What Caused Death?

[CCF]

Hi.
I have lost a few chickens over the years due to illness. But, this time it was one I couldn't figure out.

The hen I am referring to at first showed no symptoms. One day she seemed off her feed, but then the next was fine.
But, last Tuesday after I arrived home from work and was tending to my animals, I noticed a hen lying in the chicken pen against the barn.
I thought, "oh shoot" and went to collect my "dead" chicken, but when I touched this hen, she jumped up.
It had been raining and was a bit cool, so I though she may have just gotten chilled.
I carried her in to the barn and rubbed her down.
The next morning she was fine and was eating and drinking.
But that night she was acting strangely again. She seemed "addled" but was still eating.
As I was getting ready to close up the barn I noticed she had climbed into one of the feed pans and seemed to be settling in for the night.
The next morning, however, she was still in the pan, but dead this time.

Any one have any input on what she may have caught? She was 3 years old.

What is really worrisome is that I have been sick since the day after she passed and am hoping it wasn't anything contagious to humans.

 

[chickenma]

I hope you get some answer too.
Keep us posted.

 

[speckledhen]

First, I wouldn't worry about catching anything from your chickens; that would be a rare occurence. The symptoms are too vague to really say what happened to her. Could be she had egg material building up inside her (internal laying) or she could have eaten something toxic or just anything. Had she been laying?