Randomly dying chickens

[Clmirabilio92]

Hi all. This is the second chicken I've had to this when I come to check on them. They both were fine and showed absolutely no sighs of being sick or anything wrong with them. Then all of a sudden they are falling over onto their side, almost like foaming out of their mouths, and then all of a sudden go limp and die. I'm so worried it's going to happen to all of them. But they die at different times. Weeks apart. Please if someone has any ideas as to why. I'm heartbroken. They seemed totally healthy and beautiful girls to me.

 

[SmiYa0126]

I'm so sorry! How old is she? Have you checked their crops at night and in the morning? Can they access anything poisonous?

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive please help?

 

[Clmirabilio92]

I'm so sorry! How old is she? Have you checked their crops at night and in the morning? Can they access anything poisonous?

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive please help?

I believe they were 4 months old. Her and her sister. Her sister seems fine. But one of my older chickens died the same way a few weeks ago. They are always in the many bushes in the area, and they sometimes go into an old barn I'm fixing up. That's why I wasn't sure if they are eating anything like metal pieces or glass. And just choking? I will look into sour crop and check their crops daily.

 

[SmiYa0126]

The salivating makes me think poisoning

 

[WoDia]

I’m so sorry for your losses. I hope the rest of your flock is doing okay.

 

[Clmirabilio92]

The salivating makes me think poisoning

I get their water from my near by creek. It's always running 24/7. Could that be hurting them in any way?

 

[SmiYa0126]

Sometimes chickens drink poopy water rather then the fresh water we give them. You could test the creek water over a couple of different days and different times to see if anything sticks out, but it's hard to say.

Side note, when we were looking at homes, when we had a septic inspection, we found out that the overflow from the septic tank went directly into the creek , for DECADES....there were kids playing in the creek when we drove to the house..

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I get their water from my near by creek. It's always running 24/7. Could that be hurting them in any way?

I'm sorry about your losses.

Hard to know what's causing the deaths without necropsy. If you happen to still have the body, then it would be a good idea to send the carcass to your state lab for testing. This will give you a report of their findings. If not possible this time, if you lose another, then consider sending it in.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Can you give them water from a different source? What water do you drink, does it come from a well or municipal water source? I'd consider trying changing the water to see if this corrects the issues.

It's not uncommon for the contents of the crop to spill out upon death. I can't say I've ever seen it be foamy like that.
Do check to make sure that their crops are emptying overnight. Make sure your feed is in date and not moldy. Provide oyster shell and grit free choice.

 

[Clmirabilio92]

I'm sorry about your losses.

Hard to know what's causing the deaths without necropsy. If you happen to still have the body, then it would be a good idea to send the carcass to your state lab for testing. This will give you a report of their findings. If not possible this time, if you lose another, then consider sending it in.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Can you give them water from a different source? What water do you drink, does it come from a well or municipal water source? I'd consider trying changing the water to see if this corrects the issues.

It's not uncommon for the contents of the crop to spill out upon death. I can't say I've ever seen it be foamy like that.
Do check to make sure that their crops are emptying overnight. Make sure your feed is in date and not moldy. Provide oyster shell and grit free choice.

We have a well that we get all of our water from at the houses. I emptied, cleaned and put the house water into their water buckets, then dug out amd changed any moldy pieces of food I can find in the food buckets. Hopefully that helps. First I lose birds to predators and now the predators haven't been around too much and I'm losing them to other things.

 

[coach723]

If you are finding mold in feed I would dispose of the entire container and replace with fresh. If you find it in one spot then it's likely that it's all contaminated. Feed spoilage is fairly common, and can kill them quickly. It's best to buy in small amounts that you will use up within a few weeks at most, the longer it's stored the more likely it is to spoil, or deteriorate nutritionally. If your feeders are susceptible to getting wet, the feed can spoil in them.
If you lose another bird, I highly recommend you be prepared to have a necropsy done. That is absolutely the best way to know what's going on.