Randomly dead chicken. How do I do a necropsy?

[debducttape]

I had a 1 year old barred rock hen die today. I noticed that she had been lying down a lot and just not being as active. I separated her from the others and inspected her. I couldn't find anything wrong with her. Comb was red, and nothing abnormal as far as I could see. Her belly was soft, vent looked normal, I didn't know what to do. I put her in a crate with a large chunk of meat and water. She ignored the food all day. I ended up returning her with the others later that day, partly because of bad weather and partly because I just couldn't find anything obviously wrong with her to justify keeping her crated. When I went to collect the eggs, she was in the coop at the doorway, but just barely breathing. I could feel a heartbeat, but her belly felt empty and loose. She was gone in a few moments, as I held her. What could this be? Should I do a necropsy? I don't know if I know enough about internal chicken anatomy to really learn anything. Is there a guide somewhere to walk you through the steps?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Here is a link about necropsy that may be of help to you: http://borlaug.tamu.edu/files/2012/03/Poultry-necropsy-Manual.pdf