Crusty Skin, Whole Flock Died - unknown cause

[MomofEleven]

Hello. I wonder if someone can help me solve the mystery of my flock's demise.


We live in FL, we keep leghorns. We had 9 hens, and a rooster (all about 10-12 months old). We still have the rooster, but all of the hens died, one after the other over 4 - 6 weeks. They presented with very few symptoms, in fact we didn't notice anything like lethargy, or changes to habits or fecal matter, and at first thought this to be a random death. (I had just delivered twins, so it was nearly impossible for me to really check carefully, but my older kids who keep these chickens made reports and investigations.)

I have included a picture of the only known symptom: crusty shiny skin.
After the first death, we treated all the birds with DE, and their night coop. (We keep two coops, a daytime portable coop, and a night roost that will keep out predators.) We don't use any bedding, just keep mucking and washing regularly.

 

[swampfox440]

What are you feeding them ?

 

[Chicalina]

that looks like a bird who is lying on a hard surface/floor at night not roosting properly. Or the roosts are too wide.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I have included a picture of the only known symptom: crusty shiny skin.

De is drying to the skin.. and an irritant to the respiratory system.

Get a necropsy if you lose another... or dispatch the rooster and send him in to get answers..
State poultry labs

Sorry for your losses..

There's too little detail to late to really help determine a true cause.

Do they have roosts? What is fed including treats and supplements?

With the rooster being the only survivor.. I would consider the others to have been reproductive issues.. or somehow related.. but no bodies means no clues unfortunately.

Sorry again for your awful experience.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Agree with Chicalina that the 'wounds' appear to be from excessively laying on their chest. I don't believe it to be the cause of death.
I'm assuming that a professional (or do it yourself) necropsy is out of the question. Without a professional necropsy, we can only offer educated guesses.
So here's some possible culprits:
I'm a little concerned at the 'very pink' looking skin, it makes me wonder if they didn't get into poison, specifically rat poison. Rat poison causes the blood to run thin to the point that it won't coagulate, it would account for the excessively pink skin. You've also mentioned that you use a portable tractor type of housing in the daytime, moving them regularly (I'm assuming). Is it possible that their 'pasture' has been sprayed with fertilizer, weed killer or other poisonous (to chickens) substance?
I am so very sorry for your loss and hope that you are able to discover what killed your flock.

 

[MomofEleven]

What are you feeding them ?

that looks like a bird who is lying on a hard surface/floor at night not roosting properly. Or the roosts are too wide.

Get a necropsy if you lose another... or dispatch the rooster and send him in to get answers..
State poultry labs

Do they have roosts? What is fed including treats and supplements?

With the rooster being the only survivor.. I would consider the others to have been reproductive issues.. or somehow related.. but no bodies means no clues unfortunately.

Thank you for the answers. I kinda thought I would never solve this one. The hens laid right up until death. They all died in the night coop, which has a concrete floor and 1" round roosts, we never saw any laying on the floor though... it also had nesting boxes with a bit of hay. The pasture could have had a poisonous plant... possibly. Im not familiar with what is poisonous to chickens, and the plant life here in FL is foreign to me (Im a New England transplant). We move them about once a day, but keep them in a set area of the yard. By the time they come back to the first spot, it has regrown grass and weeds.
We feed them a standard organic layer feed from Tractor Supply. We offer vegetable scraps from time to time, and mealworms from time to time. Is it possible the feed went bad? We do keep it out in a shed, and I have wondered if it might grow mold?

I think I will dispatch the rooster and send for a necropsy. I tried to contact my Co Extension office but it's a mess since COVID. Will try the above link.

 

[LaFleche]

This was my first thought. The rooster will have survived as he would not eat much if at all of the layer feed.

Before dispatching the rooster I would send some of the feed in.