2 chickens have died so far

[15gardenchooks]

Last Thursday we found our bantam rooster dead under the nest boxes. I was away at school but my family said that he was acting a little strange and lethargic the day before. two days later his favorite girl started acting weird, she was also lethargic, hardly moved all day then wanted to stay outside in the pen over night. The next day she came out to the feeder and didn't move all day, we moved her to a separate pen with food and water but she didn't touch it. She had dark green diarrhea earlier but stopped pooping eventually and finally died yesterday. just two days before she was acting just fine. The rest of our chickens seem to be doing just fine, but like I said it came on very quickly and by the time we noticed anything was wrong they stopped eating and drinking. We cleaned the coop and started giving them electrolytes and probiotics in their water. I have no idea what else I should treat them with we have Add to Duramycin 10 and Corid but this doesn't seem like anything we have dealt with before.

Does anyone have any ideas on what it could be and how to treat them? I really don't want to lose anymore chickens!

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are the chickens that died? Could they have been bullied or kept from eating by the others? What state do you live in? Have there been any outbreaks of disease near you? It can be hard to tell what exactly is wrong without a necropsy after death. Crop problems (impacted and sour crop) are fairly common. Worms or intestinal infections may have been possible. If you open them up you can sometimes see a blockage in the crop or gizzard, worms, or intestinal infections. The liver can tell a lot from color and size. You could take in a few fresh droppings to get them checked by a vet to see if there is cocci or worms. Spend some extra time with your chickens to watch if they are eating and drinking. When on gets sick, they sometimes need to be fed or given the liquids with a dropper. Many sick chickens will eat a chopped egg or take a small bowl of feed with a lot of water in it. If you lose any more, I would refrigerate their bodies and send then to your state poultry lab for a necropsy. Sorry for your loss. Here are 2 good links about getting a necropsy:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[15gardenchooks]

We live in northern WI but I haven't heard of outbreaks but I will have to do some more research. I don't think either of them could have been kept from the food, they were both high on the pecking order. However, I will definitely keep a close eye on the rest of them to make sure they are eating. Unfortunately we already got rid of the bodies or I would consider a necropsy. hopefully we don't have any other deaths or I will have to send one in. If they have worms or parasites would I be able to see them??