Favorite hen died

[Fredf]

One of my favorite hens died unexpectedly, approx. 4 years old, presented lethargic, tail down, looking like she was trying to pass an egg. We thought maybe she was egg bound. Eyes clear, no runny nose, tummy felt soft and distended, comb was turning black. We treated her for egg bound, massaged her, warm water baths, isolated her with warm heating pad. She wasn't interested in eating. No coughing, sneezing, runny nose or eyes. She died in the night. Anybody have an idea what could have happened. Her tummy did feel full and squishy. She did pass some runny yellow, tallow looking poo once. Worried about the rest of the flock. She was only sick for 1 day. Thanks FredF

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I am so sorry for the loss of your sweet hen. Bear hugs!

 

[Eggcessive]

It is hard to know for sure what killed your hen, but it sounds like she might have had a reproductive disorder, such as salpingitis, egg yolk peritonitis, or ascites (water belly.) When something like this happens, you can wrap the body in a clean trash bag, keep the body cold on ice in a cooler, and take or send it in the the state poultry vet for a necropsy. I sometimes do necropsies at home on hens who die with similar symptoms. You can take pictures, and you can post them in a thread here for opinions of what might be wrong. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Fredf]

It is hard to know for sure what killed your hen, but it sounds like she might have had a reproductive disorder, such as salpingitis, egg yolk peritonitis, or ascites (water belly.) When something like this happens, you can wrap the body in a clean trash bag, keep the body cold on ice in a cooler, and take or send it in the the state poultry vet for a necropsy. I sometimes do necropsies at home on hens who die with similar symptoms. You can take pictures, and you can post them in a thread here for opinions of what might be wrong. Sorry for your loss.

Thank you for the information. I did have a hen that laid 2 abnormal eggs. One had another egg formed inside of it and the other actually had 3, the first layer (outside) had a yoke with another rubber egg and inside that was just a jelly formation. Maybe it was her having reproductive problems. She looked good until she just suddenly went downhill. Thank you for your response,

 

[Eggcessive]

Those symptoms sound like impacted oviduct, and it may have been her. Here is some reading about impacted oviduct symptoms and other reproductive disorders:
https://www.hobbyfarms.com/6-causes-of-swollen-abdomen-in-chickens-2/
https://wagwalking.com/bird/condition/impacted-oviduct