Please help! 2 healthy pullets passed away out of nowhere

[Eggcessive]

Usually if you refrigerate the body in 2 plastic bags or keep the body cold not frozen in a cooler, you can transport the bodies M-F to the labs, or ship them overnight via Fedex. Some labs will email a shipping label for that. It is always less to take them in person. I and others do home necropsies, which are not as complete, since lab testing is sometimes needed. If you ever need to do a home necropsy, take pictures of the major organs (liver, intestines, oviduct, heart, etc,) and post pictures here. Here is a good video of a vet necropsy where organs are identified:

 

[Hloren]

Usually if you refrigerate the body in 2 plastic bags or keep the body cold not frozen in a cooler, you can transport the bodies M-F to the labs, or ship them overnight via Fedex. Some labs will email a shipping label for that. It is always less to take them in person. I and others do home necropsies, which are not as complete, since lab testing is sometimes needed. If you ever need to do a home necropsy, take pictures of the major organs (liver, intestines, oviduct, heart, etc,) and post pictures here. Here is a good video of a vet necropsy where organs are identified:

Thank you for the information!

 

[Hloren]

Sounds like a Crop Issue and perhaps something reproductive. (Fluid/Gas in the crop can cause respiratory distress in certain situations).

I'm sorry for your losses. If you lose another, then having a necropsy will give you the best information.

I thought it was sour crop at first but that doesn’t kill them that fast?
All the videos I watched on it said 24 hour food/ water fast before starting meds.

 

[Hloren]

I meant from a live bird as it may show something they had.

I will try that thank you.

 

[Debbie292d]

I will try that thank you.

You're right they don't die suddenly from a crop issue, especially not two or three of them within a week.

I suspect coccidiosis or something else silent with few symptoms, like worms. I'm at a loss as you should be seeing more symptoms I'd think. Are any looking or feeling skinny or underweight? No strange poop? No bubbles in anyone's eyes?

The deaths with silkies we have around here with no symptoms were mostly being hit in the head, either self inflicted in one case, or pecked in the head in two others. When we find a perfectly fine silkie laying in the yard or breeding pen, dead, we have to assume it got pecked in the head. It's like two a year out of 50 some. There was another with symptoms of liver disease (per vet) that we put down.

 

[PopoMyers]

I've had birds just drop dead with no prior symptoms. Sudden death syndrome. It's sadly part of raising chickens.

 

[Hloren]

I've had birds just drop dead with no prior symptoms. Sudden death syndrome. It's sadly part of raising chickens.

Sudden death syndrome is common is larger breeds not silkies.

 

[Hloren]

You're right they don't die suddenly from a crop issue, especially not two or three of them within a week.

I suspect coccidiosis or something else silent with few symptoms, like worms. I'm at a loss as you should be seeing more symptoms I'd think. Are any looking or feeling skinny or underweight? No strange poop? No bubbles in anyone's eyes?

The deaths with silkies we have around here with no symptoms were mostly being hit in the head, either self inflicted in one case, or pecked in the head in two others. When we find a perfectly fine silkie laying in the yard or breeding pen, dead, we have to assume it got pecked in the head. It's like two a year out of 50 some. There was another with symptoms of liver disease (per vet) that we put down.

I had a silkie that arrived from the breeder with cocidious. It was very obvious what she had. The yellow watery poop, lethargy, tail down, not wanting to eat or drink. I was able to keep her alive with tube feeding for 2 months. I’ve also dealt with wet & dry fowl pox during the summer so I’m aware of those symptoms as well.

I don’t think that’s what these birds had, unless there’s different types of cocidious that presents in a different way.

They were perfect the night before. No eye issues, eating/ drinking/ walking around/ being lively. Everyone is fat, they get 20% layer feed plus scratch with mealworm. Unlimited oyster shells and grit. They were all treated with ivermectin 4 weeks ago, so can’t be worms?

I have not observed any fighting since it’s been 3 months since I’ve added any new ones and they’ve established their pecking order. The 2 birds were part of “different groups” in the coop as well. The silkie slept with the young birds on the coop floor and the polish on the top bar with the older birds.

Polish was laying and the silkie was not. I checked both for a “lump” in case of being egg bound but did not feel any.

I’ve become somewhat paranoid due to dealing with all these illnesses and check on my birds constantly to see if there’s any weird behavior. This is why I keep thinking they’re getting too cold at night, not sure what else would cause them to die this fast out of nowhere.

 

[Debbie292d]

I had a silkie that arrived from the breeder with cocidious. It was very obvious what she had. The yellow watery poop, lethargy, tail down, not wanting to eat or drink. I was able to keep her alive with tube feeding for 2 months. I’ve also dealt with wet & dry fowl pox during the summer so I’m aware of those symptoms as well.

I don’t think that’s what these birds had, unless there’s different types of cocidious that presents in a different way.

They were perfect the night before. No eye issues, eating/ drinking/ walking around/ being lively. Everyone is fat, they get 20% layer feed plus scratch with mealworm. Unlimited oyster shells and grit. They were all treated with ivermectin 4 weeks ago, so can’t be worms?

I have not observed any fighting since it’s been 3 months since I’ve added any new ones and they’ve established their pecking order. The 2 birds were part of “different groups” in the coop as well. The silkie slept with the young birds on the coop floor and the polish on the top bar with the older birds.

Polish was laying and the silkie was not. I checked both for a “lump” in case of being egg bound but did not feel any.

I’ve become somewhat paranoid due to dealing with all these illnesses and check on my birds constantly to see if there’s any weird behavior. This is why I keep thinking they’re getting too cold at night, not sure what else would cause them to die this fast out of nowhere.

Ivermectin isn't used anymore for treating worms as its effectiveness has diminished and not considered a dewormer by most here. That's not saying it didn't kill the roundworms had that been what they had, but you can't be sure. Ivermectin for chickens is mostly used to treat SLM (scaly leg mites).

How cold are they in your coop? We keep ours at 40°F, but I know they can take it colder than that, as they're outside at 20°F with zero issues.

If you want to try deworm them with something that'll for sure work, most use:

Safeguard (fenbendazole)
Either the Liquid Goat Wormer or the Equine Paste, both 10%. Dosage is 0.23 ml per pound of body weight, given orally (undiluted) for 5 days. That will treat roundworms, cecal worms, gape worms, and capillary/thread worms. There is a 14-day egg withdrawal.

If they are molting, you shouldn't use the Safeguard, but instead can use Valbazen/Albendazole. Dosage is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I thought it was sour crop at first but that doesn’t kill them that fast?
All the videos I watched on it said 24 hour food/ water fast before starting meds.

Everyone is fat, they get 20% layer feed plus scratch with mealworm. Unlimited oyster shells and grit. They were all treated with ivermectin 4 weeks ago, so can’t be worms?

I always provide food/water during waking hours. A "fast" is not really necessary when treating crop issues and could cause dehydration and weakness.

Birds can be sick for a while before ever showing symptoms, they are pretty good at hiding things. Sour Crop won't kill them overnight, but it can fester for a long time before it gets bad enough for some birds to exhibit distress.

You mention everyone is Fat. If your hens are overweight, this can lead to disease like Fatty Liver Disease or excess fat around the organs which in turn can cause various symptoms. Without necropsy, it's just a shot in the dark at trying to figure out the cause.

I'd consider giving mealworms and/or scratch sparingly a few times a week if you are currently giving those daily. Mealworms are a great source of protein and calcium too, but are quite high in fat. Scratch is like a treat.

Ivermectin may still help eliminate Roundworms, but it's lost some of its effectiveness. Using Fenbendazole or Albendazole to treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworms would work better.