Austarlorp, not laying eggs

[ValerieJ]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Ted_Harrell]

So sorry for your loss.

Thank you all for the empathy, it is reassuring..

 

[Eggcessive]

It really can help you have some closure to do a home necropsy if possible. It is not easy, but after one or two, it becomes a bit easier to know what to look for in a dead hen. I have lost a few to crop disorders, and found later that they had internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, cancer, ascites, or other disorders that can be common. It helps to look at the liver color, examine the intestines for worms, open the crop and gizzard to look at contents, look at the heart, and look for fluid or egg matter in the abdomen.

In sick chickens, I first check and feel of the crop, look for lice or mites on the skin under the vent, check droppings, offer water or elctrolytes, look at comb color, and watch to see if they are walking okay and if they are separating themselves.