3 dead chickens over the past three weeks - suspect Mareks?

[benthere-donethat]

I have a flock of 16 chickens. Three weeks ago in the morning, we found one dead outside the coop (they hadn't been counted that night). Last week in the morning, we found one dead inside the coop. And tonight, my son brought one to me and said that he found her outside the coop without the strength to climb up the ramp to go inside. These are all adult birds at least 2 years old.

I've read everything I can about Marek's and Botulism and I'm not sure how to figure out what to do next. Tonight the hen was holding her head up and when my son put his hands under her feet she was able to stand. But I don't know if it's just because this has just started - I believe she was roaming around like normal this afternoon.

It's been a wet summer here, so it's possible that botulism is the cause. All the chickens have been free ranging over our 3/4 acre yard for the past couple month, so plenty of fresh air and scratching. I have a small compost pile (3X3 and probably 6" deep) that they have access to that is probably wetter than it should be. And it's also possible that the water inside their coop has not been as fresh as it should be (changed every couple of days).

I'll also add that I haven't noticed any changes in stool - it's a fairly large coop and they are free ranging all day, so not easy to track changes.

I'd welcome any advice as to what to do next. I'm also wondering if eggs are safe to eat since we don't know what it is?

Thanks in advance.

Edited to add: there have been no signs of trauma. There was no predator involved.

 

[youtubeminer]

Do you know how did the predator got in and the places it got eaten I'm thinking it's a raccoon but is the chickens head nibbled that's a raccoon

 

[youtubeminer]

And so sorry for your lost

 

[benthere-donethat]

Chicken #3 seems to be doing better today. She moved around and out the ramp all by herself. It just started raining, so I went out to put her inside and she was trying to do it herself. The only new sign I see today is some green poop stuck to her back feathers which seems to be a sign of Marek's.

She is four years old. The other two that died were 2+. Is it possible for them to suddenly get symptoms and die from this at that age?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[youtubeminer]

Maybe

 

[Eggcessive]

Green droppings can be a sign of not eating well. Mareks usually strikes chickens under 6 months old normally, but could strike an older chicken if they have been exposed recently to a carrier bird. Botulism, moldy feed, or some other problem may be possible. The eggs should be safe to eat. If you lose another chicken you should contact your state vet for a necropsy to look for a cause of death.

 

[MrsBrooke]

How are their crops? I suppose it's possible, with the green poops, that they may be sour and/or impacted. Crops should be full at night and empty in the morning.

I would recommend at least doing a necropsy and checking out the gizzard. Ranging over your property can yield sone tasty things like screws and pieces of metal Hardware disease could be a possibility.

If you don't find anything, definitely do as Eggcessive suggested and send one of your chickens in for the state to take a look.

Very sorry for your losses.

MrsB

 

[benthere-donethat]

Very helpful, everyone.

Chicken #3 continues to be stable.

It's just so strange to me that these cases are stretched out over 3 weeks. To me, that weighs out ingesting something to impact their crops. And even if it is botulism, isn't it strange to affect one per week? I'd think a few at the same time would be affected.

Seems very strange to me.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Are they laying still? If they've stopped laying and start passing yellow poops, it could be a sign of EYP. Since you haven't seen diarrhea or egg-binding, I am less likely to think it's that.

Hardware disease is a silent killer that occurs when a chicken ingests a piece of metal (chickens are attracted to shiny things), and it spends some time in their gizzard grinding their food... When it passes OUT of the gizzard that's when the trouble starts.

With chickens, unless you get a test, it can be nearly impossible to peg *exactly* what it is, since so many illnesses exhibit the same symptoms.

I might give them some Corid in their water, just in case.

MrsB