10 chickens dead in one night, 3 left.

[nicolejme]

Yep, the coop is clean and has good airflow from top to bottom.

I started thinking and I'm not sure that it was the light. We've had that thing for a long time now, and have never had an issue.. even with the chicks when they were babies. I'm wondering if something didn't literally scare them to death.

 

[leadwolf1]

It's probably too late now but maybe you should have had one necropsied to find out.

 

[bairo]

Tough one...but I think you can forget about the bulb thing. I've been doing this a very long time and would not believe everything you read. More likely they got into rat poison or something of that nature. Did you have rat poison pellets anywhere in the vicinity? Do any of your neighbors despise you having chickens? DO you have roosters that are loud and neighbors that are close? There are no diseases or predators that will take out that many in one night with no other signs, symptoms, or wounds. Smaller birds will fly up and break their necks when they get frightened but it is rare for a chicken to do it and no way that many did it in the same night.
Contact your states extension office and tell them you have had a sudden death of 80% of your flock in one night without other signs or symptoms. They will arrange for a necropsy for free.

 

[clap]

How tight is your coop? Do you think it could be ammonia vapor from the chicken themselves.

 

[nicolejme]

Bairo Thank you so much for that information.. Tonight the big hen isn't roosting at all, and has been very quiet and slowish for her. I did notice her reds were a little more purple then usual... not too purple, but just a different color. I know how my girls act, and this isn't like her. The 2 younger chicks seem to be doing fine, and keep to around the coop together. I'll contact the office in the morning and see if they can do testing on the other chickens.

The coop is just fine and clean, and vented well. It has a wire bottom so their droppings can fall thru and I rake them out every other day or so.

I didn't have any roosters, and live off a private road. As far as I know, my neighbors love getting eggs from my girls, so I don't think they'd ever hurt them.