Hello, Dadspossum. Yes, it is possible for a chicken to die suddenly and for no apparent reason, for example of a heart problem that caused no apparent symptoms prior to death. One of my hens died suddenly last year. One day she was fine with no signs of illness, the next day appeared ill when I let her out of the coop in the morning, and she was dead by noon the same day. I never determined the cause. No signs of illness with my other hens, then or since. With the number of deaths you have experienced since last year, however, you might want to try to determine if there is something behind the deaths. If you answer the following questions, others on this site experienced in chicken care can help you figure out what might be causing your chickens to die. Good luck to you.
Give us the following information. The more you tell us, the better we will be able to help you.
1) What type of bird , age and weight.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
