My hen just died...Why?

[Queen Chika]

My beautiful Blue Andelusian passed away today, she was not feeling well yesterday, and today, when I went to check on her tonight, she was sprawled out on the coop floor. I have no idea what could have happened to her. She had diarreah, but other than that she had no other symptoms. I am worried about my other chickens. Does anyone know what could cause a hen to just get sick and die? I should add, she layed an egg yesterday or the day before.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I'm so sorry to hear that your girl died.

My BR has had diarrhea/watery poop for a while now and I just discovered today that she has worms. Watery poop is a symptom of the digestive tract being unable to absorb enough nutrients from the food. Is it possible your hen had worms?

 

[melissastraka]

I had two one RIR and a BR in the same week die and had no explanation. I am too much of a wuss to open it up to see but i would be interested to hear what you find out. Sorry about your baby

 

[LadyShred]

How old was she? Was she thin? Was the poop bloody? It could be Coccidia, a common killer of chickens. You could get a necropsy done to find out the exact cause. Cocci can be treated with medication added to the chickens' water, but it can't be completely gotten rid of. You can find this medication at a local feed store. Keep a watch on the rest of your gang. It normally affects younger chickens or the ones that aren't accustomed to the bacteria.

Then again, it might be internal trauma from laying the egg, but I haven't had any experience in that field. Has she layed a lot? It shouldn't have been a problem if she lays often.