Dead Hen Opinions please

[Attila the Hen]

I found my first dead chicken this morning when I went out to the coop.
Last night one of my Buff Orpington chickens didn't seem well. She was sitting in one spot and not eating. I offered food and she would only take a little water. I massaged her stomach for some time which seemed hard and she didn't seem to mind at all.
I have had fewer eggs recently so suspect an impacted egg.
The hens have been panting on and off but that is the hot weather which has dissipated some.
She had a fair amount of food in her crop.
She is just over one year old but looked very healthy. I weighed her this morning and she weighed 7 lbs.
I thought her comb looked a little light colored and slightly swollen.

I have wrapped her and put her in the freezer since I must go to work. I would appreciate any comments or direction on what to look for or what to do besides bury her.
Thank you

 

[7L Farm]

Maybe she was egg bound did you feel around her vent for an egg. Maybe open her up & see if you see a broken egg in her before you bury her.

 

[Attila the Hen]

I felt her all along her stomach and it felt very hard, but did not feel an egg shape. Also, I let them eat their eggshells and wonder if she ate too big a piece and perferated her stomach.
I am not sure I can open her up but I will go feel her stomach again before she gets too frozen.
This is my first death and I am not very good with losing my friends.
I know she was fine yesterday as I spend time daily with the chickens and she ate my treats--peanuts.

thank you for responding.

 

[Attila the Hen]

I just checked her again and couldn't feel any real hardness in her stomach. Her vent looked a little abnormal --almost slightly turned out. Maybe she was straining? A few times I felt her strain and push last night when I was massaging her.

 

[speckledhen]

The only way you can check for egg binding is to feel up into the vent, not the abdomen, but it does sound like it was egg related. One of my Delaware hens had a humongous egg containing yet another egg that had dropped into the abdomen so no way she could be saved. Her abdomen felt rock hard, but she had also lost massive amounts of weight as well. There are so many egg related ways to lose them.

 

[Attila the Hen]

Speckledhen--thank you for responding. I think I may have figured it out and will post a warning to others. The hen had a slightly swollen and pale comb. Someone in another post said that was a sign of fatty liver syndrome. I think I overfed her and the others with too much protein---in this case peanuts which they love.
thanks again