Hen suddenly going down. Help!

[Margiechickmom]

I went outside to open the coop and let the girls out as usual. My 3 year old Easter Egger (Jessie) was sitting on the roost after everyone else came out for their morning goodies. I touched her (which she usually freaks out over) and she just sat there, not moving at all. I picked her up without any fight whatsoever and set her on the ground. She just lay there. Other chickens starting picking on her because she was obviously not OK. She had been fine up until this morning. She shows no signs of any breathing trouble, no discharges, no injuries. They haven't been free ranging for a couple of days so I don't think she could have gotten into anything. She's been laying fine and I checked her back end, everything looked normal.
I have her isolated so the others can't attack her.

Anyone have any ideas or is it just a mystery?

I hate to lose her.

 

[my sunwolf]

Not enough symptoms right now to determine what it could be--there are many, many different illnesses that sound like you're describing.

One thing that is very common is Marek's, which can strike almost any age at any time.

Could be pesticides sprayed somewhere nearby.

It could even be some sort of heart problem or other disease issue.

Not sure right now, but I'm sorry about your hen!

 

[realsis]

How is her breathing? Any sound when she breathes? Any symptoms that might be over looked? Is she puffed up? How is her poo? How long ago has she last laid. What is her posture? Is her crop empty or full? Is she straining? Please look listen and feel for anything that might be unusual.is she sleepy acting? Have you done a vent exam? Did you feel to see if she might be egg bound? If you list any more symptoms at all it would really be helpful
Also perhaps post a photo. Then I'm sure someone should be able to help. But be as specific as possible with her symptoms
Best of luck!

 

[salt and pepper]

Check her crop, is it full, empty, and squishy?? Are her feathers fluffed up, is her comb a different color? We need more symptoms to be able to tell what's wrong with her.

 

[Margiechickmom]

Well, she died today. Nothing was apparently wrong with her so I am still clueless. She was not egg bound, comb was fine, no crop issues. She was fine and now she's dead. I guess I won't know for sure. She wasn't having breathing issues of any sort. She just was fine and now not.

Thanks, anyway.

 

[iheartnh]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Chickens frequently have heart, liver, and egg laying problems that don't show up until they suddenly die. After having chickens for a few years, we all have this happen. There was probably nothing you could do. Some people here on BYC have found that doing a necropsy on their dead chickens, then posting pictures of the organs, can sometimes get answers if their are abnormalities. It's not for everyone of course, but once you know what normal organs look like you can sometimes ID when it goes wrong. The Natural Chicken Keeping Thread is a good place to post necropsy photos and look for answers. Members will give you feedback immediately.