Teen chicken lethargic and dying - no one else showing any signs

[Trish V]

I have about 55 teens (16 weeks old) mostly girls -- we came home two weeks ago to one dead under the coop. No sign of injury, no lethargy. Nothing. Just dead --

Three or four days later, another one was dead beside the steps (looked like it had fallen off the steps). Again, no sign of illness, no bloody poo, no lethargy - was fine 30 minutes prior. Now today, we fine one lethargic pullet. I pulled her from the group, started corid in their water (it is the absolute only thing that fit with the lethargy) and got her some of the water and some medicated feed. She hung on for a few hours, but it is clear she is not going to make it so we are going to cull to keep her from more suffering.

What in the world is happening? No one is showing anything. I see no signs of anything. We are doing the corid, we have cleaned the coops, moved the food to a new spotless location, we don't let them scratch the food constantly on their poo (we clean the food station regularly) they have clean water every day and they free range all day every day. I see nothing that ties the three incidents to each other, but I am worried at the same time. Also, it has been all female, none of the boys have had anything happen to them, and we have meat birds that were sharing a coop with them (in the brooder) and they are fine.

Could it be coincidence or am I missing something! Oh, I have checked for mites, lice, predators, etc. Nothing.

 

[sourland]

I think that the Corid is a good idea. Only thing that I can suggest is taking a sick bird for necropsy and disease diagnosis. Good luck at resolving this.

 

[Trish V]

Thank you! I did finally decide to dispatch as she was not improving and clearly suffering. I opened her up and her heart was tiny - I mean super
Small like the size of a dime. Otherwise totally fine in there (thankfully no tumors that I saw). We cleaned every coop, built one more coop to thin them even more and did the corid on all the teens. I’m watching them closely - we don’t even have a close vet but if we lose another I’ll call the Ag Dept.

 

[christwodog]

Possibly a toxin of some sort? Anyone spray for bugs nearby that you know of?
Fumes from something? The fact that they aren't really acting sick until they go down makes me think it could be a toxin.

 

[Eggcessive]

Your chickens are approaching maturity, and cockerels that age can be running around keeping things in an uproar. You said that they are getting out only every other day, so there could possibly be some bullying or keeping some from water or food. I think treating with Corid is worth trying. Dosage is 1.5 tsp of the powder or 2 tsp (10ml) of Corid liquid per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Afterward, some probiotics and vitamins for a few days would be a good idea. Look them over for mites and lice, and check the crops of any sick ones in early morning to make sure they are emptying normally. Sorry for your loss.