Chickens mysteriously dying!!!!!

[matt8715]

My 13 week old chickens are dying off one by one. They show no sign of sickness until I find one dead. I found one that was dying....it was laying down and it would throw it's head back and open it's mouth gasping and twisting it's head like its in pain. I feed them chick starter/grower. It is medicated with amprollium to help prevent coccidiosis. Does anyone know what this could be?

 

[stacibful]

Could it stand up?

 

[matt8715]

No it could not stand up, it could only lay there and occasionally throw it's head back and gasp. And make a sqeaky gassy noise.

 

[stacibful]

Marek's maybe? I lost 6 hens over the winter due to Coccidiosis. They stopped eating and drinking, were very lethargic and isolated. They would fluff their feathers and eventually couldn't stand up. By the end they were twitching and gasping. We treated them with Corid. Do they have any of those symptoms? I'd look into Marek's too

 

[matt8715]

They seem fine, and they eat and drink like normal until we find one dead in the morning. They don't seem lethargic and don't really fluff their feathers. They run around together eating and scratching. What are the symptoms for Marek's?

 

[stacibful]

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/90/mareks-disease/.

When mine passed it was very sudden. They would show signs and the next day were dead, unless we put them down on our own.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What is the timeline on your loss? (How many in what period of time).
Do they free range?
Is there anything toxic that you can think of that they have gotten into, rotten moldy foods/scraps, something dead, etc.?
Marek's is always a possibility, but they don't normally just "suddenly die", they will generally show some symptoms that you should notice before death.
I do highly recommend that you send one for necropsy to help determine what is going on, you can contact your vet for help or your state lab, there is some info below to help you get started.

Necropsy help:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

Marek's info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[matt8715]

I lost 4 yesterday morning and 2 this morning. Its been happening for about 4 or 5 days. I moved them to their own pen outside at about 9 weeks old. They don't free range so I make sure they have what they need and there's nothing for them to get into. I just noticed today I have one that was standing and sleeping by itself after eating. It didn't not eat as much as usual.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you are losing that many in such a short period of time then I highly recommend that you send one for necropsy.
Also a dose of Corid may be helpful even though you are using medicated feed (which just has a very small amount of amprollium in it). Corid is very gentle so it won't hurt just in case your problem is Cocci. Not all strains of Cocci show bloody stools.

Dosage for Cocci is 1 1/2 teaspoons Corid powder per gallon or 2 teaspoons of 9.6% Corid liquid per gallon
Give for 5-7 days - make sure this is the ONLY water available during that time period. Mix a fresh batch at least once a day.

 

[casportpony]

I lost 4 yesterday morning and 2 this morning. Its been happening for about 4 or 5 days. I moved them to their own pen outside at about 9 weeks old. They don't free range so I make sure they have what they need and there's nothing for them to get into. I just noticed today I have one that was standing and sleeping by itself after eating. It didn't not eat as much as usual.

I think necropsies are free inTN. Probably a good idea to have one done.

-Kathy