Please Help! Chickens dying and I don't know why!!

[kttodd]

Sounds like what is happening to mine. Do you know for sure if they dies from Marek's?

 

[Brads030]

I have been scouring the interent in search for answers when I came across this thread. Our own flock has the EXACT same thing, I think!!

Ours has been going on since Saturday (2-4-12). We noticed on Friday that one of the chickens were not "happy". He didn't seem to engage with the others and wouldn't jump back up into the chicken house on his own. The next morning, he and another chicken were extremely lathargic and not moving around alot. Within two hours, they have both laid down and died.

This is our background story:

Our flock consists of seven white leghorns that were born sometime in October 2011, and twenty-one chicken that were ordered from an online source at the end of October. That internet order included Plymouth Rocks, Brown Leghorns, White legorns and some "males shipped for warmth" and we do not know what breed they are, but they look and have grown alot like broilers. We have been planning on processing these seven "broilers" very soon. We just have been waiting to get the nerve. (This will be our first time). So, we were hoping that these two dying was just a fluke, like they had grown too big for their hearts to handle, and nothing else would happen to the rest of the flock. This was NOT the case...

Sunday morning when I let the flock out, another "broiler" was acting the same as the two the day before. Within a few minutes, he died, too. We had another "broiler", and now one of our Plymouth Rock hens acting a little funny, too. But after they started feeding and drank some water, they seemed fine the rest of the day.

This morning, I woke to one of the Plymouth Rock hens that had already died, and another "broiler" and rock acting extremley lathargic (who died a few hours later) and it looks like we might loose another rock. This will make the total up to seven dying mysteriously!

Other than the lethargy, there are no other signs of sickness. They are gaining weight properly. They are not overweight. Before these episodes, they are happy and healthy. No diarrhea, no runny nose or eyes, no labored or rattled breathing, no sneezing or vomiting. They just stand there with their tail and wings hanging low and their feathers poofed. They don't walk around and they don't eat or drink. They eventually sit down and later lay down to die. It is sad to watch this knowing there isn't any thing that I know to help them.

I started all of these chicken on a medicated baby chick crumble for the first two months. After Christmas, I changed their feed to an organic meatbird feed with about 22% protein. About three weeks ago we began feeding this feed once in the morning and allowing them to roam the property and free range. They get locked up in their house at night away from preditors. They have free choice of fresh water all day long.

The other thing that has changed at our small farm is we purchased two dairy goats (they are presently dry) two weeks ago. We do put everyone up in the same area each night. Everyone is cohabitating together just fine with no signs of stress or aggression. Everyone is also fed seperately and supervised.

The other consideration we have is we have not gotten around to a deworming regimen for the chickens since we began free ranging them during the day, yet. It has only been a few weeks and it is winter here in central North Carolina. It was recommended to us that we deworm our flock every three months. Our flock is currently about four months old.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what could be happening either "kttodd" or my chickens, I think we would both be very appreciative!

 

[mamatomany]

This is very intresting...exactly what is happening with my chickens. I had 15 originals (now 3 years old), got 12 RIR pullets and 2 roosters 6 months ago. I got an additonal 10 RIR pullets and 9 out of 10 of those are dead. Same thing...no labored breathing, no wheezing, no snots, no eye goo, no mites. Observations: they died sporatically over a 2 month time frame. On medicated feed, switched over to layer feed as they should have started laying here soon. Their combs never really came in well, their leg color is whitish. The ones that have died were very friendly. They have complete control of their necks just can't stand up. No splaying of their legs, just tucked under and fall over on their sides. My rooster who I found dead this morning - I gave 1 cc pro pen sq when I found him down. I inspected him well for any critters. I did notice he had a bout of diarrhea. Again, they were raised on med. chick starter from chicks. His comb was not as bright as his brothers, but I'm not sure how to proceed?

 

[RoyalFlock]

This my friends could be El Tonto, I've heard that chicken flocks in Dominican Republic get it and many people's chickens over there die for no reason. The people have to rebuild their flocks from scratch since El Tonto passes to every chicken...
Its harsh, my aunt had like 100 something chickens one summer and they were all gone the next because of El Tonto.

 

[mychickens98]

Well,
What are their symptoms?
Mine, they are still very sick and every 2-3 weeks one dies. I don't know how, but we had no choice, but to start with this antibiotic for chickens. It didn't help. Then we started with vitamins. It also didn't work.
Well first check if your chickens have lice, or mites and if their eyes have bubbles and if they are light, because my chickens are all lightweight and they haven't given eggs 8 months ( I have rhode island reds, which are especially good for laying eggs).
I mean I'm 14, and I really cant do anything about my flock, but I know from experience that if you feed your chickens a lot they don't seem to grow and they also don't gain weight. A friend of mine had three chickens and he held them on grass all day and to put them back in their pen he would just throw, less than a handful of seeds, AND THEY ARE STILL TWICE AS BIG AND HEAVY AS MINE!
If they find a mouse they will eat it and everyone knows that mice and rats carry diseases. ( I believe that's how mine got sick).
Well, do you keep their water clean and what kind of food do you feed them?

Hope this information helps!

PS Do you have any idea about my chickens?

 

[tornduff]

Well Glenda is now "breathing" which is defiantly Meraks. My belief is where you get your chickens from. Most chickens are from hatcheries which to me is no different than a puppy mill. I will probably start raising my own chicks. I've looked on Craigslist, and this site and googled for breeders. I have a hard time finding a breeder, but there are tons of hatcheries. Where I got my chickens back in August was from a chicken farm about one hour from me, thinking she was a breeder. I've learned that she has no rooster, only hens and she gets them from hatcheries. She has now changed her whole entire facility, which in my mind...she needed too. She also started just this year giving the meraks vaccine, which even then they can still get it. It just helps build their immune system. The vaccine is only god for 2 hours, so the first chick that gets it at one day old has the best immunity as to where the last chick given the vaccine has the lowest immunity to it.
It sucks that you invest so much time and money and they start dropping off one by one.

 

[x4livin]

Mine that are dropping one by one are "broilers" too..large white chickens about 3 mos old that were bought at tractor supply in Bowie Texas. Do you think it's maybe something that is spreading in the breed this year or from a particular supplyer or something? Exact same symptoms.

 

[sharebear29]

The "broilers" I assume are cornish rocks. If you do a search on those type of chickens - they aren't bred to live very long. My husband bought a few last year and I was devastated when I found out their life expectancy as all of my chickens are pets - not food.

Anyway...they are bred to grow to fast for their organs to sustain them.

The only other comment I have - is to check the coop for wasps. I had a rir die for no reason and there was a wasp nest in the top of the coop. Evidently, swollening wasps can kill them.

 

[x4livin]

Thank you, I will do that. I have noticed more red wasps lately around the area. These are only about 3 months old. Would they be expected to live more than 3 months? I know the poultry industry would have no problem with chickens living short periods if they were mature and they could turn a profit, but 3 mos is still kinda short(or maybe not, it's been 20 years since I have had chickens, things change) What "broiler" would live longer? I want to have them reproduce and be able to share with neighbors.

 

[gomezano]

i had six red pullet chickens that I bought a tractor supply which were laying eggs pretty well then I bought three more at a feed supply and also have a rooster about three weeks ago I notice one of the chickens couldn't stayed in the coop when I came close I noticed that she couldn't open her eyes very well and the looked weak two days later she was dead and since then three more have died and my rooster looks thinner and doesn't want to eat