Hen was dead in nest box. What happened?

[krzybo]

One of my Orpingtons was dead in the nest box when I went out to check on them. Her butt area was all torn up and she still had an egg in her. She was acting normal yesterday and was roosting last night. If she had been egg bound wouldn't she have been acting different? This is the second hen we have lost that was torn up in the butt area. What could be going on? We have had hens for 3 years and this is the first set of deaths we have had. Any ideas?

 

[silkiechicken]

If they got fat over winter, the build up around ovaries and reproductive tracts can cause them to strain and "break" something.

 

[Illia]

That, or she was egg bound. Was she herself 3 years old? Often hatchery-based hens, at ages 2-4 years, can die due to egg related issues.

 

[krzybo]

She was 7 months old and I wouldn't say she was overweight. Would her being in the nest mean she was trying to lay? I feel so bad because we didn't know something was wrong. She acted fine yesterday. She came up to me to be petted like she always did.

 

[Illia]

I know it sounds bad, but have you tried cutting her open to see anything out of the ordinary in her?

 

[krzybo]

We saw nothing unusual. We don't really know what to look for. There were no worms or anything like that. She did have a whole egg still in her.

 

[silkiechicken]

That whole egg could have been stuck, and her straining could have given her a heart attack. Sometimes it happens. Most worms and internal parasites you won't see by eye, however, with that, if she was a healthy weight, she probably didn't have a terrible infestation going on either.

 

[welasharon]

What do you mean when you say "torn up"?
sharon

 

[Martin Grove Farm]

Sounds egg bound. Some hens succumb to it a faster than others.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

It sounds like she had a prolapsed vent. Not necessarily egg bound, except as a result of a prolapse, as she says her butt was all torn up.