Another dead chicken :-(

[little blue duck]

she was still a life. and loved, so that makes her special.

sounds like maybe a prolapse... and may have been made worse by the other hens pecking at it (sorry, but its true!)

Apple Cider vinegar wont "cure" coccidiosis, but it is recommended by alot of people as a kind of tonic for your hens.
Cocci can only be treated by medication, the signs include a very hunched body posture (kind of "depressed" looking) sometimes diarrhoea of a particular violent colour....

where there's livestock, there's dead stock as they say ... but that doesn't make it any easier does it.
And sorry to hear of your partner's colleague

[Stonehead]

ISA Browns are fairly prone to being egg bound or prolapsed, especially from the end of their second year. All hen's eggs get larger as they age, but with commercial hybrids the effect can be even more exaggerated and occur faster.

We have ISA Browns alongside Scots Greys. Our oldest Scots Greys are six years old and still going strong, laying 2-3 eggs a week and going off lay through winter. The eggs of the oldest hens are bigger but still manageable.

The oldest ISA Brown is three years old, the rest are 18 months to 2 years. Once they come into lay, they lay big eggs daily for 12-14 months, then begin to tail off to 3-4 very big eggs for another 6-8 months, and then lay a few enormous eggs before dying. I'm expecting the oldest ISA Brown to die soon as she's now laying enormous eggs.

The main thing is to monitor them daily, particularly once they get to the enormous egg stage, ie about twice "normal" size. As soon as you spot an older ISA Brown is getting egg bound or has a prolapse, then you should put it down. I've saved a few from being egg bound but it invariably happens again within a few days. And again. It's much less cruel to put them down promptly.

[grubbysoles]

Wow, that's very interesting info, thank you. Yes, I would rather have seen her have a quick exit than the bloody mess that I ended up finding in the corner of the run. Oh dear, the thought of other hens pecking at her bum is terrible! They really have no notion of health or hygiene, do they?!

Thank you for all the advice.