Sudden deaths

[ElaineC]

Hi, everyone! I'm new to this forum, but have lived on a farm all my life and have had a small flock of 7 (now 5)chickens and 3 guineas for three years now. Up until last week everyone was happy and healthy. When I went to give fresh water one afternoon, a black sex link hen was dead, and the next day a red sex link had died. They did not appear sick at all beforehand. We didn't change anything with the feed. Every day they get a mix of sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and white millet, along with their continual supply of pellets. They get fresh water 2-3 times/day, and are in an enclosed 10x30 foot run, which is partially covered so they have some shade. In the evenings we try to let them out to eat grass and bugs. I've talked to several people, and no one can give me a clue as to what happened. We took away their grains as well as their nightly jaunt outside, and now I feel like I'm punishing them. There is a sour cherry tree near their pen. If they would have eaten some leaves would that have done it? They also love to peck around under the weeping pussy willow tree, but have been doing that for months with no problems. We clean out their pen every week and use straw as bedding as well as in the run to keep them out of the mud when it rains. Any ideas as to what caused these deaths? (Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to give as much information as possible.) Thanks for any and all help!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

diagnosis charts at bottom list fowl cholera as one of the possible "sudden death, no signs of illness" reasons. But I have had no experience with this, and there are obviously many other potential causes.

Mites and worms can take chickens down. Everybody getting thin or any diarrhea?

I would treat the coop with permethrin spray or something like that, and retreat in one week in case it is red mite (the one that lives in the crevices of the coop) as you would never know they were being eaten alive at night. If they live in the enclosed run and there are no crevices for mites, then maybe delouse them with poultry dust and repeat in one week in case they have some mites.

My chickens had mites and I found them on ME and I never did see them on the hens.

 

[liz9910]

I'm sorry to hear about your chickens.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi and welcome to BYC from northern Michigan

You might want to post in the injuries and diseases section

 

[ponyup]

I am so sorry for your loss. Could it be they were old? I do not know how old you are or how long you had them but it may have been just their time to go. Sounds like you cared very much for them and I will bet they know they were loved.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and from Ohio. So glad to have you aboard. I was told that cherry tree leaves are bad for lambs but I don't know about with chickens. Good luck.

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Sorry to her about your losses.

 

[greymane]

Sorry for your loss. Glad to have you with us.

 

[ElaineC]

I thought about mites and/or worms, but that only leads to more questions. I had gotten Wormguard Plus Broad Spectrum for Poultry about 6-8 months ago, and when we added it to their food, I started getting 2-3 eggs per week that had soft shells, so we stopped it. That rarely happened before or since -- possible cause or coincidence?

The hens are only three years old, and from what I've read 7 years is more the norm for a lifespan.

Also, they have been nice, heavy birds. Nice feathers, good weight, clean bottoms (so diarrhea doesn't seem likely).

We had also gotten dust for them for mites, but I'm not sure what to put it in for them to dust themselves. Any recommendations?

Thank you so much to everyone for your help.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I thought about mites and/or worms, but that only leads to more questions. I had gotten Wormguard Plus Broad Spectrum for Poultry about 6-8 months ago, and when we added it to their food, I started getting 2-3 eggs per week that had soft shells, so we stopped it. That rarely happened before or since -- possible cause or coincidence?

The hens are only three years old, and from what I've read 7 years is more the norm for a lifespan.

Also, they have been nice, heavy birds. Nice feathers, good weight, clean bottoms (so diarrhea doesn't seem likely).

We had also gotten dust for them for mites, but I'm not sure what to put it in for them to dust themselves. Any recommendations?

Thank you so much to everyone for your help.

I just looked up WormGuard and it appears to use DE as a wormer. DE is added to feed as a dessicant sometimes, so I don't know why that would cause soft shells. Here:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps020
there are interesting charts at the bottom for soft shells

What I do for dusting is to line a cardboard box with a plastic bag, and place the poultry dust in a tied-off sock. I turn the chicken on its back inside the box, and powder puff all over, under wings, vent area, and everywhere except the face. Repeat every week until bugs gone. Coop needs spraying and bedding thrown out too (or bugs just don't go away). Repeat tossing bedding too and coop spray.

http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/pesticides.html

(I have never used WormGuard but if you really think you have a worm issue you might buy a chemical wormer.) Also some vets will do a fecal floatation test for worms for a small fee (false negatives possible).