2 Broilers are dying each night, I don't know what to do

[TheMaineLife]

Hello everyone. I've always had much success using the previous posts in the forums to get answers to my questions but I' having trouble finding an issue to my specific situation.

I bought 32 3 day old broiler chicks (Cornish Cross) on May 11 and I'm down to 23 now. Over the course of their life I fed them non medicated feed, and I dont know if they were vaccinated before I purchased them from the feed store. I had them inside till about 1 week ago where I put them outside in the coop with my 1 year old backyard breed laying hens (5). I kept their living space clean and changed the hay everyday after they turned about 2 weeks cause the poop just didn't stop, haha. I lost a couple broiler birds early like a week or two old to other causes like trampling and suffocation from other birds I beleive. So recently since they have been in the coop Im losing 2 each night lately. The first one I noticed was sitting in the corner by itself sleeping standing up and its feathers were kinda ruffled, just didnt look happy. I brought it inside and put it on a clean bed of shavings and gave it water. Over the course of 1 hour it had gone from that to laying on its side breathing really deep and slowly and being unresponsive to me touching it. An hour later it died. So here is the description of what I saw on this bird with a little autopsy of my own before I fed it to the Fox. The skin on the bird was very very dark red all over the entire body, much darker than the rest of the birds. I then cut the skin and saw the breast meat that should be pinkish and it was so dark red you would think its beef and the entire body was the same way. All of the other birds that have died I noticed had the exact same problem going on with ark red almost purple meat and skin. Some of them the meat was blotchy red and purple. So far that's the only thing I can see, no other wounds or anything. One of them the vent was blood red like a blood blister also, but only one. The recent ones after the first one I didn't notice any lethargy or symptoms from them and they ate and drank with the rest, so they ate had a good meal and went to bed and died over night. I just started them on some medicated feed just in case it may help till I can figure out whats going on.

I would like to know if this is something anyone else had experienced before and if I should just cull the entire flock including the layers and get the in the freezer before they all die or is it even safe to eat them? Thank you all.

 

[dawg53]

With the initial description "standing up sleeping in the corner with its feathers kind of ruffled," I suspect cocci and it can cause a quick death.
I recommend that you purchase Corid 9.6% liquid solution at a feed store and get them started on it immediately. It'll be in the cattle section. Dosage is 9.5cc's per gallon of water made fresh each day for 5 days straight. Dont add anything else to the mixture.

 

[TheMaineLife]

Thank you very much, I suspected that as well but whats with the dark red meat and skin right before death, and the small combs are almost purple., almost like their whole body is hemorrhaging.

 

[chickendreams24]

Is their comb also the color you have described?

My first thought was also cocci and they're at a critical age for cocci but that shouldn't effect their color. How long have they been on ground?

Have you been giving them a restricted diet or free feeding?

As long as you are finding them rapidly they shouldn't have time to discolor. My guess is that they are suffering from heart problems but I imagine others will come along and might know more.

We haven't yet raised broilers but plan to this summer sometime.

Right now we raise heritage and heritage mix cockerals for meat.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Hello everyone. I've always had much success using the previous posts in the forums to get answers to my questions but I' having trouble finding an issue to my specific situation.

I bought 32 3 day old broiler chicks (Cornish Cross) on May 11 and I'm down to 23 now. Over the course of their life I fed them non medicated feed, and I dont know if they were vaccinated before I purchased them from the feed store. I had them inside till about 1 week ago where I put them outside in the coop with my 1 year old backyard breed laying hens (5). I kept their living space clean and changed the hay everyday after they turned about 2 weeks cause the poop just didn't stop, haha. I lost a couple broiler birds early like a week or two old to other causes like trampling and suffocation from other birds I beleive. So recently since they have been in the coop Im losing 2 each night lately. The first one I noticed was sitting in the corner by itself sleeping standing up and its feathers were kinda ruffled, just didnt look happy. I brought it inside and put it on a clean bed of shavings and gave it water. Over the course of 1 hour it had gone from that to laying on its side breathing really deep and slowly and being unresponsive to me touching it. An hour later it died. So here is the description of what I saw on this bird with a little autopsy of my own before I fed it to the Fox. The skin on the bird was very very dark red all over the entire body, much darker than the rest of the birds. I then cut the skin and saw the breast meat that should be pinkish and it was so dark red you would think its beef and the entire body was the same way. All of the other birds that have died I noticed had the exact same problem going on with ark red almost purple meat and skin. Some of them the meat was blotchy red and purple. So far that's the only thing I can see, no other wounds or anything. One of them the vent was blood red like a blood blister also, but only one. The recent ones after the first one I didn't notice any lethargy or symptoms from them and they ate and drank with the rest, so they ate had a good meal and went to bed and died over night. I just started them on some medicated feed just in case it may help till I can figure out whats going on.

I would like to know if this is something anyone else had experienced before and if I should just cull the entire flock including the layers and get the in the freezer before they all die or is it even safe to eat them? Thank you all.

Your broilers are dying from a condition called ascites. I just lost 2 over the last 3 days from this. The tell tale sign is purple combs and skin. Their body cavities are filling with protein rich fluids causing a big increase in blood pressure. Within a day or 2 they will have died from heart failure and a lack of oxygen in their blood. Ascites can be triggered from a number of things. The main causes are overfeeding or getting a chill in their first 10 days of life. You can reduce your risk by reducing your protein to no more than 18% and only allowing access to food for a few hours in the morning and evening.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

It's not coccidiosis.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Their meat is safe to eat if you cull the purple ones BEFORE they die

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Do a necropsy on the next purple chicken. Cut open the body carefully and expose the sac that contains the organs. You'l see it will be full of fluid. Ascites is nicknamed waterbelly.