Why do chickens like to die with no forward notice?

[Cuttlefishherder]

I went out to feed the chickens and it looked like she had just fallen off the perch dead some time last night!
I don't know what happened but I don't miss much when it comes to a change in behavior, I feed and count them every morning and the usually crowd around my feet. In the afternoons my friends come over to visit the chickens goats and goose. All of our animals are handled a lot so its easy to tell when some thing is wrong, ever since we had bird lice I have been super paranoid. I'm not saying I didn't miss any thing, I'm just saying that what ever it was it had no outward signs.

Her name is Mojo and she was one of our most social ladies. She liked to try and take fingers instead of treats.
She would have been a year old in a few days.

 

[lleighmay]

I'm sorry about the loss of your bird. I think, like most prey animals, they manage to conceal any signs of weakness until it's too late. While this keeps them from being "picked off by wolves" it can make it really difficult for us when we're trying to take preventative action to keep our birds healthy. and then again- sometimes they just die for no reason we can ever figure out. Take comfort that you loved and cared for your bird while she was alive- she was a beautiful girl.

 

[Judy]

Sorry you lost your bird. Sometimes this happens with people, too, of course. I doubt you missed anything.

 

[BlossomSilkies]

I don't know, but I had a Polish Rooster, about oh 4 months old, perfectly fine. Like you, don't miss much, head count, spent lots of time with them, all that. He went to bed, on the perch. When I went out to open them up in the morning, he was standing on the coop floor. Sort of early, still dark out, thought to myself "hmm, weird". Then went work. Came home in the afternoon, and he was dead. Absolutely no idea what happened to him, he just died.

Sorry about your loss, especially with no explanation.

 

[jaimslee4u]

Quote:
X2 by the time they show us they are ill sometimes it't too late

So sorry for your loss!

 

[EweSheep]

Sometimes something scared them in the night, they would literally slam themselves against the wall, breaking their necks or brain concussions. Not even a drop of blood would even show trauma that you can tell.

I had one that was dead the next morning, no reason at all. Yep, just like humans, they just go when it is time.

 

[CCourson05]

Quote:
I have had two within a month dead when I wake up. No trauma or any other sickness.

 

[zeus]

sorry for your loss...one of our r.i.reds was dead this morning,almost a year old...down to two now.no signs,symptoms...clean areas...i dont know,been reading all the other posts like this-so i know itsnot just us,but still sucks anyhow.. you get used to these feathered little friends...very sad thing!

 

[Rockin' Reds]

So sorry about your girl. I don't know why it happens but it does. I had a 5 month old BR that did that last summer. I went outside to get something to bring in the house and told the girls I would be back in a few minutes to let them out...everyone (including my BR) was running around bok bok boking because they knew it was time to be out of the run. I came back 10 minutes later and I was doing a head count as they came out of the gate 1 was missing. I went around the hen house and there she was...lying on the ground dead. No trauma, no feathers missing, no blood, no nothing...just dead. She was fine 10 minutes before. So who knows why...it just happens. Doesn't make it any easier though.