2 chickens dead

[jenfred75]

the local vets will always charge more the cheapest place you will find is your state lab but you cannot freeze the bird You can only refrigerate it.

Well - the one that died Monday has been in our freezer since then. Will they not be able to do anything now? I'm sure the other one is now frozen too.

 

[parrotlady66]

Sorry for the loss of your hens. I lost a hen earlier this year just after we had bought our first 6 girls .. we have no idea what had happened and being so new to raising chickens we didn't know who to go to
so we joined BYC, lots of great information and everyone super friendly
we are one big happy flock
good luck with the rest of you hens i hope you don't lose any more

 

[Kiki]

Well - the one that died Monday has been in our freezer since then. Will they not be able to do anything now? I'm sure the other one is now frozen too.

I do not think so.
You can ask if you call.

 

[slordaz]

Most worms you won't see in poop unless ya got it under a microscope, or they are so overloaded they start getting pusehd out, if you haven't dewormed your flock you might consider doing that, depending on what you use to deworm will depend on dosage per waitght, but not that good with dosages based on weight, Maybe @Texas Kiki or @Eggcessive could help ya out with what you have available in your area and the correct dosage. Personally I use Valbazen and my vet didn't have any problem dispensing it when i told him was treating for sever worm overload

 

[jenfred75]

I do not think so.
You can ask if you call.

The California link isn't opening. Do you have a different link?

 

[Morrigan]

The other option, if you have the stomach for it, is to de-frost the bird and open it up for a do-it-youself autopsy. You can post pictures here of anything odd you find, and maybe people here can help you. At a minimum, you can cut open the intestines to check for worms, and look a the condition of the liver.

My gut instinct is that it is some type of toxin -- maybe a bad batch of feed or something they found in the yard. It's not impossible that it is something like worms, but worms usually don't kill that fast, with no warning. Still, it's something to consider.

Sorry you are going through this, and sending positive thoughts that your remaining birds stay healthy.

 

[Kiki]

The California link isn't opening. Do you have a different link?

https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu

 

[glassdragonfly]

So sorry for your loss

 

[jenfred75]

The other option, if you have the stomach for it, is to de-frost the bird and open it up for a do-it-youself autopsy. You can post pictures here of anything odd you find, and maybe people here can help you. At a minimum, you can cut open the intestines to check for worms, and look a the condition of the liver.

My gut instinct is that it is some type of toxin -- maybe a bad batch of feed or something they found in the yard. It's not impossible that it is something like worms, but worms usually don't kill that fast, with no warning. Still, it's something to consider.

Sorry you are going through this, and sending positive thoughts that your remaining birds stay healthy.

I think I will try that tomorrow with the newest one that had died today. At the same time, I am going to throw out their food and clean out their food dispensers and go buy some new food. I'm also going to look around our backyard to see if there is anything they could be eating.

Thank you! These are my first ever chickens, so I'm just sad because they were so loving and I don't want to lose anymore.

 

[Kiki]

I know you mentioned you feed a hand full of scratch...
I'd try to limit that to only once in a while and not daily.

Feeding a complete balanced diet only is better for preventing some illnesses that can be caused by being over weight.