How to tell if a dead hen was egg bound??

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Mysterious death in our coop this morning.

A hen who seemed fine yesterday was dead on the floor this morning. Rigor had already set in which made some inspection awkward. there was NO sign whatsoever of any injury. If there had been a broken neck it wasn't possible to tell due to the rigor.

What would i feel if she was egg bound? Should I do a necropsy just in case?? The rest of the flock looks fine and egg production had been down the last few days.

 

[pips&peeps]

The only way to tell for sure is to open her up.

 

[chicken_grrl]

To tell if she was egg bound...

Look at her butt, are her butt feathers all gunked up with yellowy poo?
Feel her abdomen/kinda between her legs, does it feel swollen and kind of hardish?

if yes, then that's how you would have known.

 

[Cetawin]

Search Speckledhen's posts she opened up one of her girls that was eggbound and took pictures of what it looked like and where etc etc. Then you could open her up and see...that is really the only way to know.

 

[Momma_Cluck]

Check her rear-end for damage...
I had a hen die unexpectedly, but then found the rest of the flock had eviscerated her ....

She was apparently laying her 1st egg (it was under her) and that may have started it if she was making a big fuss and the others saw the egg "popping out".... I dunno-- but it (Thank Goodness) never happened again

Had I not checked her rear, there was no other sign of any damage to her.... she looked like she just "died" for no reason.