My Barred Rock and RIR died suddenly, please help

[coconutprincess]

Hello all,
my barred rock Henrietta died suddenly after 1-2 days of lethargy and after having just hatched 3 chicks a couple of weeks earlier. Eating drinking , pooping normally until then. no weight loss.
Then my RIR Ginger, about 3.5 years old had a few months of not "being herself" isolating from the flock, droopy comb, etc. however she perked up again and although she did not rejoin the flock, eating, drinking, pooping normal. not laying tho. then came home the other day and found her keeled over on her side as if she just dropped on the spot.
What do you think could have caused this? FYI they do free-range and I have considered maybe they ate something poison but for some reason doubt this.
are there common chicken diseases that cause lethargy and death in a fairly rapid fashion?

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Mareks will make them drop fast esp if your free ranging and they get it from a wild bird droppings

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chickens die, sometimes for no apparent reason, others get sick first. I generally don't worry unless they are dying quickly in numbers, and in a similar manner. Chickens can suffer from many of the same diseases and conditions we do, so I assume many die from things like organ failure, or heart attacks, and a few can pick up diseases from wild birds that they can't recover from.

Your first hen had the stress of hatching and raising chicks and your second had a reoccurring health problem. I generally see chickens die in blocks than nothing for months or even years.

If you are concerned you can get the dead birds tested and have a necropsy to try to determine the cause of death but many times it's inconclusive, and I wouldn't do it unless I'm losing more than a bird here and there.

Sorry.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

There are many conditions and illnesses which could cause death after several days of lethargy (which may have been longer as they free range, so you might not have noticed initial symptoms).

First thought...has it been particularly hot? Could it have been heat exhaustion?

Second thought...it was probably unrelated.
The Barred Rock's system would have been drawn down after brooding chicks. If you haven't wormed or treated for parasites, she may have been anemic. The brooding process may have drawn her reserves down too far so that she was overtaken by heat, or simply anemia.

The RIR at 3.5 years is an aging hen. Usually RIR, if you got it from a feed store, means Production Red. Those lines lay like crazy for about 2 years, then play out. They often succumb to internal cancers.

Liver disease is common culprit, so is heart failure.

Another possibility is a lurking coccidiosis. That can frequently cause several days of lethargy with quick death as the birds lose massive amounts of blood internally. Not all coccidiosis causes bloody droppings.

Most viruses and bacteria produce sniffling, goopy eyes, and rales, so I will not leap to those causes, although IB (Infectious Bronchitis) can present with little more than a mild sniffle and then hit the kidneys which is fatal.

Toxins usually produce a paralysis first. Aspergillis could be a culprit. Check the area for moldy food, plants, or any possible toxins.

But my initial thought is that it was unrelated or possibly a lurking coccidosis...but the chicks appear fine...so I'd do a de-worming and treat for external parasites. (Don't trust DE to do the job if that is what you have been using).

My thoughts
LofMc