Found one of our hens dead in the coop this morning :(

[l3mmmy]

We have 4 runner ducks and 3 chickens. This morning when we went to check their water and feed we sadly found one of our rescue hens dead in the coop there was no signs of any predators or blood etc. She was totally intact and seemed healthy yesterday.

It's dropped cold in the UK in the last couple of weeks and this is our first winter with ducks and chickens. Could she have died because she got too cold? Or could this just be a random occurrence (I read sometimes chickens can die unexpectedly)?

I'd hate to think we're doing something wrong... They have a large run with a modest coop (nothing fancy, a wooden hut with wood shavings as bedding. It could do with being a little bigger which we're working on) and they have a waterer which is changed every other day and a big feeder that we check daily.

We're new at this so any advice would be welcome.

Sad that we've lost our Ginger this morning

 

[coach723]

The only way to know for sure what happened is to have her necropsied. Depending on her age, and history, there are many, many possibilities for why she might have died. I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[l3mmmy]

Thank you

She was a rescue so we don't know anything about her past. I guess as you say it could have been anything.

 

[MandaH]

I find that the first cold snap or two can weed out any of my livestock that are weak. Sometimes they can appear okay but the added stress of the cold is what pushes one over and we lose them. Sorry for your loss either way