I found Nugget lying on her side on the coop floor at 6:30am alive but making a strange noise and unable to get up. I had just woke up and was trying to figure out what to do for her through my sleepy fog head. I decided I would start by putting her in the cage I use for injury’s or broody breaking. It had vitamin water and food already in place. I gently picked her up but she spasmed in my hands tumbling into the cage where she flapped an rolled around violently for several seconds. Then she lay still. She had died. Inspection revealed yellow globular masses and mush all over her vent area. I am assuming she had a reproductive issue that I never picked up any signs of from her. I did notice that there was no mite activity on her deceased body. I had hoped against mites since I’ve had experience with wild birds dying on my patio and the mites crawled off having lost their host. I did feel relieved knowing the flock probably doesn’t have a mite problem.
Nugget would have been 3yo on October 1st. She, and her sister Eggsmerelda, are my first flock hens. They are Buff Orpingtons. This is the first time I’ve had a loss.
