Found hen dead this morning 😭 Help?

[lifeofphi]

Relatively new to this back yard chicken thing. Started a small flock of ten last summer and it’s been smooth sailing so far, however this morning I went out to feed them and one of my hens had died. I check in on them several times a day and had not noticed her acting strange or any weird symptoms. When I went to remove her from the coop I noticed she had mucus running from her nose. So obviously I’m very concerned about my other hens and myself and my toddler who often does chores with me. Is this something they/or we could catch? Should we continue to eat the eggs? Does anyone know what this could be? My anxiety is so high today. Any input would be appreciated. (I should also note that it has been hot here in Tennessee but I’ve been making sure they have plenty of water. Could it be heat exhaustion?)

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry you lost a hen.
The eggs are fine.
You can't catch anything.
What's her age and diet?
It's possible that the mucus was crop fluid.
It also could be heat.

 

[lifeofphi]

I'm sorry you lost a hen.
The eggs are fine.
You can't catch anything.
What's her age and diet?
It's possible that the mucus was crop fluid.
It also could be heat.

She was around a year old. Her diet is locally made corn chicken feed and grass/bugs she foraged for.

 

[nuthatched]

She was around a year old. Her diet is locally made corn chicken feed and grass/bugs she foraged for.

Its hard to say without an necropsy. Was she laying?
If the feed looks more like scratch, I'd switch to another feed. Its not likely what killed her buy if it's mostly corn, it's not going to help them.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Welcome to BYC, by the way.

What part of the world are you in? Can you get commercial pelleted chicken feed? I recommend an all-flock formula, especially if your flock includes non-layers. You can offer oyster shell in a separate dish for the laying hens, those that need it will help themselves and those that don't will ignore it. Are you also supplying a free-feed source of crushed granite grit? They need this to aid in digestion, as they don't have teeth.