Chickens are dying!

[sreihart]

We had a horrible heat wave last week and I had one chicken die and another that wasn't acting herself. She then died three days later. This morning I went out to the coop and there was another one lying dead under the roost. They start by isolating themselves from the rest of the flock, not eating and acting lethargic. At first I thought it was the heat and the fact that they are 3 1/2 years old now. But this week the weather is cool and the humidity lifted so I don't think it's heat related. What can I do to prevent any more losses?

 

[Eggcessive]

You just have to look them over real well. Check their crops first thing in the morning--if it's full they may have sour crop or impaction. Check their poop and their bottoms for lice and mites around the base of feathers. Check to see if they are laying eggs or maybe are egg bound. Also, they must never run out of water at any time. Have you had any coccidiosis symptoms in your flock?It might just be the heat. There are all kinds of diseases like avian influenza and other respiratory diseases out there, so sometimes we never know the reason for deaths. You can contact your state vet to do a necropsy on a bird or answer questions about them. Here is a link to finding your state vet: http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/statevets.aspx

 

[rugznjones]

My husband went and checked the coop last week and they had water and the next day, the water was empty. He quickly filled it up this was last week. This morning we found one of our girls dead in the hen house. She was acting very lethargic last night but seemed Ok up until yesterday.
Could it have been because them not having water for a few hours last week?? God he would feel terrible if this was the reason she passed away.