An unknown seemingly fatal disease seems to have appeared in my flock

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

Yesterday I noticed 2 of my chickens just standing with their heads pulled. They were able to walk around but seemed a bit weak. This morning I found the one dead and 2 more chickens that look like that. the only symptoms are that their eyes look a bit strange and the one has a lot of saliva in her mouth but she might have something else since her eyes aren’t like this and the other chicken’s

 

[dawg53]

It would be in your best interest to get a necropsy performed on your sickest bird. You can contact your local extension office or your state department of agriculture or perhaps a local vet that can direct you on how and where to get a necropsy performed. I wish you the best and sorry you're going through this.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are they? What breed? What do the poops look like? I agree that a necropsy would be worth getting to find the cause. Your state vet lab usually can do those depending on your location. Here is a list of state vets to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html
Coccidiosis can be a problem which Corid could treat. Check your feed for any mold. Sorry for your loss.

 

[LaFleche]

She looks very anemic to me and after zooming in on your pictures I saw some blood coming out of the nostril.
Did you or a neighbour put out some rodenticides lately? There might be some inner bleeding as a result of rodenticide poisoning going on.

Vitamin K would be the medication to use if it indeed was caused by rodenticides.

 

[Eggcessive]

Good observation about the blood in the nostril. Rat poison is a possibility, but also look for blood that may be due to a respiratory disease. With ILT they can cough up blood and sling it around the coop with shaking their heads. Are they coughing or gaping? Or are they lethargic and puffed up as she looks in the picture?

 

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

It would be in your best interest to get a necropsy performed on your sickest bird. You can contact your local extension office or your state department of agriculture or perhaps a local vet that can direct you on how and where to get a necropsy performed. I wish you the best and sorry you're going through this.

The nearest vet to me that will work with chickens is in another town but we’re going there on Tuesday (they took swabs of a sick chicken with respiratory issues to find out exactly what’s causing it) so I’ll take one along if they end up dying.

How old are they? What breed? What do the poops look like? I agree that a necropsy would be worth getting to find the cause. Your state vet lab usually can do those depending on your location. Here is a list of state vets to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html
Coccidiosis can be a problem which Corid could treat. Check your feed for any mold. Sorry for your loss.

The entire flock was treated for coccidiosis less than 2 weeks ago (after 2 people told me my that my sick chickens might have it) and then all the sick ones started getting treated with oxytetracycline around 3 days before the cocci treatment ended too. This cured 2 of my sick chickens but some others still have respiratory issues.

The age and breeds are all different so it’s not just affecting the older or younger ones.

She looks very anemic to me and after zooming in on your pictures I saw some blood coming out of the nostril.
Did you or a neighbour put out some rodenticides lately? There might be some inner bleeding as a result of rodenticide poisoning going on.

Vitamin K would be the medication to use if it indeed was caused by rodenticides.

None were used by us recently but I’m unsure about the neighbors and could try asking them. I partially opened the eye of the chicken that died this morning and the iris was very red from what I could see (she had orange eyes).

Good observation about the blood in the nostril. Rat poison is a possibility, but also look for blood that may be due to a respiratory disease. With ILT they can cough up blood and sling it around the coop with shaking their heads. Are they coughing or gaping? Or are they lethargic and puffed up as she looks in the picture?

There are absolutely no signs of respiratory issues, no bubbles in the eyes, mucus in the airways or gasping from what I can tell. No blood is present in the coop I’ve isolated them in or on the faces of the other sick chickens. They’re all just standing with their heads pulled close to their bodies like in the photo.

Another detail I should probably include is that I had 2 chickens euthanized earlier this week since they had Marek’s disease but I seem to have caught onto it quite early before it seems to have spread further.

These sick chickens show no signs of paralysis though and the pupils don’t look like they sometimes do in Mareks disease.

 

[LaFleche]

Another detail I should probably include is that I had 2 chickens euthanized earlier this week since they had Marek’s disease but I seem to have caught onto it quite early before it seems to have spread further.

MD does not always present itself as lameness or Ocular Mareks.

Often enough the only noticeable sign when doing a necropsy is the birds digestive tract (proventriculus) compromised by the virus thus leading to starvation.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks in the flock does change things. It causes low white blood cells, and poor immunity to the common diseases. Where most chickens can shake off something with a good immune system, chickens who are Mareks positive may get more illnesses. When antibiotics are used before testing, it can affect getting a positive test. So good that you have a vet visit coming up. Let us know what happens, and I hope that your birds stay healthy. Many people on BYC deal with Mareks in their flocks. While they have losses, many continue to have good luck with the survivors. I would vaccinate any new chicks, and only breed birds who do not show symptoms. After vaccinating, if you choose to do that, chicks need to be kept from any exposure to feather dander and dust for at least 2 weeks. Repeated vaccine has been shown to provide more immunity. There is plenty of info about that online if you search.

 

[JustAnotherWeirdo]

This morning I went to the coop to check on the sick chickens and 2 more have died. They were both 2 mature hens, I’m unsure of the age though (I think the one was probably under 2 years and the other is definitely more than 2 based of egg production), meanwhile the 2 younger ones that aren’t mature chickens yet (they’re 4-5 months old I think) are still alive. I’ve noticed the one chicken that died looking an unwell 4 days ago which seems to be the longest one has survived since showing symptoms so far.

The older one who showed more symptoms and survived longer will be taken for a necropsy tomorrow.