anyone know why?

[b.hromada]

I have 2 pullets that had just started to lay. They were doing fine and looked great. The day I found the eggs in the nest box, I was so egg-cited!! Like I said, no problems, they were happy, healthy young girls. The next day I found them both dead, for no apparent reason.

. I have had chickens for years, and this has never happened before, to me. All my other girls are fine, it was just those two. Does anyone know what could have happened. I don't want to have this happen again, if there is something I can do to prevent it. I know there is not much to go on, but this is all I can tell you. Any advice is most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Akrnaf2]

The only thing I can imagine is poisoning, there is a syndrome that called sudden death in chickens, but I don't thing that it is the case here.
Reed this links:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/12/chickens-obesity-silent-killer-how-to.html

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/p...l?qt=Sudden death syndrome in chickens&alt=sh

http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/search?fulltext=Sudden+death+in+chickens&submit=yes&x=20&y=7

 

[Eggcessive]

With deaths of two at the same time, I would look for toxins, such as botulism, moldy feed, insecticides or weed killer, or intentional poisoning. Egg binding can be common, but that would be a bit coincidental on the same day. How hot was it in your coop, and how is the ventilation? Do they have shaded water all day long? The state vet can do a necropsy to look for a cause of death if you take or ship a refrigerated, but not frozen,body wrapped in plastic. Here are links for botulism and the state vets:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism/
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[b.hromada]

Thank you both Akrnaf2 and Eggcessive. The articles were very helpful. I was thinking that maybe someone had poisoned my girls trying for my goose. But the family says no. How can you tell, really. I know that my little Showgirl is fine. It is quite strange, and you can believe I'm keeping a close eye on them, not that I hadn't before, just more diligent. They were just so young.

 

[Akrnaf2]

You welcome!
Try to remember if they ate any avocado? Do you have any Avocado trees near the chickens?

 

[b.hromada]

No, there are no Avocado trees here. In our other house, several years ago, we had a tree there, and it never bothered the girls then? Its very strange.