Chickens keep dying due to mystery illness

[JustanotherChicken21]

I have had 3 chickens die in the past 2 months all having the same symptoms. They start by not eating, their comb turns grey, they become lethargic and mouth breath and then they really struggle to breath and die. This happens fairly quickly in a matter of days. We got tried some antibiotics with our second chicken but they didn’t work. If anyone knows how to cure this please reach out

 

[azygous]

Gosh, that video is so sad. You would do well to take a dead chicken to an animal testing lab for necropsy to discover what pathogen is at work killing your flock.

Giving us your location is extremely important and I can think of no reason why our site administrators do not require it for registration. This information can help us research serious avian diseases in your area as well as labs close to you that can help with testing. City, state, country. Chicken diseases vary around the world.

 

[coach723]

I agree that a necropsy is probably your best way to know for sure what's going on. Since you've lost three with the same symptoms, it would be a really good idea to find out if it's viral, something spreading in the flock.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

 

[JustanotherChicken21]

I agree that a necropsy is probably your best way to know for sure what's going on. Since you've lost three with the same symptoms, it would be a really good idea to find out if it's viral, something spreading in the flock.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/

I agree that a necropsy is probably your best way to know for sure what's going on. Since you've lost three with the same symptoms, it would be a really good idea to find out if it's viral, something spreading in the flock.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

The chicken before this died over a month ago, is it still possible that a viral infection is spreading?

 

[coach723]

Some virus's can be very slow to cause symptoms once infected, individual immune systems vary. It could be something in the environment, possibly a toxin. It's really very hard to say. The labs and examination of organs during necropsy are often the only way to ID things, particularly when you have generalized symptoms. Chickens can present very similar symptoms with very different causes, so it can often be hard to diagnose without the tests, it just depends on what it is.

 

[Ozarkoak]

I know when we raise our meat birds we keep a close eye on their combs for color changes. They display close to those symptoms when they are experiencing heart failure. Is there any ascites?

 

[cincyfarmgirl]

I also am having some trouble with Chickens they don’t wanna eat they don’t want to drink they become listless one of their’s comb is darkening. Two of them died. One was only 2 1/2 years old Comet; the other is a six year old Rhode Island red. And third one that is on the way to dying is a 2 1/2 yr old Comet currently ill whose comb is turning dark. None of them want to eat or drink when I try to encourage them. All three of them had slowed down on egg production. Not sure maybe they had even quit producing. The Rhode Island Red’s belly was all swollen up; seems like fluid retention. I massaged not knowing what to do but she died in my arms. All three of these chickens had lost weight very skinny the crop was empty like I said one of them the belly was swollen. Dried up poop on their backside. I suspect they had not been eating or perhaps drinking well for sometime. I have 18 chickens so I might not have quite noticed that they were not eating as they should but I certainly have noticed that they’ve slowed down. And tried to remedy that by feeding them separately etc. I recently introduced two ducklings to the flock. They do share water and feed troughs. even though I try to separate them eventually they get together. What suggestions for treatment? Before the rest of them become ill and die?

 

[azygous]

You would be wise to get a necropsy on one of the dead chickens. Contact Ohio Department of Agriculture | 8995 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg OH 43068 . You will need to refrigetate immediately the next chicken to die and arrange to get the body to this lab. Hopefully, it isn't too far from where you live.

Meanwhile, try giving the remaining flock a treatment for coccidiosis. Get some liquid Corid at two teaspoons per gallon of water and treat for five days, then a week later treat another five days.