Dying Chickens!

[GoodLife1]

Hi, im new here & desperate for answers as to whats killing my chickens! Two young hens seemed healthy & normal up until 24 hours before their deaths about 3 weeks apart. One had previously been ill & laid some shelless eggs but had rallied & was well again ( although she never laid again). Untill their deaths the birds seemed in good health, no bloody poop etc. The other hen laid eggs until the day before she died. What would kill them so quickly? I feed them the best of everything & we have another 2 laying healthy hens. Unfortunately I didnt worm them from point of lay for about 3 months. When the first one died I was told to worm which was about 1 month before the second hen got sick. Could it be worms? I just dont want the same thing to happen to the others, my young son is Devestated! Any advice?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It is difficult to guess what killed a chicken without a necropsy. Sometimes they will show symptoms that may give a clue, but we may miss those. Not eating or lying around off to themselves can be clues to illness. The one that laid the shell less eggs could have had a reproductive disorder, such as internal laying. Some chickens can die of heart problems around the point of lay up to a year of age commonly. Egg binding, crop impaction, mites, and infectious diseases are common causes of death. Refrigerate the body, and contact your state vet if you lose another. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Abby32922]

Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe it's mareks, I would get them checked by a vet. So sorry 4 ur loss, God bless!

 

[GoodLife1]

Thankyou for your replies, I do appreciate it! Im really wondering if it could be a breeding problem- they were Isa Browns. I had 3 many years ago that suffered a similar fate, although they lasted 12 months. The 2 young hens I still have are Hyline Browns & I purchased from a reputable breeder & have had al vaccinations done, so I really hope these wont suffer the same fate. I just cant think what I could be doing wrong!