We lost our first chicken today :(

[Carrie Lynn]

I think she may have had a wound and it went undetected, fy eggs don't hatch into maggots that quickly.
Feathers can cover a wound and help it to go undetected. A similar thing happened to my sister's dog, her heavy fur masked a maggot infected wound.
I'm sorry this happened. You did the right thing by putting her down.

 

[KenyonFam4]

Quote:
Im pretty sure it was Flystrike. The eggs hatch in as little as 8 hrs...here is some info on maggots

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5796028_soon-maggots-form-after-death_.html

We have no idea how long she was in the yard hurt. She could have been there all afternoon and through the night. We spent the day school shopping and at a bbq and didnt get home till after dark so we wouldnt have seen her. I am feeling so guilty because I should have checked the coop and now I have no idea how long she had to lay out there and suffer. Her last meal was a delicious RAW EGG!