Sudden Chicken Death Syndeome (SCDS)

[LaurenRitz]

Is it a crumble or pellet?

Do you feed any treats or scraps?

Scraps are what they get from the compost pile. The food is actually ground, not made into a pellet or crumble, I presume because it's cheaper to make that way.

Other than that, I'll give them meal worms once in a while.

 

[TwoCrows]

Interesting. I just went and did some research on that. She was just a little over six months old, but she did have a habit of laying shell-less eggs. There is calcium in their food and they also have free choice calcium in the run. They do free range, so definitely not a sedentary life, and no corn, but looking at the symptoms it's a very definite possibility.

Dying at 6 months old sounds like something genetic gone wrong. Things like fatty liver from diet would take a lot longer than 6 months to develop into illness and death. Shell-less eggs are worrisome, meaning something is malfunctioning in her egg laying machine. She could have been internally laying, (which would cause internal E.coli infections) or possibly infections in her oviduct from these shell-less eggs. Only a necropsy would tell you for sure. She could have died for many reasons. I am so sorry.

 

[LaurenRitz]

She could have been internally laying, (which would cause internally E.coli infections) or possibly infections in her oviduct from these shell-less eggs.

She stopped laying shell-less eggs probably a month ago. I was getting an egg a day from her until the last week. I assumed she was stressed because of the new cockerels.

 

[Kiki]

Scraps are what they get from the compost pile. The food is actually ground, not made into a pellet or crumble, I presume because it's cheaper to make that way.

Other than that, I'll give them meal worms once in a while.

Does the feed come with any nutritional analysis tag on the bag?

 

[Kiki]

She stopped laying shell-less eggs probably a month ago. I was getting an egg a day from her until the last week. I assumed she was stressed because of the new cockerels.

Shell less eggs are a sign something in the diet could be way off.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Does the feed come with any nutritional analysis tag on the bag?

Yeah. 16% protein, 2.5% fat, etc., etc.

 

[Kiki]

Just a guess but something worth noting:

"Likewise, feeding rancid fat can cause liver hemorrhage, again without fat accumulation."

I don't compost so I am unsure if there is rancid food in a compost pile or not.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...e/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome-in-poultry

 

[LaurenRitz]

Just a guess but something worth noting:

"Likewise, feeding rancid fat can cause liver hemorrhage, again without fat accumulation."

I don't compost so I am unsure if there is rancid food in a compost pile or not.

I don't eat meat very often, and there's not much in my diet that could go rancid. Usually rancidity is associated with high levels of fat that has been in a low or no oxygen environment, such as wrapping fat scraps in a plastic bag to throw them in the trash. Fatty meats, vegetable oils, etc., can go rancid.

A compost pile, even if used to dispose of meat and fat, is a highly aerated environment that doesn't lend itself well to rancidity.

 

[Kiki]

Just a guess but something worth noting:

"Likewise, feeding rancid fat can cause liver hemorrhage, again without fat accumulation."

I don't compost so I am unsure if there is rancid food in a compost pile or not.

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...e/fatty-liver-hemorrhagic-syndrome-in-poultry

Also worth noting...again totally guessing here about it being fatty liver.
"Fatty liver disorder also impairs calcium metabolism in the bird, thus affecting skeletal integrity and eggshell quality."


We can all guess til we are blue in the face.
Keep this link handy just in case.
Might be worth finding out what your state lab costs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...sease-testing-state-lab-website-info.1236884/

 

[LaurenRitz]

Also worth noting...again totally guessing here about it being fatty liver.
"Fatty liver disorder also impairs calcium metabolism in the bird, thus affecting skeletal integrity and eggshell quality."


We can all guess til we are blue in the face.
Keep this link handy just in case.
Might be worth finding out what your state lab costs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/➡-necropsy-and-disease-testing-state-lab-website-info.1236884/

A friend checked because she had a bunch of chicks spontaneously die. She was quoted $200 and she had to send the chicks refrigerated.

Not paying that. If another one dies I'll do a necropsy myself.