6 chickens dead in 2 weeks! HELP

[MaremmaX2]

I have 30 chickens, 12 quail, 2 guinea hens, 3 geese and 2 peacocks all at my barn. Only my chickens have died none of my other poultry seem to be effected. I lost 2 2.5 month old Americana's 2 weeks ago, then a 10 month old speckled Sussex 3 days later. This week i moved up 2 one month old standard black Cochin's chicks to a chick pen with 10 chicks that hatched only 1 week before them. My sister stayed up for 30 min to watch them and they were all fine and have 2 heat lamps. They were dead when i checked on them 4 hrs later The next day one of my 3.5 year old black astroloup hens had died. They get fed agway layer feed and some meat bird feed for higher protein, sprouts, bread, veggies and have heated water buckets. I separated my 2 month olds from the flock and my chicks are in wire mesh enclosed pens in a stall. My adults free range and have a stall with many perches, laying boxes (7), 3 feeding stations and a large heated water bucket. All were found on the ground, eyes closed, clear liquid from the nostrils, heavy but not bloated, feathers nice and shiny, no external parasites. It looks like they start walking around and just die? Any advice would be great! I added DE to their feed, electrolytes to their water and new hay on the floor.

 

[CottonGinWaste]

What kind of light are you using?

 

[Jakenhoss]

I have 30 chickens, 12 quail, 2 guinea hens, 3 geese and 2 peacocks all at my barn. Only my chickens have died none of my other poultry seem to be effected. I lost 2 2.5 month old Americana's 2 weeks ago, then a 10 month old speckled Sussex 3 days later. This week i moved up 2 one month old standard black Cochin's chicks to a chick pen with 10 chicks that hatched only 1 week before them. My sister stayed up for 30 min to watch them and they were all fine and have 2 heat lamps. They were dead when i checked on them 4 hrs later The next day one of my 3.5 year old black astroloup hens had died. They get fed agway layer feed and some meat bird feed for higher protein, sprouts, bread, veggies and have heated water buckets. I separated my 2 month olds from the flock and my chicks are in wire mesh enclosed pens in a stall. My adults free range and have a stall with many perches, laying boxes (7), 3 feeding stations and a large heated water bucket. All were found on the ground, eyes closed, clear liquid from the nostrils, heavy but not bloated, feathers nice and shiny, no external parasites. It looks like they start walking around and just die? Any advice would be great! I added DE to their feed, electrolytes to their water and new hay on the flo

Look at my post about teflon light bulbs. This may be your problem.

 

[Harry Rooster]

This is terrible! I never knew so many different things could happen to chickens. I've been raising chickens now for 5 yrs. and never had any kind of problems like the ones I'm having now and reading about now on here. Since I live in Alabama, we don't usually have harsh winters, so it is usually just sufficient for me to enclose the coop and around their gazebo with heavy duty plastic, don't have to use heat lamps. Now I am having to use them on my sick chickens. I saw on here where someone said never use a heat lamp in a location where they can't move away from it. I wonder if the heat was too much for them? Have you used these same heat lamps before without any problems? Also I've never used D.E. either, but since this one chicken we just aquired as a rescue has lice (or some kind of crawleys), I went and bought some, but haven't used it yet. I have also been putting electrolytes in the water of my sick chickens, and the new pullets we got that started all the sickness in the first place becuse they were also malnourished and prone to disease, I guess, that's what some say anyway can cause diseases to appear. Your situation is very mysterious, and scary. Have you always used the same feed? I've always just given mine laying pellets for full grown, starter feed for chicks, and cracked corn chops, with veg. table scraps, bread, fruits, watermelon, cantalope ect. Never any problems. Please let us know if you figure it out.

 

[Harry Rooster]

P.S. Cottongin...I'm so very sorry for your loss. I know it is extremely hard and sad to loose a pet, much less all these.

 

[fried green eggs]

I'm so sorry for your loss. My guess is the chicks could have gotten over heated? Could they get away from the 2 heat lamps? Figuring out what happened and why birds die can be so hard. Here is a link that may help?http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...uYCoBw&usg=AFQjCNHE3Hkirnd1Ty3YpSYlY4gJbM0_hg

After I lost 4 young birds to unknown reason. I purchased Oxine AH and a Fog Master Jr so, I can better protect everything. Here is a link about the Oxine AH and it's uses. http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

I hope you don't loose anymore.

 

[Harry Rooster]

OOps, I ment MaremmaX2 !!!

 

[Harry Rooster]

I'm so sorry for your loss. My guess is the chicks could have gotten over heated? Could they get away from the 2 heat lamps? Figuring out what happened and why birds die can be so hard. Here is a link that may help?http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...uYCoBw&usg=AFQjCNHE3Hkirnd1Ty3YpSYlY4gJbM0_hg

After I lost 4 young birds to unknown reason. I purchased Oxine AH and a Fog Master Jr so, I can better protect everything. Here is a link about the Oxine AH and it's uses. http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

I hope you don't loose anymore.

I've heard about this Oxine on here, so I went and read about it the other day, and was weighing the decision between getting that or the Tyaln for my sick ones, needed emergency treatment as they were very sick. I finally decided to get the Tyaln cause I couldn't get but one or the other, but the Oxine sounded very good, as a treatment and as a disinfectant. If I had had it to start with to spray in the pen before we put the new pullets in there, probably none would have ever gotten sick. I am going to get some ASAP. How much was the fogger, I was thinking about just a spray bottle, somewhere I read that that would work if you didn't have a fogger. It said it was also good as a misty treatment for the sick birds, just to let the mist spray or fog directly on them to breathe it. Sounded good to me.

 

[Harry Rooster]

Does this also apply to heat lamp light bulbs the 250w kind infrared? That is what one of mine is. I checked them, but none of them say. The 75wt are soft white, does that matter? I was wondering that also, if it may have been the lights, or too much heat. I've heard that chickens can stand it pretty cold, and don't generally like hot weather. (?)

 

[fried green eggs]

I've heard about this Oxine on here, so I went and read about it the other day, and was weighing the decision between getting that or the Tyaln for my sick ones, needed emergency treatment as they were very sick. I finally decided to get the Tyaln cause I couldn't get but one or the other, but the Oxine sounded very good, as a treatment and as a disinfectant. If I had had it to start with to spray in the pen before we put the new pullets in there, probably none would have ever gotten sick. I am going to get some ASAP. How much was the fogger, I was thinking about just a spray bottle, somewhere I read that that would work if you didn't have a fogger. It said it was also good as a misty treatment for the sick birds, just to let the mist spray or fog directly on them to breathe it. Sounded good to me.

The cheapest I could find the Fog Master Jr. was $100.00 but that included shipping. I considered using a garden pump sprayer, like I use for my horses fly spray. Ace sells a 1 qt pump sprayer that will do a pretty fine mist for about $10.00 that would work good for small areas. But, I want to also use the Oxine AH on coop walls, floors, pens, brooders, birds, feeders, etc and considering the 4 birds I lost cost me $140.00 to buy and ship - The $100. seems like a better choice for me. Heres a link if you want one? They shipped fast. http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/fogmaster-jr-5330-p-195.html

Does this also apply to heat lamp light bulbs the 250w kind infrared? That is what one of mine is. I checked them, but none of them say. The 75wt are soft white, does that matter? I was wondering that also, if it may have been the lights, or too much heat. I've heard that chickens can stand it pretty cold, and don't generally like hot weather. (?)

Chicks can over heat and die quickly - if they can't move away from heat. It's a good idea to put a thermometer at the outer edge of heat lamps light so, you know how hot it really is. They will bunch up and be very loud - if they are too cold. I wouldn't use the new curly bulbs near chicks - they have mercury in them. Red infareds are better than white light so, chicks rest and sleep better. They do have Mood Lites that come in red if, you have a brooder in your house and need lower wattage heat.