When I cleaned my coop Friday my RIR was isolated from the flock and it appeared as if she was molting. She wouldn't eat the meal worms I left for them either. Yesterday she seemed better and I thought nothing of her. This morning I went out and she was dead. Evidently she died sometime yesterday and when I closed the coop it was dark so I didn't see her curled up in a corner. Her feathers looked fluffier than usual Friday and yesterday. I have 5 other hens and get up to 9 eggs a day so I don't even know if she's been laying. Any thoughts?
Greetings from Kansas and . Happy you joined us but sorry it's under less than ideal circumstances. . Did you see wounds or anything on your bird? I hope it was just an isolated "defective chicken" type of thing and not contagious. Keep an eye on the rest of your flock. It just sometimes happens, though. For one reason or another you find one of your chickens dead...no sign of injury or health problems...just dead. I know there is always a reason but it can be hard to know for sure. Also, pop on over to the New Members Forum here https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/44/new-member-introductions so we can give you a proper BYC welcome! Wouldn't want your only visit to BYC to be about your chicken passing away. There's a lots to learn and fun to be had on this site. Best wishes!
Welcome to BYC. Many times it is difficult to know why a chicken dies suddenly. They can have a crop or gizzard blockage, egg binding, heart failure, or many other problems they may have symptoms that we many overlook at first. A necropsy done at home might find some obvious problem by opening the abdomen and looking at organs, but one by the state vet or poultry lab may give the best results. Here is a good article that gives details on treating a sick chicken in an emergency: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ergency-and-supportive-care-updated-9-14-2016 Here are 2 good links to ead about getting a necropsy: http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
