Dead hen

[Nicki]

The other morning I went out to take care of my chickens and noticed that one of my Nankin hens was in the nest and just didn't look normal.  I had to get to work, so at lunchtime I checked on her again and she was still in the nest and her comb was kinda bluish.  I picked her up and checked to see if she was eggbound (I had a hen act like that one time that was).  Anyway, that wasn't the problem so I checked her over.  Didn't see anything out of the ordinary, her crop was full, and when I put her down she drank water.  She stayed basically the same all afternoon and the next morning I found her dead on the ground at the back of the pen.  Does anyone know what this sounds like?  I hope it's nothing contagious because I have other chickens in that pen and pens surrounding hers (my new chicks are in the pen right next to hers )  She wasn't really old...about 3 years old so I don't think age was a factor.

[AZ Chick]

Nicki was her breathing labored at all? I lost a rooster a month ago the same way, but he seemed to have labored breathing, no other symptoms. Just labored breathing and a blue comb. I actually put him down when I found him like that as I knew he would probably die and wanted him out of the barn ASAP. I have no others since then.

[Nicki]

I'm not positive, but I think that she might have been breathing kinda heavy, not really bad just a bit.

[Falling Tree Farm]

I believe that the symptoms you are describing is a heart problem.  Probably an enlarged heart/congestive heart failure.  It does not happen often but the labored breathing and blue comb combination are the usual symptoms.
Unless another bird comes down with the same problem, in which case it is probably not a heart problem, I don't think it is anything to worry about. Howard

[javacock]

I agree with Howard.  Sounds like a heart problem.  Chickens are like people in that aspect.  Some of us die at a year old  of heart trouble;  some die at middle age;  many die at old age, and chickens are the same.  I have had birds of all ages show these symptoms and all are dead within a day or two.  Heart is usually the cause of it.  Nothing to be done about it, just roll with the flow and hope you don't get too many.  That bluish colored comb is a usual sure sign of heart trouble.

javacock