Is there a Contagion that slowly kills?!

[amunk01]

Flock info: All birds have been dewormed with Wazine 3x in the last 3 months, EquineGold 2x, dusted for lice 3x in the past 2 months. All given probiotics in water and ACV daily. Supplement with scrambled eggs, and scratch here and there especially when it's cold. Currently Feeding a 50/50 mix of 16%layer pellet and 20%grower crumble (because its what I have and needed to use before it gets old)
Ok, 2 days ago I had a ~8month non-laying Barred Rock pullet die. Sent to Ag dept, waiting for results. History: She started limping, I assumed from flying off the roost. Brought her indoors to a quarantine kennel to heal. Eating/drinking good, poops normal, balance fine, not puffed up or anything. Tried to reintroduce after 5 days, but still barely limping and now being bullied/hiding so I brought her back in. Fast forward 4 days, I notice she is breathing with her mouth slightly open when I put the birds to bed. I knew that was a bad sign. Dead in the morning.
Yesterday, I brought in my Favorite Orpington rooster because he's been acting aloof, and he looked a little puffed up with a pale waddle. The last three weeks he's been hanging out alone, away from the flock. I thought this was because, Honestly, I kicked him when he jumped at my 2yr old. I started acting "dominant" around my boys consistently so I thought maybe I knocked him off his high horse or something. Plus an up-an-coming jerk rooster basically took over the flock around this time. This entire time he was eating, scratching around, drinking: All normal, poops normal, just doing this on the outskirts of the main flock and the jerk rooster. He did have lice several weeks ago, but I searched extensively 4 days ago and found none on him except a few eggs in his beard so i redusted the entire flock for the 3rd time.
Yesterday, i brought him in and I gave him 1ml of Nutridrench orally. Eating/drinking in his cage fine after that. His waddle was definitely pale. I noticed at bedtime he was cracking his mouth to breath, and just knew he'd be dead this morning.. Sure enough, he's gone.. Im totally heartbroken. I adored that bird. And I'm completely freaked out. Now I have a young frizzle that has been in the cage below him that is acting weird like death weird! Basically wings spread, totally lethargic, and poopy.. and this bird has never even gone outside! Ugh.. The frizzle was fine yesterday! I am super careful about cross-contamination. I bleach cages, feeders/waterers get washed with soap/disinfectant. I Dont touch sick birds or their areas without washing my hands. What the heck is going on?!
I'm so worried more birds are gonna die.. what am I missing?! What kills like this? I know what respiratory illness looks like.. this isn't it. No bubbles, snotty noise, raspy breathing etc. I don't know what's happening but im scared..

 

[Welshies]

How big is your coop? How many birds do you have? What bedding do you use?

 

[amunk01]

How big is your coop? How many birds do you have? What bedding do you use?

My coop is 9'x9'. I have 19 birds. They free range from sun up to sun down on an acre. Bedding is mostly pine shavings, tiny bit of straw that's been knocked out of the nesting boxes...

 

[Welshies]

My coop is 9'x9'. I have 19 birds. They free range from sun up to sun down on an acre. Bedding is mostly pine shavings, tiny bit of straw that's been knocked out of the nesting boxes...

Hmm.... overcrowding can be an issue but your birds sound like they have a dream coop. I'm sorry, I don't know how to help. Best of luck.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks could be a possible problem, but only a necropsy on a dead bird can diagnose it. It can cause many different symptoms, many times paralysis of one or both legs or wings, imbalance, lowered resistance to common diseases, and failure to thrive.

Coccidiosis is much more common, and can cause weakness, lethargy, reluctance to eat, standing around puffed up, runny poops with either mucus or blood, and ruffled feathers.

Sometimes you just need to check crops for impaction or sour crop, look at their skin around the vents and elsewhere for mites or lice, watch to see if they are eating and drinking, and look at unusual poops. If another dies, contact your state vet to get a necropsy, and refrigerate the corpse. Sorry for your loss.

 

[amunk01]

Thanks @Welshies! The coop is large, but I definitely need to scoop out the bedding it's been at least a week, but it's so dang cold! Lol I looked up ammonia build up symptoms but they don't match. Plus i have a large part of the front door just screen so I know it's ventilated well. Im just grasping at straws at this point..

Mareks could be a possible problem, but only a necropsy on a dead bird can diagnose it. It can cause many different symptoms, many times paralysis of one or both legs or wings, imbalance, lowered resistance to common diseases, and failure to thrive.

Coccidiosis is much more common, and can cause weakness, lethargy, reluctance to eat, standing around puffed up, runny poops with either mucus or blood, and ruffled feathers.

Sometimes you just need to check crops for impaction or sour crop, look at their skin around the vents and elsewhere for mites or lice, watch to see if they are eating and drinking, and look at unusual poops. If another dies, contact your state vet to get a necropsy, and refrigerate the corpse. Sorry for your loss.

Ok just read up on Mareks. Its a possibility but i dont see any definitive symptoms. It's such a mutant virus it basically manifests in dozens of ways as nd can only be diagnosed postmortem. I guess I'll find out when the lab gets back to me. I sent the barred rock off so maybe I'll get some answers with her. But they are closed til Tuesday with the holidays so my rooster that died today and the frizzle that I'm sure will die within a few hours probably will be too old by then. I'll refrigerate just in case.

My frizzle that's dying was treated for Coccidia (Corid) over a week ago but had shown a complete recovery. That bird is young (13wks), and I only took it outside 1 time to take pictures! Otherwise it's been separated since I got it. I did let it scratch around for a bit in the side yard, but All the other birds are at least 7 months and have shown no Cocci symptoms, ever.
I checked both the now dead birds crops before they passed. And did a full body eval. I didnt find anything weird except my Roo had maybe a dozen nits on his throat, and seemed underweight.