Dead hen this afternoon

[reesadz]

This afternoon I heard loud clucking from one of my Silver Laced Wyandottes. I didn't think anything of it as she tends to be the loudest our our 3 hens and does that every once in a while. An hour or so later when I went outside, she was dead in the run - curled up right by the door. She seemed perfectly healthy earlier in the day - and all 3 hens laid eggs today. Is there something I should be checking for to make sure she didn't have an illness that could have spread to the other 2? Thanks - I am so devastated and confused!

 

[sourland]

Sudden death in otherwise apparently healthy chickens can be the result of a heart attack or overheating. It doesn't sound as if it is an infectious agent. Make sure that your birds are not overweight and have access to shade and cool water.