Lethargic hen, seizure, dark fluid coming from beak, nose, and eyes after she died. What happened??

[ECrow]

This afternoon I noticed my hen was looking very lethargic and wouldn't stand up on her own. Her face was paler than usual, and her backend was a little rounder than usual. I though she might be egg bound, so I put her in a warm, dimly lit room. I checked on her every now and then, but she was still very lethargic. About six hours later, she began to have what looked like a seizure, which lasted maybe 15 seconds, before dying. Then, foul smelling, dark brown fluid began to come out of her beak, nose and eyes.
Does anyone know what could have caused this? I've been raising chickens for years and I've never had a hen die so fast or in such a frightening way. I don't know whether it could've been caused by something she ate, but I feed my hens organic chicken feed, I give them my compost, and I try to monitor what they eat and I haven't noticed anything different. Should I be worried about my other hens?
Thank you for any info you have to offer. The more the better.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Most times when we lose a hen, if we witness it, they may go into spasms and even have a twisted neck, losing the contents of the crop. How old was the hen, had she been laying, eating and drinking, and was her crop emptying overnight? If possible, I would keep her body cold, not frozen, and contact your state vet early tomorrow about getting a necropsy (autopsy) to look for a cause of death.

 

[Rivka826]

This afternoon I noticed my hen was looking very lethargic and wouldn't stand up on her own. Her face was paler than usual, and her backend was a little rounder than usual. I though she might be egg bound, so I put her in a warm, dimly lit room. I checked on her every now and then, but she was still very lethargic. About six hours later, she began to have what looked like a seizure, which lasted maybe 15 seconds, before dying. Then, foul smelling, dark brown fluid began to come out of her beak, nose and eyes.
Does anyone know what could have caused this? I've been raising chickens for years and I've never had a hen die so fast or in such a frightening way. I don't know whether it could've been caused by something she ate, but I feed my hens organic chicken feed, I give them my compost, and I try to monitor what they eat and I haven't noticed anything different. Should I be worried about my other hens?
Thank you for any info you have to offer. The more the better.

Hi there, the same thing just happened to my chicken! Out chicken panted a bit, then had a seizure where her neck curled down between her legs for about 15 seconds, then in the moment that she died, brownish liquid spurted out of her eyes, mouth, and vent. It smells bad, too. Did you ever find out what caused your chicken's death?