last death was also a hunger strike, but we caught it right away and brought her in for medical attention. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have been worms or cocci and she was showing signs of organ failure, so we made the call to cull after a week of slow decline with treatment.

Bad genetics could also be a factor. We lost a heritage pullet to a raft of things when she was almost one year old. The breeder was breeding father daughter, but had only just established her breeding flock and I don't think she started with diverse genetics, so I'd already suspected inbreeding after losing a pair of chicks one late failure pre-hatch and one post hatch to 'mysterious' joint issues.

I think she was a red sex link or Cinnamon Queen. She was a pretty consistent layer all of last year but wound down in the winter and never started up again. Got her as a chick at the farm store. Just hoping it’s not something that’s going to run through the whole flock

 

[Verbon30]

Sometimes it just happens. A friend of mine had one that was walking across the yard and just fell over dead. Heart attack we figured.

 

[Jenessa_096]

It’s such a mysterious death. The only thing that gets me wondering is why was she not laying? Maybe it was some reproductive or egg laying issue?

 

[Eggcessive]

The best way to know what happened is to send or take her body in to your state vet for a necropsy, to look at her organs. Sometimes a home necropsy (take pictures) can give clued if it is something obvious, such as eggbound. Here is where to find a link to contact them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/upload_2018-9-26_20-52-5-jpeg.1544694/

 

[Tonyroo]

High production birds aren't meant to live a normal time frame. There egg laying abilities catches up to them.

 

[Lizzy733]

I think she was a red sex link or Cinnamon Queen. She was a pretty consistent layer all of last year but wound down in the winter and never started up again. Got her as a chick at the farm store. Just hoping it’s not something that’s going to run through the whole flock

I'd suspect her geneology then unless there are specific symptoms you've noticed with her and your other birds. Sex link layer birds are very 'live fast, die young.' They're engineered to be culled at 2 years old and while there are stories out there of their girls living 5-8 years, that was not something I could pull off with good care, access to avian vets and personal experience with ill and injured birds.

Had she lost weight recently? How meaty was her keel? It's usually not very meaty on a hybrid, but the bone shouldn't be prominent and there should be developed breast muscle there.

When my second started to go down hill, the girls turned on her and started attacking on sight. Looked brutal, but maybe it was their attempt at a mercy killing. She had acites, which means it's only a matter of time cause that's either tumors or organ failure.