Perfectly healthy hen, found dead yesterday.....wth?

[E. Buzz Miller]

My 1 1/2 yr old Black Star dropped dead yesterday. I came home from work & went straight the to the coop as usual & found 3 of the 4 hens I have, out in the run. I thought it was odd that my dominant hen ( and nicest ) wasn't around. I checked the coop & pulled back the lid to see if she was laying.
There she was so I closed it but I noticed she didn't move. I looked again, reached in & touched her & she didn't move. I opened up the door & found her stretched out right where they lay. It looks like she died maybe while laying. I pulled her out & she was stiff but I was able to move her body around so I inspected for any wounds or anything, nothing.
So I called a friend & he told me to it was probably egg bound. I wasn't about to really check her out to find out but does this sound about right?
She was healthy as a horse the night before. I've been raising now for 3 years & this is the 1st time something like this has happened.

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[FVRM]

Everyone on here usually does a necropsy on a dead bird. I think you should try it

 

[GD91]

Did she exhibit any signs of being eggbound, such as straining, her tail going up & down or squatting like she's about to lay.... or would you not have been able to check long enough with her being in the run?

The weathers so bad lately I don't think many people stand & watch their hens really closely for too long. I watch mine out of the window, I have 2 cockerels & 4 hens that freerange around the garden.

Sorry about your nicest hen

 

[E. Buzz Miller]

After a long week at work & finding this, I really wasn't in the mood to really get down & dirty.
Maybe after a few cocktails tonight I'll check her out.

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[E. Buzz Miller]

She was perfect the night before. I don't check on them in the mornings so I never saw any illness or anything out of the ordinary.

Yeah, she was the only one that let me pick her up & she was a decent bird for sure.

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