Can a double yoked egg kill a young chicken?

[TheRobertRalph]

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?

 

[crazyfeathers]

I'm sorry about your chicken, very sad. I have no knowledge to share with you but someone will I'm sure. I lost a hen today too she drown in the water tub we keep in the barn as we don't have running water out there, but I addressed that so it never happens again.

 

[Peep_Show]

Was there any blood on the outside of the egg? If not, the hen was able to lay it okay.

Unfortunately, chickens do not come with expiration dates stamped on them and, sadly, some die at a very early age and some die at a very old age.

Just a shot in the dark and an autopsy would prove it for sure, but your dead hen probably was internally laying (that's where the egg goodies wander away from the laying tract and end up in the internal body where they wreak all sorts of havoc and the hen eventually gets sepsis and dies of shock) or had a severe ovary rupture and bled out.... I'm looking at the very pale comb on her and either the blood was drained internally or she wasn't at point of lay yet.

Without internal investigation (autopsy), it is very hard to say what killed your hen. Heck, she may have flown straight into a wall.

Very sorry for your loss. At least you've got many other hens to compensate.

 

[TheRobertRalph]

Was there any blood on the outside of the egg? If not, the hen was able to lay it okay.

Unfortunately, chickens do not come with expiration dates stamped on them and, sadly, some die at a very early age and some die at a very old age.

Just a shot in the dark and an autopsy would prove it for sure, but your dead hen probably was internally laying (that's where the egg goodies wander away from the laying tract and end up in the internal body where they wreak all sorts of havoc and the hen eventually gets sepsis and dies of shock) or had a severe ovary rupture and bled out.... I'm looking at the very pale comb on her and either the blood was drained internally or she wasn't at point of lay yet.

Without internal investigation (autopsy), it is very hard to say what killed your hen. Heck, she may have flown straight into a wall.

Very sorry for your loss. At least you've got many other hens to compensate.

All of your thoughts make sense. No blood on the egg.... so, I'm guess it may have been something else... There is nothing to say *she* is the one that laid the double yoke; so they could be completely un-related.

 

[Foghornnmsprisy]

My chickens are about six months old. I have one who lays double yolks. It doesnt seem to bother her at all. With that many chickens its going to be hard to keep an eye on all of them. You're going to have the occasional mystery death. You can put her in the freezer and have a vet check her out later. Unless more start to die I would just assume its a random thing.