Death within 24 hours!

Just when I thought my chicken keeping problems were over an new disease has started in my flock.

There are no symptoms up until 24 hours before the bird dies.

My flock free range 24 / 7 and roost in the trees in my orchard.

They have a huge area to roam.. and so are not living in their own chicken poop like in a coop.

They get a small amount of fresh chicken feed a day.. in special chicken feeds to keep it dry and clean.. and its all gone at the end of the day so none spoils. They get everything else free ranging.

So this is what is happing...

I will notice one bird is not with the flock.

I find it on its own and moving very slowly.. like in slow motion.

24 hours later its dead.

I looked carefully at the dead birds... they plumb, perfect feather condition, everything normal with eyes etc.

I have examined a sick one... I can't find anything wrong except its so lethargic and weak.

In the last 24 hours the birds comb will loose its bright red colour.

I have been loosing about 2 birds a week like this.... 10 birds so far.. one today.

Only once did I find one had sticky poop on its butt.... the others had normal poops.

NOTE. its only affecting the young birds.. pullets and cockerels. The adults are fine.. only one adult hen got the sickness and she recovered after the 24 hours. I have only had one other young cockerel recover from it.

Any ideas of what it could be?

We have a similar situation ... Totally healthy then they are dying on the roost at night. Had the state poultry health guy come out yesterday. He said if the chicken's color was gone ... Their comb, waddle and legs turned grayish ... That it might be a weasel. Apparently they suck out all the blood.

littlelins1 said:

We have a similar situation ... Totally healthy then they are dying on the roost at night. Had the state poultry health guy come out yesterday. He said if the chicken's color was gone ... Their comb, waddle and legs turned grayish ... That it might be a weasel. Apparently they suck out all the blood.

Click to expand...

Oh.. that is very interesting...... I know its not a predator in my case.. as I see them get sick and go down hill during the day.

But I did have a mongoose.... like a weasel, kill lots of my fancy pigeons last year.

It did just as you describe.

It would suck all the blood out of them like a vampire.

In the morning I would find several dead pigeons all lined up in the middle of the coop in a neat line all facing the same way and all on their backs.

It was really weird.. I thought some neighbour was doing it, like some kind of voodoo magic!!!

It was only later I saw the mongoose in the act... when it did not hear me near the coop.

Really weird how they suck all the blood out.... the birds had no wounds or missing feathers... only found a small puncture would under a wing.

Hope that is not what you have going on!