Two more birds with the same symptoms. I have used The wormer suggested, antibiotics, electrolytes, nothing. Now two are weak and gasping. They free range, there is no mold anywhere that I can find. They gasp, stumble, then a few days later they die.
I've read all your posts, and if they were my birds I would be very suspicious of Marek's and/or Aspergillosis. If your birds are showing symptoms of visceral Marek's, it can be pretty quick; it is essentially lymphoma, and can be very aggressive in some bird's systems. The gasping may be due to lesions on the nerves controlling breathing, and/or tumor growth on organs such as the heart and/or lungs. I experienced these same symptoms in my Marek's confirmed rooster before he died. It took less than a week.
Aspergillosis can be a bit more tricky. Mold in the feed is a sure problem, but some people never see, smell, or detect mold and yet they have Aspergillosis in their flock. The Aflatoxins that cause it are microscopic, and in a bird with a compromised immune system (or a bird that is just susceptible) it does not take much. Corn is notorious for having aflatoxin contamination.
Small amounts are often dealt with by healthy birds with no problem, but then you get a bird or several birds that are not as strong, or have weakened immune systems, or secondary problems... and bam!! They develop problems. That said, Aspergillosis is generally (not always, but generally) more long term, where the bird has intermittent problems over a period of weeks or months, unless they ate a large volume of the aflatoxins. In the case of ingesting a large amount of the toxins that cause aspergillosis, the disease may progress more rapidly.
Please note that all of the above are generalizations. Sometimes disease moves faster or slower than expected. There are just so many variables when it comes to chicken health!
Either way, if it were me, I would be most suspicious of Marek's, or a large amount of mold in the feed that all the sick ones got into at once.
If you lose another, see if you can send for necropsy... it will give you some better answers, and will help you to deal with your flock in the future.
