My 6 month old Ancona died today with no injuries or feathers missing. Very healthy bird and was acting normal the whole morning until my husband found her in the middle of our lawn dead. No predators around. Has anyone had this happen?? Could our rooster have killed her inadvertently while mounting her or something..I'm afraid I won't ever know what killed her. Can otherwise healthy chickens die suddenly?? So upsetting.
If possible refrigerate her body in a plastic bag, and send it to your state vet or dept of agriculture for a necropsy. It is common to lose chickens around the time they start to lay eggs for various reasons. Internal organ diseases, egg binding, worms, impacted gizzard, or other parasites could be a problem. Sorry for your loss.
