Dead 21 week old FBCM pullet

[Lesjr883]

Came home to a dead 21 week old FBCM pullet. No attack. No feathers missing. Just laying in the run dead. They were all good this morning when I went to work. It looks like she dug a hole and payed down in it and died. I know it is a long shot, but does anyone have an idea of why she would have died?

 

[Eggcessive]

You really cannot worry about Mareks since you did not get a necropsy. Many people lose birds around the time of maturity. It could have been any number of causes such as heart failure, an internal hemorrhage, or egg binding, and others. I would just look your chickens over often, and make sure that all are active, eating, and not acting sick. But if you lose another, especially if it is wasting away or having lameness, you should try to get a necropsy. The body must be refrigerated in a plastic bag, and shipped to your state vte lab after calling them for instructions. Sorry for your loss. Here is a good article that explains Mareks disease:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[rebrascora]

At that age Marek's disease is a distinct possibility. The disease can have a multitude of different symptoms but can also cause sudden death due to internal tumours with no previous sign of ill health. I was just commenting on another thread where the OP had lost a similar aged bird suddenly with no prior symptoms and they got a necropsy done and Marek's was diagnosed. That really is the only way to know for sure what the cause of death was. Marek's is an extremely common and very widespread disease and particularly affects adolescent chickens due to the surge of hormones as they reach sexual maturity.

 

[rebrascora]

This is the thread I was referring to.....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sudden-death.1279621/

 

[rebrascora]

It depends where you got them from? If you got them as chicks from a large hatchery then they would almost certainly be clear of it at that stage. Chicks from private breeders are much more likely to have been exposed to Marek's, birds from auctions and swaps are more of a risk still but the virus can be carried on your clothes, shoes or skin or hair from the feed store or a local show. It can even be carried on the wind or if your property had previously housed poultry, it could already have been on the property. It really is incredibly common and widespread.

 

[Wezdin]

The hole dug was probably dust bathing, but I don't know the cause of death, if you really want to know for sure I would send Ok to get a necropsy

 

[DobieLover]

Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine Poultry Research and Diagnostic Lab charges $65 for a necropsy for state residents. Is that an option for you to get an answer for cause of death?

 

[rebrascora]

I usually recommend using a good quality poultry vitamin supplement to support their immune system and a probiotic or fermented feed to support their digestive tract. Providing them with plenty of space and good nutrition is important. If it was Marek's, others are likely to have been exposed. Some may already be infected but others will be resistant. The virus will lie dormant in any infected bird(s) until an outbreak is triggered, usually by stress, and what stresses one bird may not stress another, so you do not always see a number of birds all symptomatic at once. It is not even possible to tell which birds are infected until they eventually show symptoms (or die) which can be weeks months or years down the line. Like the human cold sore virus, it is a Herpes Virus and it is not infectious during the dormant phase, but once a bird is symptomatic, it is actively shedding the virus and the main route of transmission is via inhalation of infected dander dust.
Of course it may be that your bird died of something else and unless you have other birds exhibit Marek's symptoms at some point in the future we will never know, but the above suggestions of vitamins and probiotics and keeping them as happy and stress free as possible are simple steps that can only benefit them even if it is not Marek's. There is no cure for the disease itself.... just good management.

 

[Lesjr883]

Thanks for the comments. I am new at this and have just started getting a couple eggs. My kids and wife have become very attached and when they die it is hard on them. Where would my birds picked up a virus like this? I have never had chickens before.

 

[Lesjr883]

What should I do with the rest of my birds. They are all 21 to 26 weeks old. Is there something I can do to keep any more from dying?