Hen's Dying

[scawthon74]

Since we started with chickens around 3 month ago, we have(as of today) we have lost3 hens. They have all passed in the exact same manner. They were all just fine running around eating/foraging, and taking dust baths. Then suddenly they start agonal breathing and then not long after, they just like down and pass. Can anyone give me any idea of what is happening?

 

[Fishkeeper]

Where did you get them?
Have you seen any other signs of disease?
Is it possible they're ingesting some sort of toxin?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sorry for your loss.

I suggest a necropsy to find out exactly what is going on since you describe it as a repeat performance...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hens-dying.1258775/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

 

[Celeste Cannon]

https://morningchores.com/chicken-diseases/

I would check this out to know whats going on

 

[scawthon74]

Where did you get them?
Have you seen any other signs of disease?
Is it possible they're ingesting some sort of toxin?

Where: from 2 different individual. The first 2 lost were from one person and the 3rd from another.

We have not seen any indication of any disease.

Toxin: I dont know of anything toxic they could be ingesting.

 

[scawthon74]

Sorry for your loss.

I suggest a necropsy to find out exactly what is going on since you describe it as a repeat performance...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hens-dying.1258775/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

I had planned to take the latest one down for necropsy, but due to heat and my wife being unable to get her in to the cooler, she laid in the heat too long and decomp had already started to the point I was not putting her in any cooler we have. I do know where I have to take them for that, as I am a deputy coroner and the state lab for livestock and poultry is in the building across the street from the state crime lab.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Since we started with chickens around 3 month ago, we have(as of today) we have lost3 hens. They have all passed in the exact same manner. They were all just fine running around eating/foraging, and taking dust baths. Then suddenly they start agonal breathing and then not long after, they just like down and pass. Can anyone give me any idea of what is happening?

I'm sorry for your loss.
I agree that getting a necropsy is the way to find out the cause of death.

Can you give us a little more information, we may be able to give you some suggestions.
How old are they?
What type of food/treats do you feed?

How quickly do they die once you notice the respiratory distress?

Any chance they have gotten into anything moldy (including feed/scratch), poison/lawn fertilizer/weed killer or dead (animal/maggots)?
No obvious signs of mucous, watery eyes, facial swelling, etc.?

What type of bedding do you use in your coop/run - have you added any mulch, cut grass, etc.?

Sorry for all the questions, but there can be so many things that affect chickens from environment to disease sometimes it's a process of elimination unless you can have testing.

Check their crops to see if they are empty in the morning. Look them over for lice/mites. Your state lab likely will perform fecal float and gram stain, so if possible, take some stool samples in for testing.