4 dead hens in 5 days? No signs of foul play

[Youneek Farm]

Saturday we found a dead hen in the bottom of the hen house. Looked like she just went in and went to sleep. It was crazy hot that day. I assumed it was the heat but now yesterday we went in to find 3 dead hens in the hen house, all side by side. One seemed to have fluid coming from her head (beak / mouth). It wasn't the ridiculous heat that we've had so I'm wondering.... disease??? Poison???? (they do free range about 9 hours a day).

They had access to plenty of water and shade. All 4 chickens were only 1 year old - 2 Barred Rocks and 2 Americaunas. Other factors? Well a couple weeks ago I gave them a bag of layer crumbles as their usual diet of scratch grains was out of stock. They didn't care for it. A month ago we had a stray dog attack and kill 2 birds, wounding one of our now surviving birds (she lost mostly tail feathers and is growing them back). One week later a racoon broke into our brooder and killed momma hen and 6 chicks but that was a separate coop that these chickens have no access too. I don't know what other factors there could be but we don't want our last 5 chickens to catch something and die too.

The kids are scared to go check now for fear the rest will die soon. I have no idea where to start with this but I'm not thinking it's heat anymore. Ideas Anyone????????????????

 

[DTRM30]

It still could have been the heat ... I lost two from heat, they were right next to each other in the coop last year (or was it two now, can't quite remember) - anyway, if you really think it's something other than heat, here is a link that can get you started on trying to figure it out ... if you download the PDF - I believe there is a quick reference type chart at the bottom that will give you the symptom, and cross reference it to a disease, or if you suspect a disease, you can look down through the symptoms to see if they apply.

Hope they are all doing ok .....

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044