What could've killed my hen?

[Fallen Leaf Farm]

We lost a one year old BO hen last night. My son found her on the floor of the coop this morning with no signs of trauma. I'm told they fed the girls some Cheerios last night, but they have had them before. The girls free range during the day in the yard that is grass with a gravel driveway. I feed them layer feed. Did we do something wrong? I just don't want to make a mistake with another. We lost a 4 week old chick this week too, but I wasn't shocked at that because she never looked very healthy (didn't grow much, didn't feather in like the others, and always breathed heavy). The chicks are in the garage, the hens in the barn. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[peterlund]

I don't suspect Cherrios.... But maybe a poorly planned perching attempt? Or maybe eggbound? Any prior behavior issues to note? Good luck!

 

[Fallen Leaf Farm]

Thanks for the reassurance about the Cheerios. I was feeling so guilty because I took the box down. She was near the perch, maybe she went backwards. My first thought was eggbound, but wasn't tough enough to do a post-mortem exam. For the future, what do you look for if they are eggbound?
Stupid thing is, she wasn't anywhere close to my favorite hen (she was my son's) and I'm the one crying!

 

[gritsar]

This is going to sound like a weird question, but what position was her body in when you found it?

Otherwise healthy chickens sometimes die unexpectedly from heart attacks. For some reason, when the do they almost always end up on their backs.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Fallen Leaf Farm]

She was on her chest/belly.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Ah, I see. You can do a search for info. on eggbound- ness, just use the keyword "eggbound" in BYC's search engine.

That or a roosting accident, as Peter mentioned. I've fed cheerios for three years without a problem, so let yourself off the hook.