I'm so glad I found this thread. I just lost my sweetest, favorite chicken, a 1 year old black bantam cochin, Tiny, and couldn't for the life of me figure out what happened to her. Went to give the girls some treats this morning, and she was dead in the run where she liked to take dust baths. No wounds, no sickness...just the day before she'd been running around with the others in the yard, just a happy little butterball. I still can't think about it without crying. I can't help getting attached to critters, even though I know they don't live forever. I just felt so broken-hearted and guilty, like maybe she wasn't feeling well and I could have done something. But I know she was fine. It's a bit of a relief anyway to know they sometimes just die for no reason, but that doesn't make it any easier to bear. =(
Hugs to all of you who have been through this too.
Hugs to all of you who have been through this too.