No Eggs All Summer, Every New Rooster Dies?

[CynazarGoldens]

Hello all,
I hope you can help me here. I don't know what is going on with my chickens!

I have about a dozen and a half hens that vary between 1 year and 4 years old. They have all been doing fine for the past years, each laying an egg every 1 to 2 days. This year when Spring rolled around I was expecting to see an increase in production, however, come mid-Spring the eggs just STOPPED. I figured it was the weather and that they would start again in a few weeks, but it's now OCTOBER and I haven't seen one egg or shell, nor have I heard any of the normal 'hen laying' sounds at all.

A month or so after the hens stopped laying, their two roosters (my favorite Blue Laced Red Wyandotte boys that I've been so proud of) turned up dead one morning without any warning. I thought maybe they had stopped breeding them and that they may have been the problem, so I grabbed my strongest rooster from the rooster-only coop and put him in. Not a month later he turned up dead. I thought that was a very strange coincidence. I put two new roosters in this time, (my beyond beautiful Blue Polish and Splash Polish boys that I drove to ANOTHER STATE to pick up) and sure enough, almost a month later they were dead on the ground one morning, too. I've become numb - I feel so upset when I look at the chickens because basically all of my favorite roosters are dead. I haven't dared to put another rooster in for fear of him dying, too.

The dead birds had no damage to them at all. They looked like they just fell over and died. I don't know what is going on???
Thanks for any advice,
Jen

 

[ten chicks]

Hello all,
I hope you can help me here. I don't know what is going on with my chickens!

I have about a dozen and a half hens that vary between 1 year and 4 years old. They have all been doing fine for the past years, each laying an egg every 1 to 2 days. This year when Spring rolled around I was expecting to see an increase in production, however, come mid-Spring the eggs just STOPPED. I figured it was the weather and that they would start again in a few weeks, but it's now OCTOBER and I haven't seen one egg or shell, nor have I heard any of the normal 'hen laying' sounds at all.

A month or so after the hens stopped laying, their two roosters (my favorite Blue Laced Red Wyandotte boys that I've been so proud of) turned up dead one morning without any warning. I thought maybe they had stopped breeding them and that they may have been the problem, so I grabbed my strongest rooster from the rooster-only coop and put him in. Not a month later he turned up dead. I thought that was a very strange coincidence. I put two new roosters in this time, (my beyond beautiful Blue Polish and Splash Polish boys that I drove to ANOTHER STATE to pick up) and sure enough, almost a month later they were dead on the ground one morning, too. I've become numb - I feel so upset when I look at the chickens because basically all of my favorite roosters are dead. I haven't dared to put another rooster in for fear of him dying, too.

The dead birds had no damage to them at all. They looked like they just fell over and died. I don't know what is going on???
Thanks for any advice,
Jen

Hello all,
I hope you can help me here. I don't know what is going on with my chickens!

I have about a dozen and a half hens that vary between 1 year and 4 years old. They have all been doing fine for the past years, each laying an egg every 1 to 2 days. This year when Spring rolled around I was expecting to see an increase in production, however, come mid-Spring the eggs just STOPPED. I figured it was the weather and that they would start again in a few weeks, but it's now OCTOBER and I haven't seen one egg or shell, nor have I heard any of the normal 'hen laying' sounds at all.

A month or so after the hens stopped laying, their two roosters (my favorite Blue Laced Red Wyandotte boys that I've been so proud of) turned up dead one morning without any warning. I thought maybe they had stopped breeding them and that they may have been the problem, so I grabbed my strongest rooster from the rooster-only coop and put him in. Not a month later he turned up dead. I thought that was a very strange coincidence. I put two new roosters in this time, (my beyond beautiful Blue Polish and Splash Polish boys that I drove to ANOTHER STATE to pick up) and sure enough, almost a month later they were dead on the ground one morning, too. I've become numb - I feel so upset when I look at the chickens because basically all of my favorite roosters are dead. I haven't dared to put another rooster in for fear of him dying, too.

The dead birds had no damage to them at all. They looked like they just fell over and died. I don't know what is going on???
Thanks for any advice,
Jen

Something is definitely wrong. Next bird that dies get a necropsy done,you need to find out what is going on. Hens not laying could be anything from depression to an infection. Do they have enough calcium in diet? Your hens have no symptoms of anything?

 

[Eggcessive]

Just a thought, but adding new chickens to a flock may expose the others to a new strain of coccidiosis that they are not immune to. I would consider treating with Corid/amprollium for 5-7 days. Symptoms are lethargy, lying puffed up, ruffled feathers, and diarrhea(sometimes bloody.) Worming with Valbazen may also help.

 

[ten chicks]

Eggcessive,cocci crossed my mind too,but it is just the roosters and they are not new additions to the flock. it appears to be possibly something that is being transmitted from hen to rooster during mating,as all the roosters end up dead. Possibly the hens are immune to whatever it is,but it is affecting their egg laying.

 

[ten chicks]

Check all chickens over carefully for mites/lice,check base of tail feathers,around vent area and under wings. Use a flashlight at night and look in coop,nest boxes,walls,etc.

What is the time frame between placing roosters in coop and their deaths?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I agree to check for mites/lice. Also fowl cholera and E. Coli septicemia can cause dead birds with no sign of disease from what I have read. I don't know what the problem is...sorry for your losses.

I believe you should send one for necropsy as ten chicks suggested.

 

[CynazarGoldens]

Check all chickens over carefully for mites/lice,check base of tail feathers,around vent area and under wings. Use a flashlight at night and look in coop,nest boxes,walls,etc.

What is the time frame between placing roosters in coop and their deaths?

The roosters died about 3 weeks after I put them in.

Eggcessive,cocci crossed my mind too,but it is just the roosters and they are not new additions to the flock. it appears to be possibly something that is being transmitted from hen to rooster during mating,as all the roosters end up dead. Possibly the hens are immune to whatever it is,but it is affecting their egg laying.

That crossed my mind, but what diseases could be transmitted through mating and then kill the roosters without any symptoms?

Just a thought, but adding new chickens to a flock may expose the others to a new strain of coccidiosis that they are not immune to. I would consider treating with Corid/amprollium for 5-7 days. Symptoms are lethargy, lying puffed up, ruffled feathers, and diarrhea(sometimes bloody.) Worming with Valbazen may also help.

The roosters and hens are all a mix of different orders over the past 4 years. The last new chicks I introduced was last year. Over the winter they all stayed in the barn together, and when it finally warmed up outside I separated the hens and most of the roosters. After the two roosters died I just took more from the rooster coop.

Something is definitely wrong. Next bird that dies get a necropsy done,you need to find out what is going on. Hens not laying could be anything from depression to an infection. Do they have enough calcium in diet? Your hens have no symptoms of anything?

Necropsy sounds costly? Does the local vet do that?
When they were laying we were supplementing them with calcium. They're eating the Agway Layer feed which I heard (from BYC) was an excellent food.
The birds have no symptoms of anything, the only strange thing I noticed was the feathers on their backs. During the winter they were together with many roosters, so their feathers ended up being pulled out. That's why I separated them - I even said, "Oh good, now they'll have a chance to grow all their back-feathers back since there won't be so many roosters to pull them out." Even after they were alone for months their back feathers are still missing. I found that odd. They have enough sqft per hen, and they don't seem to be picking on each other or aggressive. They all look pretty happy? Just no eggs, and no rooster.

Thanks everyone for your advice,
Jen