when a chkn dies?

[hennanny]

had our most favored hen die last night. Loved to be carried and our youngest granddaughter's favorite ..anyway she's had what we call a "poopy butt" for maybe a month or more. Definition of poopy butt is just runny enough poop to catch on the tail feathers..worms maybe? but wife had looked and no worms to be found and she bathed the bird etc to be sure there was no clogging. Anyway this is not the first hen to die with a "poopy butt" but the common denominator is when we found them they all had their head buried underneath their wing..is that normal or just a coincidence?

We live out in the country so they free range in the yard most of the day

 

[Goosebaby]

I’m sorry for your loss. Some internal parasites are too small to be seen with the naked eye, so she may still have had parasites

 

[Goosebaby]

There could also have been other things going on, like a bacterial infection, some internal organ issue, it’s hard to say without testing.

 

[hennanny]

but what about the head under the wing?

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

My condolences. Did you notice any weird eggs or changes in laying? Sometimes a poopy rear can accompany reproductive problems, and hens may seem to die suddenly if the cause is eggbinding or egg yolk peritonitis.

Her head under her wing suggests she may have been in a sleeping posture when she passed.

 

[hennanny]

no egg laying issues that we can tell they all lay in the same place so other than the 1 Barred that we have it'd hard to tell who laid what.. the others are all Hy-Line Browns. Fantastic breed OBTW