Help, dying hens!

[Wooddogs3]

In the last two weeks I have lost three of my seven hens. First sign was that when I was using eggs, I started to see some with a clouded semi-opaque white, as if partially soft-boiled. Then, within 4 days of noticing this, three of the seven were found dead over a 48-hour period, no abnormal marks or colorations, butts intact, no injuries. I am of course worried about the remaining four. Any idea what this illness is?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. What symptoms did your hens have? Any symptoms of coccidiosis--lethargy, diarrhea, standing puffed up, poor appetite? I was unaware of cloudy egg whites being a symptom of any illness. Aparently there is none. Here is a thread about them--check post #5: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/9354/cloudy-around-the-yolk

 

[Wooddogs3]

That's the odd thing, they had no noticeable symptoms except, in the 24 hours before they died, they didn't compete as aggressively for food as usual. But by the time that they started to sit lethargically in one place, they would die within a couple of hours. Maybe the cloudy whites were a red herring, but they weren't just a little cloudy, they looked partially boiled. I have been keeping chickens and eating very fresh eggs for years and never saw anything like it.

 

[pwand]

Here is a thread that most chickens died suddenly, it sounded like the coop was sealed up tight and the birds died. A question was asked about the light having Teflon on it which will kill birds, that wasn't answered, so don't know. Just throwing this out there to look at.

So sorry you are going through this.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/846962/hypothermia/30#post_12663296

 

[Wooddogs3]

Thanks. Doesn't seem to apply to my situation because my coop is wide open and has no light, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness in trying to help me with this. I've decided that if another hen dies I am going to take her body to our ag school for testing, so that at least I know whether it's safe to bring new hens on the property.