Help! Seemingly healthy chickens dropping dead!

[birdlover]

I agree with Cynthia! Take your latest dead bird and have it necropsied. That's the only way to tell for sure. I'm just wondering...if they haven't been let out for weeks, how much space do they have? Could be in crowded conditions for long periods of time cause death by stress? I don't know. I'm just asking. Also, you said they are given fresh water from the same source three or four times a day. They do have water available at all times, right? Have you listened to their chests to see if there's any wheezing? I hope you solve the mystery soon. I know how frustrated and sad this must make you feel!!!

 

[rcentner]

With that many dying a necropsy on atleast one should be done. If you have the heart, you can do research and do it yourself.
I had one die last week that was healthy..food in the crop, no signs of illness. I didnt do a necropsy, but did a full exam and noted a hard mass in the abdomen and a prolapsed vent. I can assume it was a problem with an egg or some other sort of blockage. I may thaw her out and do a necropsy tomorrow at work since I am bringing her in for the pet cemetary to pick her up. (too frozen too bury here). I have been lucky and she was the only one that has passed. The reason I have decided so late to do a necropsy is cause I found a mass of roundworms on the poop board this morning and wonder if that's what the hard mass was (idk if worms can cause a blockage). Stupid me has not dewormed my birds since before the last hatch in october.

Please post whatever findings you get, if you cannot do the necropsy yourself then send one off to be done. I would hate to see you lose your flock 1 by 1 if it's something you can fix.

 

[Judy]

Doing a necropsy yourself has its limitations. You can't test for diseases or do any sort of chemical analysis. I'd go with the state lab in this case.

 

[oldchickenlady]

Quote:
I agree with birdlover...are they crowded into too little a space? A coop should have 4 square feet per bird (an that is minimum). Since they haven't been let out for a while and they are picking each other, perhaps it could be stress. To check for lice or mites push the feathers apart and see if you see any tiny specks that move on their skin or feathers. I also agree about taking one to the state poultry lab to see what they can find.

 

[spish]

have you ever wormed your flock? it could be that if you havent.... it was a mistake i made with my first chickens, had them from day olds...got them to laying age...had never wormed then around 6 months they started dying off (i lost 14 in the space of 3 weeks)

 

[Katy]

Quote:
That was the first thing that I thought too. People sometimes seem to forget if your chickens go from free-ranging to locked in a coop their source of grit is gone........especially if there is snow cover and they can't scratch in the dirt to find their grit.

 

[Ravie]

I have never wormed my flock. I will try that.

The water freezes a couple times a day, so I go out and break the ice and bring them fresh. This happens 2-3 times daily as needed.

The coop is 10x12. It also has a large hanging platform which provides more floor space and a spot to roost.

The coop has a dirt floor so they can get some grit there. They are also offered some a few times a week.

 

[birdlover]

Math is definitely NOT my strength so somebody else figure it out. According to my calculations, she had 25 birds and 4 have died. That leaves 21 birds in a 10 x 12 coop. How many sq. ft. per bird is that?

 

[Jenifer72]

Quote:
I'm horrible at figuring also....sounds small for that many to me though. Perhaps some of them are keeping others back from eating and drinking? Do they ever run out of food before you feed them...could some never make it up to get food and drinks before it runs out and then when they are fed again it all starts over and they are left out?

 

[Ravie]

With 25 birds, each had 4.8 sq feet. They also have the hanging platform which is another 16 sq ft of space to move around on.