Chickens under 2 months dropping like flys,no noticeable symptoms

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm not one to jump on the coccidiosis bandwagon quickly but after rereading the first post, that is my first guess. 1 week to 2 months is the right age group, the symptoms match and you said it has been wet there.
I'd start the Corid treatment immediately but take a dead bird and send it to your poultry lab to know for sure. They'll likely send you a Fed-Ex label for shipping.

Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
1800 Christensen Dr.
Ames, Iowa 50011-1134
Phone: 515-294-1950

Prophylactically treating birds by guessing at antibiotics, etc. can negatively affect the lab results.

Something in stools of other animals, especially cattle, hogs and horses being a cause is extremely unlikely. Chickens have been picking in the feces of farm animals for eons - as long as humans have been keeping livestock.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Getting some fresh droppings checked for a fecal test for parasites, or a necropsy done by the state vet to get a diagnosis would be the best things to do to get answers.

@Elsveta641 I'm sorry for your loss.

I agree with @Eggcessive getting testing is the best way to figure out what's happening.

 

[Elsveta641]

Thank you all. I was hoping the cause might be known by someone based on similar experience so I could save some birds immediately. But it looks like Corrid is all I got in my corner until tests come back. Lost another chick about 10 minutes ago

 

[Kiki]

Thank you all. I was hoping the cause might be known by someone based on similar experience so I could save some birds immediately. But it looks like Corrid is all I got in my corner until tests come back. Lost another chick about 10 minutes ago

Do you have the powder or liquid Corid?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How many chicks in that age group do you have left?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks. I'd have to be careful there garlic is toxic to the cats and dog.

Toxic... is a very misunderstood word that is subjective. In small amounts garlic will little to no effect... I speak confidently about dogs though I am unfamiliar with cats.

The thing is studies that feed large amounts of something to an animal and see that *CAN* cause anemia... and so on are way to sensationalized.. If time is taken to read studies... a lot can be revealed about just what kind of excess took place to achieve said effect.

Great job looking out for fellow BYC'ers though and giving a heads up!

Thank you all. I was hoping the cause might be known by someone based on similar experience so I could save some birds immediately. But it looks like Corrid is all I got in my corner until tests come back. Lost another chick about 10 minutes ago

So sorry to hear about your issue and losses.

Coccidiosis won't kill a one week old chick as it hasn't even had time to rear it ugly head yet... that I would contribute as failure to thrive or genetic weakness. At this point... that is the simplest and most likely answer from what I have read (since toxic heat source is ruled out already), and I would definitely start Corid... using a drench dose on any who are already acting sleepy and treatment dose in the water.

I did read the whole thread but I feel like I'm missing some details, if you don't mind a few questions please...

What are you feeding including treats and supplements? How many birds in what size space... per enclosure?

You say they vaccinated... for what? Marek's or coccidiosis?

You also said the vet diagnosed the cat with Giardia... by the phone. Did they have a fecal float to confirm or how did they do this?

You mentioned Goldfeather farm.. so I looked at their website, and don't see an NPIP number listed anywhere...


Links to help... if you need to refrigerate the chick these are packaging instructions if you need to ship...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

I know you already got your lab # but once more...
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Hope you get this figured out.

Hang in there.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I would normally agree that a 1 week old chick is unlikely to succumb to coccidiosis. Normally it is more like 3 weeks. However, we don't have enough specifics to say for sure. With 7 day old chicks that have been raised in a dry brooder with fresh bedding and clean fixtures, there isn't likely to be any eimeria(the coccidia protozoa infecting chickens) oocysts to be consumed. The oocysts have to sporulate to become infective. Depending on the species, that can take less than 18 hours. Once that happens and more oocysts are shed in the feces and contaminate the bedding, in as little as 4 to 6 days in a warm moist environment, they pass through several generations and there could be millions of oocysts released in the chickens' droppings.
The OP has raised several batches of chicks. Were any of the younger chicks placed on some of the same bedding or the same brooder prior to complete disinfection? Did insects or rodents have access to the brooder? Was there a chance of contamination from clothing? Were the water founts and feeders sterilized between hatches? Were the chicks exactly 7 days old or could they have been 9, 10, 11 days old when they started dying?
Theoretically, if there were any oocysts present in the bedding, water or whatever, when the chicks came out of the incubator, they could have started the eimeria life cycle almost immediately.
Coccidia oocysts are spread on people's shoes, feet or bodies of wild birds, insects, rodents, equipment that hasn't been thoroughly cleaned, etc..

 

[Kiki]

There are people here on BYC with indoor brooded chicks less that 10 days old that have died from Coccidiosis. I believe @AlleysChicks is one of the many.
There is also another that had mail order chicks that started pooping blood almost immediately, the hatchery itself told her they were currently having a Coccidiosis problem.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The OP has raised several batches of chicks.

I understand and agree there could be more than meets they eye. Thank you for sharing (and reaffirming) details that could definitely have impact and I may not have considered.

I have seen newly hatched chicks take a drink directly from it's brood mates droppings. Do you know if they can sporulate after being ingested? And can the spores become infectious through inhalation? I see a lot of my chicks bury their beak in shavings while they are sleeping.

I apologize if my post didn't come out friendly enough to the OP! Sometimes questions come off like interrogation I realize... and it's really just my brain processing possibilities and trying to communicate effectively.

Hoping for the rest of you flocks to continue thriving with NO more loss, and some answers for you.

 

[AlleysChicks]

There are people here on BYC with indoor brooded chicks less that 10 days old that have died from Coccidiosis. I believe @AlleysChicks is one of the many.
There is also another that had mail order chicks that started pooping blood almost immediately, the hatchery itself told her they were currently having a Coccidiosis problem.

Yep, lost several a few days after hatch. No signs the night before but in the morning dead chicks and blood everywhere. It was awful!