Chicks dying - unknown reason

[Iluveggers]

What are you feeding your birds, and how old are they?

 

[DatCampG]

I'm desperate. My chicks are dying. They are ranging from 17-20 weeks old. I have found 2 dead that were fine the day before and looked healthy. I have older ones and bigger ones, I suspect they are injuring the smaller ones. The deceasedxView attachment 2810474 turn the neck and head all the way to the back. Is it the heat, disease, virus??? Help!! I also noticed the flock in general isnt drinking enough wate

Awww. I'm so sorry.
It sounds like it is heat related.

 

[Enilcita28]

What are you feeding your birds, and how old are they?

Mixed ages, they range from 3, 2 and 1 years old and the youngest are around 20 weeks old. We feed them scratch and layers feed (crumbles). What happens is, the humidity is really and the corn specially molds VERY quickly.

 

[Enilcita28]

Awww. I'm so sorry.
It sounds like it is heat related.

It's my thought too and bullying.

 

[Enilcita28]

It's my thought too and bullying.

Does your feed look or smell off?

If the feed was bad you would likely have multiple birds sick/expiring all at once, not just one here and there.

Contact you FL state lab to see how to send a body in if you lose another. https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

The twisting of the neck can happen quickly - a few common causes of that in birds this age would be Marek's disease, possibly vitamin deficiency or trauma. But you have more than one that has exhibited similar symptoms - so I wouldn't necessarily mark it up to trauma since birds can be attacked in different ways.
Vitamin therapy may be helpful - look for a poultry vitamin that contains B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin E.

IF you do think the feed is a problem, then get rid of it and get a fresh bag. For that many birds with mixed ages, I would provide at least 2 feed stations and 2 water stations - more is often better. More aggressive older birds will often dominate stations and not allow others to eat/drink.

Thanks for the info, from all the info I don't think it's a disease or virus. I'm leaning more towards weather, bullying and moldy food. Corn molds very easy in humid climate. Two of the birds looked healthy and then the next day one appeared lethargic but was fine, then the other one was also completely fine the day before and the next day was almost dead when I found him, eventually both passed. The third bird I know it was sick, wasn't eating or drinking, I believe heat related, it was also the smallest.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

If you're having trouble with keeping the feed dry in the humidity, I recommend going to home depot or Lowe's and buying a few 5 gallon buckets with lids and store the feed in them. A 50lb bag fills 2 buckets for me. I used a butter knife to get the rubber seal out of the lids and wash them before use since they're dusty and who knows what could have been sprayed on them. Cocci is a bacterial infection like strep etc, coccidiosis is a parasitic infection that's treated with corid (amprolium) I'm sure that's what you meant just forwarding info as they are 2 different infections.

 

[Enilcita28]

If you're having trouble with keeping the feed dry in the humidity, I recommend going to home depot or Lowe's and buying a few 5 gallon buckets with lids and store the feed in them. A 50lb bag fills 2 buckets for me. I used a butter knife to get the rubber seal out of the lids and wash them before use since they're dusty and who knows what could have been sprayed on them. Cocci is a bacterial infection like strep etc, coccidiosis is a parasitic infection that's treated with corid (amprolium) I'm sure that's what you meant just forwarding info as they are 2 different infections.

I understand there's two different infections. We've dealt with coccidia and treated the birds for it and as of today we don't have any bloody stools, I do think the last batch of feed we bought wasn't good for them. We have a huge buckt where we store food, I may have bring it in the garage. Thanks for the reply

 

[Wyorp Rock]

humidity is really and the corn specially molds VERY quickly.

I'm leaning more towards weather, bullying and moldy food. Corn molds very easy in humid climate.

OK.
Is the food/corn getting moldy in storage or when it's put out (birds not cleaning up what is given)?

If getting moldy in storage, then I agree bring inside, keep the containers out of direct sun - they will sweat inside and feed can mold quickly. I've done that too!

Moldy feed can make them sick pretty quickly, so this may be your issue. Not sure why it's only affecting 1 here and there, I would expect a few at a time.
Could there be some feed or corn inside the coop/run that they are finding and eating (maybe it was washed to a corner when you had all that rain?)

I do understand. Feed can get moldy literally overnight here especially in summer.
Any feed that gets spilled on ground I shovel up.
I normally put out enough feed for all and take up feed cups/feeders at night to help deter rodents.