Chickens have all gotten sick

[Cherylanne]

We got chicks this February. After losing a couple early on when they were just a week old, the rest have grown beautifully. Then one by one since the spring they have each gotten sick. First two back in May. And it’s fast. They look lethargic and with in 24 hours gone. A few weeks later another one same thing. Then It was fine for a while. A few weeks ago one was limping but still ate, socialized and kept up with the others. Yesterday morning she was completely lethargic along with another who was fine until now. Both died with in minutes of each other. I have one girl left from that bunch. I have three older girls who are fine. We got all of them from the same farm at different times. She does vaccinate fo Marek’s. What can this be???? We are heart broken.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sorry for your loss.

First ones could have been coccidiosis. The ones that passed during the first week were probably failure to thrive with undetected internal conditions. The limping one very much sounds like Marek's, vaccination is NO guarantee especially when you consider the human factor. It has to be done correctly and at the correct time. And they also have to be NOT exposed during the time the vaccine is bolstering the immune system.

Only way to know for sure is refrigerate bodies and get necropsies done. They are low cost or free to back yarders in many locations as a means of protecting our food supply chain. Links to help with that...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Any chance they got into moldy feed or other toxic stuff?

 

[Cherylanne]

Sorry for your loss.

First ones could have been coccidiosis. The ones that passed during the first week were probably failure to thrive with undetected internal conditions. The limping one very much sounds like Marek's, vaccination is NO guarantee especially when you consider the human factor. It has to be done correctly and at the correct time. And they also have to be NOT exposed during the time the vaccine is bolstering the immune system.

Only way to know for sure is refrigerate bodies and get necropsies done. They are low cost or free to back yarders in many locations as a means of protecting our food supply chain. Links to help with that...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Any chance they got into moldy feed or other toxic stuff?

Sorry for your loss.

First ones could have been coccidiosis. The ones that passed during the first week were probably failure to thrive with undetected internal conditions. The limping one very much sounds like Marek's, vaccination is NO guarantee especially when you consider the human factor. It has to be done correctly and at the correct time. And they also have to be NOT exposed during the time the vaccine is bolstering the immune system.

Only way to know for sure is refrigerate bodies and get necropsies done. They are low cost or free to back yarders in many locations as a means of protecting our food supply chain. Links to help with that...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Any chance they got into moldy feed or other toxic stuff?

I unfortunately don’t have the remains. We didn’t want them around bc I didn’t know what the cause was. Feed doesn’t sit around long enough to get moldy. I keep wracking my brain do there is something toxic. I didn’t fertilize my garden. Anything else is locked up in the sheds. I’m so worried about the other girls. The older ones have been solid thru all this. It’s just their last batch we got. And what ever it is, with the exception of the limo in one, It takes then fast.