Dead pullet

[skullstevie]

I was away all day and when I returned, one of our months-old pullets was stretched out dead. Legs stretched out fully, neck limp but otherwise rigid. Husband's said he had been out in the few hours beforehand and everyone was fine. No marks noticeable on her until I checked her bottom to see if she had any signs of internal distress. No luck there; chickens are cannibals and mine are little garbage disposals. They had started in on her, I assume, because her back end was a hollow under her coccyx. Unpleasant. The spread of HPAI has me nervous, but I don't suspect illness. No prior signs, no sickness in the flock. Just...dead. Does this sound like SDS? Or maybe just a weaker pullet?

 

[Isadora]

If there were no symptoms beforehand and you don't see any external signs that give clues, really a necropsy is the only way to know. Otherwise we can just speculate.