Chickens dying please help

[lionkitty71]

I have had 3 chickens die in about 6 weeks. Seems like 1 every 2 weeks. No signs of being sick. All still active eating and laying eggs. I jus go out and check on them and find one laying there dead. I'm not sure why this is happening.
If anyone could help I'd be down right thankful. I'm jus confused. None of the chickens have signs of being sick. One was a chick I got last year and the 2 others were ones I hatched. Please she'd some light on it if you can...

 

[Harry Rooster]

I am so sorry for you about your chickens. That is really mysterious. Are there any signs at all out of the ordinary? I'm sure it would be hard for anyone to guess what is going on with little information. Are you using a light bulb for heat or anything like that? Are they dieing at a certain time of the day or night? Like for instance, they were fine when you put them to bed, then the next morning they were dead? Or are they dieing at different times? You say one was about a year old, how old were the others? Have you changed their bedding, their pen, anything you've been doing different since this started? Added any new chickens to the flock? If you could give more information it would be helpful for anyone to try to figure it out. Again, so sorry about your chicks

 

[lionkitty71]

I haven't added any new chickens. They are all about the same age. They have 2 heat lamps. It's no certain time of day one was in the morning second was mid afternoon and third was late afternoon. None of them have any signs of being sick at all. I thought maybe it was because they were to cold when we had a freezing spell. But it was 45 here yesterday and they were all healthy that 2 times I checked on them. The one thing I thought of maybe my turkey (female) was killing them because she would pick them up by the head and shake them... But not sure if she has done it that many times. It just confuses me. My sultans and Easter eggers in a separate pen are doing fine.
When I check them they are fine. All up moving around and when we go back its like the one jus drops dead.

 

[chicknmania]

I read on a hatchery website recently that fumes from heat lights can kill chickens, with few or no symptoms. I don't remember what they are treated with, some chemical that burns off and they inhale it. That might be what your problem is? I wouldn't use heat lights at all unless it is bitterly cold.

 

[chicknmania]

It think it was Murray McMurray hatchery that I read that. You might want to call them and see if you can get some insight from them! I would almost bet, that has something to do with it.

 

[chicknmania]

And by bitterly cold, I mean in the single digits. The birds have a warmer body temp than us anyway, and, think about it..they have down, feathers and fat.
Just look at the wild birds and how they fluff up to stay warm, they're fine.

 

[lionkitty71]

That's true... Ill check into that... Thanks

 

[rbaker0345]

Its teflon! Some lightbulbs are coated with teflon now and teflon is extremely toxic to birds. Go get new bulbs and make sure that they are not shatterproof teflon coated. I think Sylvania has agreed to label their bulbs , but GE has refused. Also, make sure that they have food and liquid water available at all times. I went away for a week and when I got back, my husband had "forgotten" to feed or water my silkies for about 24 hours. When I put them out in their pen, they bypassed the water and gorged themselves on pellets. If I had walked away, I would have come back to 2 dead silkies with no apparent reason for their death, but luckily I stood there and watched as they ate and ate until they started suffocating themselves. They were so dehydrated that the pellets weren't going down into their crops, they were backing up into their esophagus and then up into their mouths. Chickens have a separate opening in their mouths for their trachea, it is just behind their tongue. The food was backed up so much that it was blocking their tracheas.

Two of them started to pass out and would have died if I hadn't spent the next 30 minutes digging food out of their mouths with my little finger.
Lesson 1: always offer water first. If animals are very hungry, wet their food.

Lesson 2: Never leave husband to take care of chickens.

 

[ChucktheChick]

Its teflon!  Some lightbulbs are coated with teflon now and teflon is extremely toxic to birds.  Go get new bulbs and make sure that they are not shatterproof teflon coated.  I think Sylvania has agreed to label their bulbs , but GE has refused.  Also, make sure that they have food and liquid water available at all times.  I went away for a week and when I got back, my husband had "forgotten" to feed or water my silkies for about 24 hours.  When I put them out in their pen, they bypassed the water and gorged themselves on pellets.  If I had walked away, I would have come back to 2 dead silkies with no apparent reason for their death, but luckily I stood there and watched as they ate and ate until they started suffocating themselves.  They were so dehydrated that the pellets weren't going down into their crops, they were backing up into their esophagus and then up into their mouths.  Chickens have a separate opening in their mouths for their trachea, it is just behind their tongue.  The food was backed up so much that it was blocking their tracheas.  

Two of them started to pass out and would have died if I hadn't spent the next 30 minutes digging food out of their mouths with my little finger.  
Lesson 1:  always offer water first.  If animals are very hungry, wet their food.  

Lesson 2: Never leave husband to take care of chickens.

I am glad you found that out! I will double check my bulbs from now on! I am so glad you saved your silliest. That would have been sad to see them die..... hope they will be ok in the future!!!

 

[rbaker0345]

Thank you for those kind words. I have them on soaked pellets for awhile, just in case the removal process irritated their throats.

I am so sorry about the other thread with the twisting spurs vs hacksaw debate, that guy was getting on my nerves and BYC is my escape from that kind of thing.

If you have anymore questions about it, just let me know.

Come to think of it, my guy is due to have is twisted, I could have my husband video it and then I could upload the video for you if you like.