Help! Seemingly healthy chickens dropping dead!

[Katy]

Quick question for you.....in your first post you say

The birds are offered oyster shell in their feed a few times a week

are you giving them grit too? Unless they have access to a pretty sandy/gravelly area they really need a daily supply of grit.​

 

[Ravie]

No. They are not getting grit. I thought oyster shell and grit were the same thing.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
No, they're two entirely different things. Oyster shell is a source for calcium for laying hens. Grit is tiny peices of granite or just plain old sand that they eat and then acts as their "teeth" in their gizzard....the organ where their food is ground up. Without grit they have no way to break down any food other than crumble. The oyster shell does nothing to grind up their food....it dissolves.

 

[deserthens]

I had a Barred Rock die last week. Looked healthy until the evening before she died. Was standing alone in pen seemed to be limping with no signs of trauma, was under a year old. Found her dead in coop in the morning (still no sign of injury).The other Barred Rock hen I purchased with as chicks is fine and started to lay. Don't think she had started yet. So was thinking it was an internal disorder.

 

[mccaff mama hen]

Ravie, I live close to you (Knightstown)and just had the same thing happen today. I lost my Barnie girl out of the blue. I looked her over and nothing, no blood, no feathers missing and my husband even said she looked well fed too. I noticed yesterday when I was giving them some peanuts for treats her comb was looking a little pale and thought to myself I thought she was getting redder lately (she was just getting ready to lay). I saw her this morning and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, then she's gone. I'm worried about all the others as well. Hope you find out. I'm so sorry

 

[ivan3]

Add the grit and augment the diet with something like gamebird starter (30% protein). You might want to add heated waterer. Heat lamp shielded and aimed towards ceiling (indirect lighting regardless of spectrum seems to be less stressing). Since all three lost were EE's (pullets just past point of lay) I'd wonder about genetic component (stress + lineage).
Just some ideas, though necroscopy (even gross exam of internal organs at home can reveal any obvious problems - particularly with reproductive tract) is the only way to know for sure.

 

[Ravie]

Thank-you guys! You've given me some great suggestions. I will take some of them and see if we can figure out what's going on. I will let you guys know if I figure this out.

Afraid to wake up tomorrow. I don't want to find anymore dead girls.

 

[Jenifer72]

Quote:
Hope all is well for you today!!

 

[birdlover]

Any more dead chickens? Hoping the answer is no!!