Chickens dying

[hhmckee]

Hi All,

I am brand new to raising Chickens and I do not know what is going on. We have 2 different flocks. They are separated. We got a flock of 8 as babies from Tractor supply and they are now about 4 months old. We ordered another flock online and they are about 6 months old, just started laying 2 days ago. We have found 2 dead chickens from the tractor supply bunch. Both times, they were fine the night before and dead inthe nesting box in the morning. This morning when I went out one was on the bottom of the coup. Breathing slow and eyes closed, clearly dying. I fed her suagr water by dropper and got her under the heat lamp. I am about to go back out and I sure she will have passed. I am just not sure what the heck is going on??? The picture is when I found her and put her up in the heat section. When I left, she was just laying down not holding her head up.

 

[staceyj]

What type of heat lamp are you using?
Is it new because of the cold weather?
Some bulbs for heat lamps are covered with a Teflon coating that gives off poisonous gas.
Let me pull up an article for you. Brb.

 

[tacothechicken]

Sounds like an illness running through the flock. Any eye, or nasal discharge? Or possibly check feathers for parasites. Unfortunately chickens are pretty much goners as soon as they have symptoms (I've had 2 hens pull through a flock illness out of 8 that were infected ) and due to close range it'll probably spread or is spreading to you're whole flock as we speak. I'd advise completely isolating any sick birds and figuring out what's most probable cause. Sometimes birds pull through but are carriers for life and can infect any chicks hatched or new birds brought in

 

[staceyj]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/polytetrafluoroethylene-toxicity-in-chickens.73482/

 

[hhmckee]

Sounds like an illness running through the flock. Any eye, or nasal discharge? Or possibly check feathers for parasites. Unfortunately chickens are pretty much goners as soon as they have symptoms (I've had 2 hens pull through a flock illness out of 8 that were infected ) and due to close range it'll probably spread or is spreading to you're whole flock as we speak. I'd advise completely isolating any sick birds and figuring out what's most probable cause. Sometimes birds pull through but are carriers for life and can infect any chicks hatched or new birds brought in

They look healthy until they don't. I just added dewormer and electrolytes to their water at the advice of tractor supply today. Nothing with the eyes or nose and havent seen anything in the feathers. They literally were playing and running the night before and dead the next morning. Thios 2 died 2 weeks apart. I think cleaned and redid the whole coup and now this one today. Sadly, this is the first one dying before my eyes and no vest out here will do anything.

 

[tacothechicken]

^oh snap! I didnt know that! Never used heat lamps in my coops anyways but now I know what to watch out for! O0O!!!

 

[hhmckee]

What type of heat lamp are you using?
Is it new because of the cold weather?
Some bulbs for heat lamps are covered with a Teflon coating that gives off poisonous gas.
Let me pull up an article for you. Brb.

I got them from tractor supply in the chicken section. Both flocks in 2 different coups each have one heat lamp that they can get under or move away from. Since they went outside when the weather was already changing, we have used a heat lamp frome day one with each flock.

 

[tacothechicken]

Have you checked plants? I once lost 2 pullets weeks apart to a elderberry that popped up that I was unaware of, I also lost a duck to a poisonous nute she got a hold of :/

 

[wyoDreamer]

What is the coop like and what is your weather like?
Do you have good ventilation in your coop?

The wings are hanging loose and away from the body, could they be overheating with the heat lamp. We have had a high of 25 degrees/lows in the single digits for the last 2 weeks and my chickens are just fine. Chickens that are well feathered can handle cold temps better than overly high temps.

 

[dawg53]

Go back to TSC and buy Corid 9.6% liquid solution. It should be in the cattle section.
Dosage is 9.5cc's per gallon of water for 5 days. It must be their sole source of treated water to drink and it must be made fresh daily. Dont add anything else to the mixture.
You might have to use an eyedropper or syringe without needle to administer it orally to your sickest birds at least 5 times a day until they can drink it on their own.
Ensure feeders and waterers are disinfected using a water/ammonia mixture. Remove soiled bedding and burn it or dispose of it in some manner, then provide clean bedding including nest boxes.