Why did my hen die? And should I be concerned for the rest of the flock

[goodmanfarm]

A while ago, I opened the door of my coop to find that my 7 month old Rhode Island Red had died. I had checked on them about an hour earlier and she seemed healthy and happy. There were no signs of illness in her droppings or in her appearance. She had laid a healthy egg just that morning! We cracked it open and found it looked perfectly fine as well. It's been a while and no other hens have shown any sign of sickness, but then again neither did she. Should I be worried?
My first thought was that she could have been pecked to death by other hens, (we don't have roosters and she seemed to get along with the others just fine) or burned by their light, (We've since removed it) But their light was off that day and her body was spotless. Just very confused and concerned. She was such a nice bird!

 

[PoultryCQ]

Theres no way to know exactly what she got unless you send the animal to a lab to do a necropsy right after. Chickens can however get heart attacks.

 

[goodmanfarm]

Theres no way to know exactly what she got unless you send the animal to a lab to do a necropsy right after. Chickens can however get heart attacks.

ok the other hens seem okay

 

[PoultryCQ]

ok the other hens seem okay

Fingers crossed!

 

[ChickenMom04]

I had a hen die the same way. The vet told us that heart attacks are actually very common in chickens. Just keep an eye on the others, usually a contagious sickness would have shown signs.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Sorry for your loss. I had one die like that quite suddenly a few months ago. She was a larger breed. I have read they are more prone to cardiac issues.

 

[MysteryChicken]

She could have internally hemorrhaged. It happens sometimes after a hen struggles to lay an egg. It's not common, but does happen.

One way to know, is to cut her open for a Necropsy.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Sorry for your loss. I had one die like that quite suddenly a few months ago. She was a larger breed. I have read they are more prone to cardiac issues.

Never had heart problems with my large breeds.
I did have a loss due to heat stroke during the heat wave.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Never had heart problems with my large breeds.
I did have a loss due to heat stroke during the heat wave.

Not sure what happened. She was an english orpington, close to 10 lbs. May be coincidence that it happened to her and she was the largest of all my birds.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Not sure what happened. She was an english orpington, close to 10 lbs. May be coincidence that it happened to her and she was the largest of all my birds.

What was the weather like that day? English Orpingtons are extra fluffy.