Sudden death and not sure why!

[Mcmango72]

I didn’t notice anything unusual about my chicken yesterday and this morning when I let her out didn’t notice anything unusual either. When I came back a few hours later, I noticed she was on the ground panting, and her comb at the tip was purplish-blue. I have noticed from time to time that she would sometimes have a paler comb compared to the other hens. I haven’t noticed a decrease in appetite but I did notice before she died, that all her feathers on her belly or gone. Can anyone tell me possibly what may have happened? Also, I’ve never heard her cough or sneeze or have any discharge or diarrhea; my other hens appear to be all healthy. This picture was taken a few hours before she passed.

 

[Nomadicus]

I am not close do being knowlegeable to giving an answer but I can tell you this happens more often than is reported. I lost a 16 week old hen yesterday that was the picture of good health in the morning and was found dead in the coop alone in the afternoon. No sign of any foul play. Not a feather missing or any thing that would give a clue to what happened. A few weeks ago I lost 3 RIR pullets in a short time for no apparent reason. I picked one up that seemed lethargic and within seconds she just went into a permanent sleep in my arms. No losses since in the flock of 40ish RIR pullets. No other losses in the Dark Cornish cook either. There had been no losses with the Dark Cornish kids since early brooder days.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Sorry for your loss. A blue comb is a sign of poor circulation. It could be from a heart or respiratory issue, but it's just as likely that it was a secondary symptom caused by the pain/distress of whatever killed her. The loss of feathers on her belly could be a normal brood patch, but swelling and inflammation of the belly can also cause the feathers to fall out, so if she felt abnormally bloated or squishy in her belly area she likely had a reproductive disorder. Since it came on so suddenly egg-binding is a possibility or perhaps eating something toxic/inedible, but chickens also hide their illnesses until the very end so she may have been sick for a while and just not showing it. The only way to get a definitive answer is to send the body to a lab for a necropsy or do a basic at-home one and see if you can see any abnormalities. Chickens aren't the hardiest creatures, and as the above poster mentioned, sometimes they die without much warning and we can't always (or even often) tell what the problem was.

 

[Mcmango72]

Sorry for your loss. A blue comb is a sign of poor circulation. It could be from a heart or respiratory issue, but it's just as likely that it was a secondary symptom caused by the pain/distress of whatever killed her. The loss of feathers on her belly could be a normal brood patch, but swelling and inflammation of the belly can also cause the feathers to fall out, so if she felt abnormally bloated or squishy in her belly area she likely had a reproductive disorder. Since it came on so suddenly egg-binding is a possibility or perhaps eating something toxic/inedible, but chickens also hide their illnesses until the very end so she may have been sick for a while and just not showing it. The only way to get a definitive answer is to send the body to a lab for a necropsy or do a basic at-home one and see if you can see any abnormalities. Chickens aren't the hardiest creatures, and as the above poster mentioned, sometimes they die without much warning and we can't always (or even often) tell what the problem was.

Thank you

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I have lost young chickens before on occasion. The only way to find out what killed her is to have your state vet lab perform a necropsy and testing. It can be inexpensive in some states, while more in others. Where are you located? Call them and discuss it on the best way to go about it. The other choice which could give some clues is to open her belly and look at her organs. Take pictures if you do, and post here for opinions. To contact your state vet, look at this list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html