I am sick of this....NEEEEEED HELLLLLPPP please

[orangesplash]

Please i need help. i am on the verge of tears. there is something wrong somewhere that i havent figured out.

why on earth does the following happen? :-
1- my 1.5 to 3 months old different ages of chicks are perfectly fine and in the morning they are found dead.
2-there is no sign of diseases whatsoever.
3- my adult chickens 7-8 months old, just die one fine day... again no sign of illness.

my own thoughts--im a newbie and want to know where i am right and wrong?
i feel there has once been chickens here with merek's disease and thats why these sudden deaths take place... AM I RIGHT???

the chickens(adults and chicks) have all been vaccinated-ND-IB new castle and infectious bronchitis, still i get these mortalities.

the temperatures here go to a maximum of 110 degree farenheit.

is it because its very hot here??
i have installed a fan here also. i give them spinach, watermelon everything... i am on the verge of crying... please help me.

 

[Zinjifrah]

110 is very, very hot for a chicken. What are you doing to help cool them off? It's around 105 F here, and I put out tubs of ice laced with electrolytes for them to peck at and lay next to, to help cool them off. I also have a sprinkler running on half of the run several times a day, to keep the ground there moist and help lower the temperature. A large area of the run is covered to provide shade, and multiple sources of water, again with vitamins and electrolytes in them. No treats, though, other than a few mealworms once a day and the ice, just their starter/grower crumble freely available at all times.

If they're being kept inside a coop, then the temperature is probably quite a bit warmer than 110 F inside, unless you have an AC unit instead of just a fan. A fan moves air, but if the air is hot, it's just moving hot air.

I need to go get some sleep, but with more information on how you're combating the heat, I'm sure someone else can help you better than I can.

 

[rebrascora]

the chickens(adults and chicks) have all been vaccinated-ND-IB new castle and infectious bronchitis, still i get these mortalities.

I'm assuming you mean MD and not ND? The vaccine will only be effective if it is administered in vitro or day old chicks and has several weeks to build up in the immune system before the chicks are exposed to the Marek's virus, so you need to practice very strict biosecurity during that period to prevent any infected material being carried on your clothes shoes hair and skin from any external birds that might be carrying the disease or poultry housing that could be harbouring it.

That said, I think your temperatures may be causing the deaths you are seeing since you are not seeing any symptoms in any of the chicks. Whilst some Marek's deaths can be sudden without symptoms, it would be unusual for you to have several deaths to it and not see at least some symptoms in at least one bird before death. Some photos of your set up may help us understand what is going on.

It would also be worth considering sending a carcass off for necropsy when you are losing more than one bird.

The other thing to consider with deaths of young birds is coccidiosis and often it does not show up as blood in faeces. Are you using medicated feed? There have been a few cases of protozoa infections recently reported here on BYC which have not responded to standard coccidiosis treatment and if I remember correctly, at least one was in a hot desert type climate, so not the usual warm damp conditions that cocci thrive in.

 

[orangesplash]

Sir, i will post the pictures in a few hours. its a hot summer afternoon here in Peshawar, Pakistan. the moment, it gets a little cooler, i'll go out there and take photos.

I'm assuming you mean MD and not ND? The vaccine will only be effective if it is administered in vitro or day old chicks and has several weeks to build up in the immune system before the chicks are exposed to the Marek's virus, so you need to practice very strict biosecurity during that period to prevent any infected material being carried on your clothes shoes hair and skin from any external birds that might be carrying the disease or poultry housing that could be harbouring it.

That said, I think your temperatures may be causing the deaths you are seeing since you are not seeing any symptoms in any of the chicks. Whilst some Marek's deaths can be sudden without symptoms, it would be unusual for you to have several deaths to it and not see at least some symptoms in at least one bird before death. Some photos of your set up may help us understand what is going on.

It would also be worth considering sending a carcass off for necropsy when you are losing more than one bird.

The other thing to consider with deaths of young birds is coccidiosis and often it does not show up as blood in faeces. Are you using medicated feed? There have been a few cases of protozoa infections recently reported here on BYC which have not responded to standard coccidiosis treatment and if I remember correctly, at least one was in a hot desert type climate, so not the usual warm damp conditions that cocci thrive in.

 

[dawg53]

Please i need help. i am on the verge of tears. there is something wrong somewhere that i havent figured out.

why on earth does the following happen? :-
1- my 1.5 to 3 months old different ages of chicks are perfectly fine and in the morning they are found dead.
2-there is no sign of diseases whatsoever.
3- my adult chickens 7-8 months old, just die one fine day... again no sign of illness.

my own thoughts--im a newbie and want to know where i am right and wrong?
i feel there has once been chickens here with merek's disease and thats why these sudden deaths take place... AM I RIGHT???

the chickens(adults and chicks) have all been vaccinated-ND-IB new castle and infectious bronchitis, still i get these mortalities.

the temperatures here go to a maximum of 110 degree farenheit.

is it because its very hot here??
i have installed a fan here also. i give them spinach, watermelon everything... i am on the verge of crying... please help me.

I hope the instructions for administering the ND-IB vaccine were followed to the letter. ND is a killer and reportable disease here in our country.
https://www.drugs.com/vet/avipro-nd-ib-sohol.html

 

[casportpony]

I am very sorry for your losses. can you contact the university and talk to someone there? Maybe they can help you arrange to have a necropsy (animal autopsy) done.
http://www.uvas.edu.pk/facility/u-d-l/index.htm

 

[Mrs. Light Sussex]

My guess would be coccidiosis especially if they are kept in the same place with adult fowl.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Sounds like the leading causes are:

1) Sudden death due to overheating
2) Coccidiosis

There needs to be a lot more air movement at 110 degrees; open windows, doors, more fans, cold water. Chicks should be on medicated feed to keep coccidia under control.

 

[orangesplash]

i am very grateful for the detailed answer.

for starters, i only have a fan and no that means i am only allowing them go get hot air. there is also an exhaust and the place is all covered with net on two side for air flow-i will post pictures so you can judge what exactly is going on... but you are right about the temperature being on the higher side and ofcourse i am not helping them out this way...
i only have water in pottery bowls and no metal utensils.

can i use regular Oral Rehydration Salts that we use for adults and children?

110 is very, very hot for a chicken. What are you doing to help cool them off? It's around 105 F here, and I put out tubs of ice laced with electrolytes for them to peck at and lay next to, to help cool them off. I also have a sprinkler running on half of the run several times a day, to keep the ground there moist and help lower the temperature. A large area of the run is covered to provide shade, and multiple sources of water, again with vitamins and electrolytes in them. No treats, though, other than a few mealworms once a day and the ice, just their starter/grower crumble freely available at all times.

If they're being kept inside a coop, then the temperature is probably quite a bit warmer than 110 F inside, unless you have an AC unit instead of just a fan. A fan moves air, but if the air is hot, it's just moving hot air.

I need to go get some sleep, but with more information on how you're combating the heat, I'm sure someone else can help you better than I can.

 

[orangesplash]

should i give prophylactic medications for coccidosis? if so what would you recommend please?

Sounds like the leading causes are:

1) Sudden death due to overheating
2) Coccidiosis

There needs to be a lot more air movement at 110 degrees; open windows, doors, more fans, cold water. Chicks should be on medicated feed to keep coccidia under control.