Dead Chicken

Rouse the Spouse found one of the Dominick hens dead in the chicken coop this afternoon. He reported, "No apparent foul play." Very punny. I know she was alive last night when I closed up the chickens. There was no autopsy. Assumed cause of death: Old Age

Notice the abundance of feathers throughout the hen house. They are not hers. Several of the birds are molting right now, dropping feathers everywhere. It's a normal process. Each year, chickens molt, roosters as well as hens, shedding their old feathers and growing new ones. Most hens stop producing eggs until the molt is complete. This can take months to accomplish.

Here's more information about the molting of chickens: http://msucares.com/poultry/management/poultry_feathers.html