Dead chicken

[eggfooyung]

I got new pullets end of june, and one of the buff orpingtons started staying on the nest all the time, i'd take her out and she'd eat, poke around, then get back in. i assumed she was broody. but she just died today. no signs of any specific illness. how do i determine what happened?

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

It sounds like she was egg bound. Was she laying before she died?

 

[eggfooyung]

unfortunately i could never tell, she would sit on all the eggs and i never knew which one was hers. my coop isn't big enough to separate her, but maybe i should get a small mobile coop or something to isolate a sick girl.

 

[Eggcessive]

She may have been broody so long that she became weak. How long had she been sitting in the nest box? She also may have been egg bound or had some internal problem such as heart disease that killed her. Sorry for your loss.