Did my chicken have a seizure? Why did she die?

[4 Georgia Hens]

Hello everyone. Yesterday afternoon I went to go check on my flock, and I noticed something very odd. My almost 3 year old Red Sex-Link was flipping and flopping all over the place. It looked like she was trying to do cartwheels. Her eyes were rolled back into her head. Honestly, it seemed like she was possessed. I ran inside and came out approximately 45 seconds later to find her hard as a rock and completely dead. My whole family is baffled. We have absolutely no idea what was going on with her. She had no visible wounds. In the past year and a half, she has struggled with laying eggs. They have burst inside her, but she was always able to pass everything. We started giving her oyster shell as extra calcium, but she never showed any interest in consuming it. This past year the feathers on her rear end were very gross looking and dripped with feces. We tried to clean her up, but she never stayed clean for long. Other than that, she was a perfectly healthy girl. I really need some insight on what could have been going on.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

This looks like what she was doing. This is not her, but I wanted to find something that would give y’all a better understanding of what was going on.

 

[TomZilla43]

Oh wow, so sorry about your hen. I've heard that sex link chickens sometimes have reproductive health issues similar to what you have experienced with yours. I only have heritage breeds so I don't have any personal experience with sex link chickens. I've also heard that some agricultural extentions will necropsy deceased chickens and the such to help you discover problems. So perhaps you can find out what caused this. Hope you find answers and avoid problems with your other chooks.

 

[coach723]

When chickens die they often will have muscle spasms that can be convulsion like. To know precisely what the cause of death was you will need to have a necropsy done. Many times that is the only way to know for sure. Reproductive problems are not uncommon, but without a necropsy it is just guessing. I'm very sorry for your loss.