Why has my hen just died?

[tomgood99]

Hi there, I went to collect the eggs from my two hens yesterday (a speckled and a white leghorn) and discovered the white leghorn (Frankie) had died. She was just lying in the part of the Ark where they lay their eggs, but hadn't laid one. She seemed full of beans, running around the garden following me when I was digging up the veggie patch the other day and had been laying normally. Our remaining chicken seems fine although after also losing our first chicken to a fox a couple of months ago we will have to get a couple of new companions for her now. Frankie was only just two years old and appeared to be in good health so I am at a loss (and rather sad) as to why she died. Please could anyone shed any light on this for me? Thank you.

[binley100]

I can't help as I don't have chooks but just wanted to say sorry to hear about your hen. xx

[ginger ninger]

I'm the same as binley, I don't have chocks but it's very sad to hear of your unexpected loss, I hope someone come's along that might be able to give you some kind of explanation as to why she passed away.

[kirsty b]

Hens are flock birds and if one shows signs of illness and weakness they can quite literally get bullied to death by others, so you often won't know that something is wrong until they drop dead overnight. (its happened to me too)

The only way you'll know for sure is if you are up for taking her to a vet and asking for a post mortem.

Sorry to hear about your poor hen, its is horrible to find in the morning.

[Snadger]

Sometimes chooks just seem to pop there clogs for no reason whatsoever!
I know leghorns are quite 'flighty' so she may have been spooked by something?

Sorry for your loss!

[Nicos]

Oh dear...that must have been one heck of a shock...poor her- and you xx

[RichmondHens]

Difficult to say with a sudden death. Even post mortems don't always show the cause of death, although they can confirm or eliminate some things. If she was well right up to the day of death then could have been a stroke or heart failure but unless you want to pay out for a PM (not really worth it if you only have a couple of birds - different matter if you have large flocks of others to consider and you suspect infectious disease) you will never know. Frustrating, but one of those things.

[MrsC]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I lost a hen suddenly to compacted crop after she appeared to be better and her crop appeared clear. I can't really offer any reasons why I'm afraid, but I know it's not a nice thing to happen x

[petal]

Sorry to hear she died, maybe she had something wrong with her heart.

[tomgood99]

Thank you

all for your posts and kind words. It's sad but just one of the things that comes with keeping animals. Thanks for all the eggs Frankie!

[Sanjo]

Don't keep chickens but our daughter does. She lost one last week. A two year old that she was very fond of. The hen appeared off colour for a few days but nothing seemed to be wrong with her. The evening before she died my daughter said it was truly touching. All the other hens (9 of them) appeared to be stroking her and grooming her as she huddled in the dust.
She went in at night with the others but was gone by next morning.
It was sad but she had a really good life with plenty of space and friends.
Hope you don't feel sad for too long. Once you get your new hens you'll have a new focus.

[mr darcy]

sorry for you, my indie died on the nest too, she had a broken egg inside her

[Stubby55]

New to This.

Hello All,
This is my first post, I've just registered. We've also had a problem with our chickens just dying on us. This week 2 have gone within days of each other. Gertie was well into a moult but overall in good health. Hubby found her in the coop on Tuesday. Then on Thursday I went to let them out early morning and Henrietta was dead on the nest, having laid her last but soft shelled egg.
Last year we lost 2 chickens within months of each other. Henrietta Mk1 went down hill fast and died within a few days. Then a few months later, Scroby appeared to have just fallen of her perch..dead!
Our girls are free range.. allowed to roam the garden from morning to late afternoon or until they take themselves to bed. They have layers mash, plenty of water, occasional treats of corn, mashed potato,greens etc. Regular worming. They seem happy and content then bam!
The odd thing is, our nephew acquired 6 girls at about the same time as we got our first ones (April 2012). We had a Speckledy, Black Nera, Goldline and a Coral, all from a reputable breeder. Our nephew had his 6 Goldline from a breeder but whereas ours looked perfect, some of his had crossed beaks and strange malformed claws. Ours are very much free range, his are mostly confined to their very adequate living quarters and only allowed to roam free occasionally. His are still going strong although prone to egg eating while ours keep dying. Any thoughts, please. :S

[Feral007]

No idea sorry. But very nice that you are thanking Frankie for all the eggs

We've only lost two to foxes at different times. I don't know that much about chooks other than feeding/watering/watching them.