Hen disaster

[dtsacbanty]

Went to visit the coop today and saw one of my two OEGB hens sitting in the egg basket. Made me curious as there weren't but 5 eggs yet. Couldn't believe what I saw when I open the door in, the other hen was sprawled, dead on the grounds.

Started to think what could have cause this? Both hens layed into one basket; I recently took their eggs out to incubate. As I observed their behaviors the days following; I noticed one hen chasing, pecking the other. I didn't think anything strange of it then but now its got me thinking...

Did I do something wrong? Did one hen kill the other over thought that she did something with the eggs that were once there?


Needless to say, I was very sad. Let me know if anyone has observed such behaviors....Thank you.

 

[azygous]

I'm so dreadfully sorry to hear you lost your hen. But it's probably purely coincidental that one hen had been chasing and pecking the other previously to this tragedy. Most often, when you have a sudden death like this, in an otherwise observably healthy flock, it's due to natural causes. This has happened to me several times now, finding one of my flock dead under their perch in the morning or dead under the coop at mid-day. Chickens can be born with genetic defects that act like a ticking time bomb, and they can die of heart failure, aneurisms, and other stuff.

It would be a good idea to check around the area to make sure no pesticides could have contaminated anything. Keep a close watch on the rest of the flock for signs of any illness. But it was probably just a fluke.

 

[dtsacbanty]

Thanks for the reply and thoughts. Can't figure it out; they live in an enclosed area and seemed to have been in relatively good health. I know we can't control this, but it's not a good feeling/ experience to go through.

Thanks.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Oh, I am so sorry to hear of your loss.
Do not think you are at fault. These things happen and they can be quite a shock.
I also think the pecking was a coincidence, but she might have had a wound that you could not see or maybe was becoming ill but it wasn't noticable. No good way to know for sure, but these things unfortunately happen.
In any case, I am deeply saddened to hear of your hen passing, and hope the rest of them are happy & healthy.