So here's the details: My EE was nearly 2 years old. She had been laying eggs for a little less than a year, and then right at the end of fall she went through a molt and stopped laying eggs. After the molt, she looked really great and healthy with her new feathers. But she did not lay eggs through the winter and i assumed that was because of the combination of molting and entering winter at the same time. I live in NJ and it gets fairly cold over the winter. Up to the day she died last week, she seemed in perfect health. Eating, drinking as normal - maybe a bit less than my other chickens but I assumed that was because she wasn't laying. Then one day last week I saw her on the nest and thought that maybe she was finally getting back to laying. The next day I found her dead in the coop. No injuries or anything like that - we have no real predetors here other than hawks and since she died in the coop house that rules that out. So, any ideas? I have only had chickens for the past 2 years and have never had one drop dead like this. Could it be that she was egg-bound with the first egg after a long dry spell? Any help ideas would be greatly appreciated. By the way, all of the other chickens in my flock (3) are perfectly happy and healthy.
Thanks!
Thanks!
