Entire flock of 50+ chickens became very weak in matter of few days.

[cavemanrich]

I just read

U_Stormcrow​

thorough analysis, and one other thing popped into my mind. ESPECIALLY SINCE YOUR BROODIES' ARE NOT AFFECTED. (they do not wander off)
Is it a possibility someone is poisoning your chickens purposely

 

[NiketP]

Thanks a lot

U_Stormcrow​

That message is extremely helpful. And thank you for taking the time to write.
I think Mycoplasma might be a possibility after reading what you wrote. I will read about it more.
Cavemanrich, now talking about poisoning. Help me a little here. So chickens which I raised indoors don't go far from the coop. Only older ones go far. So say older ones were poisoned somewhere else and they came back. Is it possible that other chickens that didn't eat poison maybe got sick being in contact with affected chickens?

 

[cavemanrich]

Only older ones go far.

I thought that all your chickens go far. So it is back to the Mycoplasma possibility.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks a lot

U_Stormcrow​

That message is extremely helpful. And thank you for taking the time to write.
I think Mycoplasma might be a possibility after reading what you wrote. I will read about it more.
Cavemanrich, now talking about poisoning. Help me a little here. So chickens which I raised indoors don't go far from the coop. Only older ones go far. So say older ones were poisoned somewhere else and they came back. Is it possible that other chickens that didn't eat poison maybe got sick being in contact with affected chickens?

I do suggest reading more, but I don't think its Mycoplasmosis. Far too many birds died, far too rapidly, and you are missing other symptoms which mark the disease. If your flock of 50 had 48 get sick, it took much more time for symptoms to progress, you got the lameness and joint swelling with the green diarrhea, then only had 5-8 actually die from it - THEN MS or MG would be my diagnosis from afar.

Potential poisoning (deliberate or accidental) in a food source would be my next focus - but not a case of something affecting your own feed bags, or it would have affected your ducks and broodies, too. If it were a water source, I suspect your ducks would have been first to succumb to it.

 

[Blue Raptor]

@MGG @EmmaRainboe

 

[NiketP]

Yes, I am going to look into accidental poisoning more. Cause many chickens don't go far from coop.
Also, I'll try to see if I can find any similar pattern in this time and the last time when I lost the flock.
I really appreciate the help, If I find the cause I might have a chance to start again.

 

[Danielpn]

H

Could they have gotten into something toxic on the property?
- I am not entirely sure. As I said they roam around so maybe?

Roaming around it could be as simple as antifreeze carelessly poured out onto the ground. I suggest confining them for several days, force fluids on the ones that have the best chance of recovery, and hope for the best.

 

[poultryprofessor]

I am not a veterinarian, but Newcastle Disease feels like a strong contender based on your description, your general location, and the mortality rate you are experiencing. You may know Newcastle disease as Ranikhet disease - same thing, different name.

Newcastle Disease (aka Ranikhet disease) affects chickens more severely than turkeys, and ducks can carry it without showing symptoms.

Signs/Symptoms:
Often, the first sign of infection with a virulent strain is sudden death. Other signs can include gaping, coughing, sneezing, weakness, depression, greenish diarrhea, swelling of the face, leg paralysis, and soft-shelled/shell-less eggs. Milder forms of the disease may just cause respiratory issues. Not all symptoms are seen with all strains.

Treatment:
Unfortunately, there is no treatment. You can try to prevent infection by vaccinating your chicks for the disease and taking biosecurity measures to reduce exposure. These measures would include keep birds on your property, preferably in an enclosed area where other birds won't come into contact with them.

How does it spread?
Spread is usually via the air (aerosol), or through birds eating contaminated feces. Transmission through the egg does not occur, however, young chicks can be exposed to virus that is on the egg shell resulting in the development of disease. Humans play a central role in the spread of the disease. The virus is also very resilient and can survive for long periods (up to 12 months) within feces and dust in a poultry house. As a result, as with most diseases, cutting corners during cleaning and disinfection can have disastrous results.



In the United States, we have veterinary diagnostic labs that will run testing on dead birds. I'm not sure what is available in your country, but I would look for veterinary diagnostic labs, veterinarians, or even universities in your country that will work with poultry to identify what you are dealing with. Samples (including whole carcasses) can be mailed if packed/stored properly, so you may be able to find somewhere you can't drive to, but you can ship to.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I am not a veterinarian, but Newcastle Disease feels like a strong contender based on your description, your general location, and the mortality rate you are experiencing. You may know Newcastle disease as Ranikhet disease - same thing, different name.

Newcastle Disease (aka Ranikhet disease) affects chickens more severely than turkeys, and ducks can carry it without showing symptoms.

Signs/Symptoms:
Often, the first sign of infection with a virulent strain is sudden death. Other signs can include gaping, coughing, sneezing, weakness, depression, greenish diarrhea, swelling of the face, leg paralysis, and soft-shelled/shell-less eggs. Milder forms of the disease may just cause respiratory issues. Not all symptoms are seen with all strains.

Treatment:
Unfortunately, there is no treatment. You can try to prevent infection by vaccinating your chicks for the disease and taking biosecurity measures to reduce exposure. These measures would include keep birds on your property, preferably in an enclosed area where other birds won't come into contact with them.

How does it spread?
Spread is usually via the air (aerosol), or through birds eating contaminated feces. Transmission through the egg does not occur, however, young chicks can be exposed to virus that is on the egg shell resulting in the development of disease. Humans play a central role in the spread of the disease. The virus is also very resilient and can survive for long periods (up to 12 months) within feces and dust in a poultry house. As a result, as with most diseases, cutting corners during cleaning and disinfection can have disastrous results.



In the United States, we have veterinary diagnostic labs that will run testing on dead birds. I'm not sure what is available in your country, but I would look for veterinary diagnostic labs, veterinarians, or even universities in your country that will work with poultry to identify what you are dealing with. Samples (including whole carcasses) can be mailed if packed/stored properly, so you may be able to find somewhere you can't drive to, but you can ship to.

Curious as to your source for symptoms - I've been relying on this - which didn't mention greenish diarrhea (one of the key symptoms offered by the original poster), and appeared to emphasize the neurological symptoms (twitching, paralysis) and swelling (not mentioned by the OP) - but several of us had mentioned vND, and India did have an outbreak that made the news in early 2020 - their version, vvND, is even worse than the version we in the States had in California.

Always happy to improve my resources.

 

[poultryprofessor]

Curious as to your source for symptoms - I've been relying on this - which didn't mention greenish diarrhea (one of the key symptoms offered by the original poster), and appeared to emphasize the neurological symptoms (twitching, paralysis) and swelling (not mentioned by the OP) - but several of us had mentioned vND, and India did have an outbreak that made the news in early 2020 - their version, vvND, is even worse than the version we in the States had in California.

Always happy to improve my resources.

That's not a bad source at all for general information. I'm surprised it doesn't mention greenish diarrhea because I've come across a lot of sources that do mention it, but it may be a strain-dependent symptom that isn't commonly seen in the US. It's hard to say.


I usually try to look at multiple sources, but the two that I usually turn to for disease information are MerckVetManual.com and PoultryDVM.com.

Their pages on Newcastle Disease:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...virus-infections/newcastle-disease-in-poultry
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/newcastle-disease

Newcastle also has a decent wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virulent_Newcastle_disease

And has an entry in USDA APHIS because it is a reportable disease here:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...erence-Guide/Poultry/Exotic-Newcastle-disease


Of course, it's impossible to say that these birds do or don't have Newcastle (or any other disease) without testing. Symptoms aren't always disease-specific and it can be hard to find somewhere that will do the testing needed. That's always the thing that frustrates me the most about poultry diseases.