Dead Hen

[Jetlander]

I went to the coop this morning to let out the chickens and found a dead hen. She appeared to have an egg just inside of her vent. Her vent was a little bloodied up and enlarged. My hens started to lay about a month ago, so they are still new to it. I'm not upset, as my chickens are for food and not pets. Basically, I want to know if this is common for 'new' layers. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[ranchhand]

Could have been eggbound? Perhaps a heart problem? Do a search for eggbound and see what comes up.

What kind of hen?
How old?

 

[Jetlander]

Silver Laced Wyandotte, she was 5 and a half months old.

 

[FluffyColor]

Quote:
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW it's a good thing you're keeping them for food!If I owned chickens and one died I'd cry for an hour.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

I have a 23 week old SLW hen that keep passing shell-less eggs. Im beginning to worry about her. I'm not sure why your hen died but it sounds like she was egg bound.