Chickens are becoming paralyzed in their legs and are dying!

[SouthernCharms]

I hope someone can help me as I have lost two chickens already with another one showing the same signs. I live in florida and there was a cold front that just came in, yesterday morning I found a hen that was in the nesting box not being able to move her legs, stand up or keep her head up, she was very lifeless and had no energy, I put new warm shavings in the nesting box with feed and water hoping to let her rest up and I go to another coop on the opposite side of the yard and a rooster was acting the same way, (this rooster meant a lot to me as when he was a baby he went through a nasty infection where we didn't think he was going to survive and he lost his eye he was all cured and living a happy life in a pen with a hen to keep him company), I picked him up because he wasn't as bad off as the hen mentioned above and I put him in a box that was full of hay and let him lay there for a little while unsure of what was wrong with him. I went back in the evening to feed and the hen that was in the nesting box was dead and I feared the worst that the rooster was dead and when I went back there he had also passed away. This morning we found another hen with the same symptoms, not knowing if it is the cold weather causing this we brought her in the house and put her in a cage with a heating pad to see if we can warm her up and see it that helps/changes anything. Have any of you ever heard of anything like this before? Do you have any suggestions? I don't want to loose any more but at this rate I may loose my whole flock by the end of the month.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I would urge you to refrigerate one of the carcasses, and send it off to your state vet for a necropsy right away. Botulism could be a problem if they have eaten any remains of a dead fish, animal, or rotted vegetation. Botulism kills within 12-24 hours, and signs are progressive paralysis of the legs spreading upward to wings, and then the neck. Many other things can look like botulism, such as poisoning from lead and other things, and molded or tainted feed. I would inspect your feed and walk your property for anything mentioned above. Here is a link about botulism and one on how to reach your state vet:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[SouthernCharms]

Thank you I will look into those websites ASAP. The hen that we put on a heating pad seems to be doing better, she is more alert and standing more. I will put her outside tomorrow and see how she is doing