Dead Chicken

[Rskiba]

This is our second year of having chickens. We have Rhode Island Reds now. I came home from work today and found one of my girls dead in the coup. She seemed fine yesterday when they were out roaming in the yard. Anyone have any ideas what might have happened?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Tell us about how you found her, and what you noticed about the carcass. Thin? Did she have any mucus around her beak or nostrils? Any visible injuries or oddities? Color of her comb and wattles? How did her belly feel? How did her vent look? Has she been laying? Possible she broke her neck falling from something? How do the other chickens look? Any clues will help.

 

[Rskiba]

Tell us about how you found her, and what you noticed about the carcass. Thin? Did she have any mucus around her beak or nostrils? Any visible injuries or oddities? Color of her comb and wattles? How did her belly feel? How did her vent look? Has she been laying? Possible she broke her neck falling from something? How do the other chickens look? Any clues will help.

She was laying on her side. She didn’t have anything coming from her beak or nostrils. Her comb was pink. She was stiff already when I found her. Yes she was laying everyday. Her vent was fine. Our other two look fine so far. Not quite sure what happened.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

She was laying on her side. She didn’t have anything coming from her beak or nostrils. Her comb was pink. She was stiff already when I found her. Yes she was laying everyday. Her vent was fine. Our other two look fine so far. Not quite sure what happened.

I am so sorry for your loss, Rskiba.
It's hard to say, without any outward signs. I have lost a few hens here and there in a similar way, and never got an answer. I have to assume something like heart attack, inhaled and choked on something, or broke her neck falling from the roosts.
I lost a 3-week old chick recently, same thing. The only thing I saw was a small bloody spot in the back of his throat and maybe his throat was swollen. At the time I found him, I also got stung by a wasp in the brooder house. So that was the best answer I found; I assume he tried to eat a wasp. Could be your girl did the same.