Hen died but I can’t find why

[ChickenGeneral]

Hello, today when I went to let our chickens out I found one of our Hens dead. She’s a Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn mix and as far as I know was still laying eggs- though we don’t know her exact age. She always looked healthy and active, and hasn’t been acting strangely recently. There’s no evidence of abnormal droppings or anything in the coop and though I didn’t inspect every inch of skin, I don’t think it was a snake bite because we’ve never had snakes in the coop before. She didn’t have any injuries and nothing looked amiss around her face or butt. I’m totally at a loss for what might’ve happened to her but I’m worried about our other chickens.

 

[FunClucks]

Hello, today when I went to let our chickens out I found one of our Hens dead. She’s a Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn mix and as far as I know was still laying eggs- though we don’t know her exact age. She always looked healthy and active, and hasn’t been acting strangely recently. There’s no evidence of abnormal droppings or anything in the coop and though I didn’t inspect every inch of skin, I don’t think it was a snake bite because we’ve never had snakes in the coop before. She didn’t have any injuries and nothing looked amiss around her face or butt. I’m totally at a loss for what might’ve happened to her but I’m worried about our other chickens.

How old was she approximately?

Sudden chicken death is a thing and sometimes happens. Some reproductive issues can kill a chicken with little to no warning. Unless you do an autopsy, you may never know for sure. If this was my chicken, I'd assume reproductive issues and not worry about the others. However, if you have another one drop dead with no warning and no signs of anything, save her body in the fridge (NOT freezer) and send it off for autopsy if you want to be certain what happened and if it's a risk to your other chickens.

So sorry you lost your hen. I had one die like that a few months after she started laying - she laid a fairy egg one day, and the next she was dead, no other signs or symptoms. My other chickens were fine. Of course she was the best layer and sweetest hen.

State lab for autopsy link is below. Call your lab for shipping details and cost.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[ChickenGeneral]

How old was she approximately?

Sudden chicken death is a thing and sometimes happens. Some reproductive issues can kill a chicken with little to no warning. Unless you do an autopsy, you may never know for sure. If this was my chicken, I'd assume reproductive issues and not worry about the others. However, if you have another one drop dead with no warning and no signs of anything, save her body in the fridge (NOT freezer) and send it off for autopsy if you want to be certain what happened and if it's a risk to your other chickens.

So sorry you lost your hen. I had one die like that a few months after she started laying - she laid a fairy egg one day, and the next she was dead, no other signs or symptoms. My other chickens were fine. Of course she was the best layer and sweetest hen.

State lab for autopsy link is below. Call your lab for shipping details and cost.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Because we got them as adults with little detail we don’t know their exact ages, just that they came to us at egg laying age and that they’re all looking pretty healthy and spry. We lost another hen recently but she had a previous eye injury/infection that had healed and was found in the pond on one of our coldest days after being missing for a couple days so whatever happened, it wasn’t like she dropped dead like this one. Still, I’m pretty worried. I’ll be keeping a closer eye on them as best I can (they free range), and will probably buy some supplements just in case. Thank you for the response!

 

[nuthatched]

How long did you have them?

 

[ChickenGeneral]

How long did you have them?

My grandparents got them around a year ago.

 

[nuthatched]

My grandparents got them around a year ago.

So she could have been 3+ when she died...it doesn't narrow it down much. Sorry about that. What was her diet?

 

[ChickenGeneral]

So she could have been 3+ when she died...it doesn't narrow it down much. Sorry about that. What was her diet?

They were fed a mix of corn scratch and laying mash, plus they free ranged

 

[nuthatched]

They were fed a mix of corn scratch and laying mash, plus they free ranged

It might have been the diet, but it's impossible to say without necropsy. Corn/scratch should be less than 10% of their diet, too much causes internal fat build up organ failure. Who knows how old she really was and her previous care, those could be the issue too.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello, today when I went to let our chickens out I found one of our Hens dead. She’s a Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn mix and as far as I know was still laying eggs- though we don’t know her exact age. She always looked healthy and active, and hasn’t been acting strangely recently. There’s no evidence of abnormal droppings or anything in the coop and though I didn’t inspect every inch of skin, I don’t think it was a snake bite because we’ve never had snakes in the coop before. She didn’t have any injuries and nothing looked amiss around her face or butt. I’m totally at a loss for what might’ve happened to her but I’m worried about our other chickens.

I'm sorry about your hen.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to know why one dies without further investigation.
@FunClucks has given you practical advice. If you lose another in a short period of time, then having a necropsy will give you the most information.

How old was she approximately?

Sudden chicken death is a thing and sometimes happens. Some reproductive issues can kill a chicken with little to no warning. Unless you do an autopsy, you may never know for sure. If this was my chicken, I'd assume reproductive issues and not worry about the others. However, if you have another one drop dead with no warning and no signs of anything, save her body in the fridge (NOT freezer) and send it off for autopsy if you want to be certain what happened and if it's a risk to your other chickens.

So sorry you lost your hen. I had one die like that a few months after she started laying - she laid a fairy egg one day, and the next she was dead, no other signs or symptoms. My other chickens were fine. Of course she was the best layer and sweetest hen.

State lab for autopsy link is below. Call your lab for shipping details and cost.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[WoDia]

I’m so sorry to hear about your hen. I hope the rest of your flock continues in good health.