Hi from a Newbie from Ontario Canada

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feathermaid said:
I have similar questions as fldiver97. How old were the new chickens and where did they come from? Did your original 3 come with the coop?

Quarantine is an important factor that many people overlook, though many times it's the new birds that bring an unseen illness and infect the current flock. But there could be something on your property that your original birds have acquired immunity to but your new gals didn't. So, it's possible your first birds could have become carriers of "something," but just as likely that your new girls were already sick and died from that.

The best way to find the cause of a mysterious death is to have a necropsy done. If you've kept the body refrigerated (not frozen) you could get one done by the next day. I'm not sure about Canada, but most states have labs you can ship to overnight or drop off.

I am really sorry all that has happened to you. View attachment 1836332 Loss is unfortunately just part of chicken keeping and one of the many ways we learn to be better caretakers along the way... not a hobby for the faint of heart. Whenever I'm ready to add to my flock, I always purchase day old chicks from a hatchery/feed store... they're just far less likely to have been exposed to any diseases so quarantine is usually unnecessary.

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I purchased the new girls from the local farmers co-op; they sell day old chick and full feathered young hens. The later is what I purchased, they called them Red Sexlinks, Lisa & Marie started to lay eggs their second week with me and each produced a small egg daily. Not sure what age that makes them. Since they came from a hatchery/farmers co-op so I didn't quarantine them. I didn't see any signs of mites or lice on them.

I spoke to a couple of the chicken experts at the farm co-op where I ordered the girls, one guy told me that my story sounds exactly to what happened to his son two years ago. Had two hens after a weasel attack, added 3 young hens; two died within the first month - no sign of blood or trauma. His theory is that the 2 that died where genetically weaker and couldn't handle the stress of trying to fit into a new flock. His son has successfully added new chickens to his flock since then, using the same introduction process as before, which he feels supports his theory
 
Essentiallyokanaganmom said:
On another thread with mysterious deaths they had just changed out thier lightbulb and apparently there are lightbulbs that can have harmful coatings, could it be something like that? Or not enough ventilation?
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Plenty of ventilation and coop doesn't have any electricity to it but thanks for the warning about light bulbs. I have gone over the coop & run - can't find anything odd or signs of a break in by a predator or rodent. I don't use any type of chemicals or pesticides or artificial fertilizer on my property since I have allergies and two dogs as well as the chickens.
 
Jetsko said:
Since they came from a hatchery/farmers co-op so I didn't quarantine them. I didn't see any signs of mites or lice on them.
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Mites or lice wouldn't cause instant death unless they were severely anemic when you received them. The hatcheries I referred to are completely sterilized environments with very strict biosecurity protocols. I've researched chicken diseases extensively and also heard more stories than you would believe about breeders, farmers with broody-raised chicks, and all manner of well-meaning people unknowingly selling diseased birds.

Chicken diseases are so wildly contagious, they can be airborne, or spread on shoes, clothes or unwashed hands. If anyone allows other chicken owners onto their property or lets them handle their birds, they are at risk of anything coming in. I even make sure to never wear the same shoes to the feed store that I wear in my own chicken yard. Marek's can live in the soil for a year, infectious bronchitis can stay for several months and neither of those has 100% mortality, survivors would be immune but lifetime carriers. Even vaccinated birds can still become infected, they just may not exhibit symptoms or die... which is the only purpose of the vaccine, but not to prevent spreading.

I have not yet heard of chickens dying from integration stress. Usually they simply quit laying or start sleeping in nest boxes to get away from bullies. Death would be the result of getting ruthlessly attacked.

But they very well could have had a genetic disorder as you say.:)

Articles for reference if you are curious:
The Essential Quarantine

See But Don’t Touch

The Great Big Giant Marek's Disease FAQ

Infectious Bronchitis - IB
 

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