We are wondering if anything toxic was used. The previous owners ran Wagyu cattle on the land so I can't imagine them using anything strong. We do get run off from our neighbors so I will ask if they are using anything on their crops. Our coop is and omlet coop- no wood used. Thank you for your insights.
I hope you find the answer and soon. Cattle are quite different from poultry as far as reactions to various plants and chemicals. Even horse and cattle are quite different as are goats. Run off is also definitely as possibility and good idea to check. Any chance there is something added to your water supply or your watering dishes?
We had the water tested and it is clean. No contaminants.
Just a thought....do you have crop spray planes around there? Here they fly nearly constantly regardless of the wind and drift which is of course illegal, but that doesn't stop them. We also have 605 ft tall wind turbines they fly between and there is nearly constant wind turbulence. Drift has killed many gardens and other small wildlife and insects here as well as the direct spraying.
Besides aerial crop sprays and previous land owners chemicals, do you by chance have any stray electricity? It happens and quite a lot actually. Around here there are several farms that have problems and the local electric coop knows it and admits it and this was even before the turbines which are well known for causing stray voltages. Because your pullets were fine for two weeks and then all suddenly died it sounds like either a serious and sudden exposure to an airborne toxin or electricity. It kills cows and on a lesser exposure reduces milk production in dairy cows and I would imagine something as small as a chicken would not tolerate much along the lines of increased voltage spikes.
I had not thought about crop planes. Let me check on that. We do not have wind turbines but we are at the top of a hill and we do have lots of wind.
The coop is near a power line. I had not thought of voltage spikes.
If your chickens literally died "at the same time" then it almost certainly has to be something environmental and sudden. Even eating the same toxic plants would unlikely cause death at the same time. If there were variances of even an hour or two , maybe less, then it's more likely it is a toxin either plant or from drift from a spray, etc. I'm not sure who you can get to test your ground for the stray voltages but you may find it helpful. It's possible even just your home electricity box and the pole transformer can be monitored, I've forgotten what all I had learned back when I was researching this.
