Non-egg laying hen

[Trish1974]

Well, I'm sad to say that my Speckled Sussex has passed. I went out yesterday to retrieve our daily egg supply and noticed that she was laying on the ground and kind of panting. It certainly wasn't hot here yesterday so that's what struck me as odd. All the other birds were walking around her and she was not getting up to move. Fast forward to this morning and I look outside to the coop from the house and see she's in roughly the same spot and not moving. She has most certainly died.
I don't know a whole lot about chickens as this is my first time having them but all the other birds are giving eggs and seem to be healthy. She was always the one that was just a little different than the others. Maybe she just had some type of defect from birth. I don't know.
I will keep a close eye on the others to see if anything is happening within the flock. I sure hope not.

Skip

So sorry to hear that! I wonder if she was laying internally?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

It’s possible that she was laying internally.
Sorry to hear that she passed away.

 

[Skipcurt]

It’s possible that she was laying internally.
Sorry to hear that she passed away.

Is there an article here that discusses how to confirm this? How to do this? What to look for?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Is there an article here that discusses how to confirm this? How to do this? What to look for?

I believe the only way to know for sure is to necropsy the bird.

 

[meetthebubus]

Sorry for your loss you might not find out why just an imperfect world

 

[Trish1974]

@Wyorp Rock @casportpony or @Eggcessive may be able to direct you to an article or thread regarding necropsy.

 

[Trish1974]

For future reference symptoms in a living bird would be lethargy, swollen abdomen, egg like poop and of course not laying.

 

[Skipcurt]

For future reference symptoms in a living bird would be lethargy, swollen abdomen, egg like poop and of course not laying.

Thank you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Well, I'm sad to say that my Speckled Sussex has passed. I went out yesterday to retrieve our daily egg supply and noticed that she was laying on the ground and kind of panting. It certainly wasn't hot here yesterday so that's what struck me as odd. All the other birds were walking around her and she was not getting up to move. Fast forward to this morning and I look outside to the coop from the house and see she's in roughly the same spot and not moving. She has most certainly died.
I don't know a whole lot about chickens as this is my first time having them but all the other birds are giving eggs and seem to be healthy. She was always the one that was just a little different than the others. Maybe she just had some type of defect from birth. I don't know.
I will keep a close eye on the others to see if anything is happening within the flock. I sure hope not.
Skip

Is there an article here that discusses how to confirm this? How to do this? What to look for?

@Skipcurt I'm sorry for your loss
The only way to know for sure what was going on with your girl is through necropsy.
You can refrigerate the body and send it to your state lab and get the results that way.
http://www.vet.uga.edu/dlab/

Or if you are up to it, perform your own informal investigation yourself. (see links below) Take photos as you go if you can, post them here or on the necropsy thread, we will help you with what you see.
You will need a sharp knife or scalpel. I do this outside on a plastic table, you may want to cover your table with a trash bag and have some paper towels handy. It really is not a bloody mess or anything like that. Sometimes you may encounter fluid in the abdomen, take note of that, but if you don't puncture intestines then usually there is not much fluids at all.
Cut where you can start examining inside the abdomen, look for egg yolks, pus, etc. that may be in the cavity there. Take note of any swelling/bloat of the intestines, work your way to the internal organs, photos of the liver and heart would be helpful. Look at the condition of the ovaries. It may seem all overwhelming, but once you get the carcass open, pretty much everything is right there, it's just the process of pulling out things so you can get a look at them. I hope I'm not too graphic there

Here's a manual that you may find helpful
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/focus/contents/ceva_necropsy.pdf

Here's a link to the necropsy thread, you may find it helpful by looking at photos - what people have posted. It's a long thread, but if you wish to post photos there that's fine, most of us are subscribed to the thread so we will see your post.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ning-contains-graphic-necropsy-photos.823961/

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I agree that you may want to send her body for a necropsy by your state vet pathologist, or you can sometimes tell from doing one yourself. Take pictures of her organs, and note the color of any fluid that first comes out of her abdomen, if any. We all learn more about what was going on with a chicken by doing a necropsy.