Chickens randomly dying?

[Ceejayzee]

So we've had a lot of chickens just die. No real signs of anything being wrong. Not too hot or cold, plenty of food and water. No signs of attacks or anything. No blood. They'll be acting perfectly fine and then suddenly they lay down, refuse to get up, and are dead within minutes. Any ideas what we should look into?
We brought one hen in that acted funny, she recovered and we moved her back outside. Now we have chicks that were in a separate broader in the same room randomly dying as well. I'm really lost and unsure of what to do.

 

[sourland]

Can you provide information about your location ? @casportpony may be able to guide you towards a facility that can perform a necropsy on one of your birds to better identify what you are dealing with.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The best course of action when there are numerous unexplained deaths is to send a bird to your state poultry lab for necropsy and lab work. Then you'll know exactly what is going on and what course of action to take.
What state are you in? Some are at veterinary schools if your state has one of those but every state and province has a lab specifically for necropsies for the public.
There are numerous things that can kill chickens suddenly.
How old were the birds that have died? What type of feed are you using?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Like minds @sourland!

 

[sourland]

Like minds @sourland!

Does that scare you ?

 

[Ceejayzee]

Ranging from 2 months to 11 months. The feed is from rural king, layer pellets...I don't know the exact brand and I'm not home right now. I'm in central PA. I'll find out where we can take one for a necropsy. Thank you!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Should it?

 

[Ceejayzee]

Of course the younger chicks are eating starter crumbles, not the layer pellets

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Ranging from 2 months to 11 months. The feed is from rural king, layer pellets...I don't know the exact brand and I'm not home right now. I'm in central PA. I'll find out where we can take one for a necropsy. Thank you!

The brand of feed doesn't matter. Whether it is layer or grower does matter. The former is about 4% calcium, the latter is 1%.
At what age were the birds when they were started on layer feed?
The reason I ask is that urolithiasis and articular gout(from excess calcium) has those symptoms.
Birds seem perfectly fine and when they get down to one functioning of the 6 kidney segments, they'll die within 24 hours.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4095065

You're lucky, you have 3 labs there.
40
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University, Animal Diagnostic Laboratory
Wiley Ln
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
Phone: 814-863-0837

IAV-A, ND,

41
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
2305 N Cameron Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-9405
Phone: 717-787-8808

IAV-A, CSF, CWD, ND, FMD, PRV, SCRAPIE, IAV-S

42
Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania,
School of Vet Med, New Bolton Center, PADLS
382 West Street Rd
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348-1692
Phone: 610-444-5800

IAV-A, CWD, ND, SCRAPIE


Many will send you a FedEx shipping label if you call them.

 

[Ceejayzee]

I believe they started on the layer feed around 5 months when they started laying.
I sent an email to one of those labs. Thank you so much for your help.
Would them getting oyster shells over the late summer(august/September) have potentially caused it now? They had soft eggs for a little while and we did give them oyster shells.