What happened???

[Jaxdrisc]

What causes a perfectly healthy chicken to just up and die?? Liddy is, or now was, only a year old. I just found her dead in the coop. She laid yesterday, acted perfectly normal, ran around when free ranged, went into the coop just fine last night. My hencam shows her alive at 9:02 p.m. last night, but the next shot at around midnight shows her dead on the floor. No signs of injury, no blood, no cuts, tears or scrapes. She just keeled over off of the bar. What might have happened?? I am so sad.....I know, she is just a chicken, but she was a sweet one and a bit special to me. She is last on the pecking order and I always felt bad for her.....

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Lots of things. Could be a broken neck to various diseases. Chickens hide their health issues quite well because a sick/lethargic chicken is a threat to flock health the other chickens will often take out a sick bird.

Just as an example, gout, renal failure and urolithiasis (usually from excess dietary calcium) can go on for months or years. Chickens have 2 kidneys, each with 3 divisions. A chicken can continue to lay well and appear well with 2 functioning divisions. Once they're down to one, they can die within 24 hours.

Even with a disease like AI, it's possible for them to die with no symptoms.

Contact your state poultry lab or vet school so you can be ready to send a bird for necropsy in case another dies soon.