Terrible, awful day. Almost all of my chickens dead. ***Update***

[turbodog]

Very, very sorry about your loss! It sounds like you are taking every step to determine the source. Good luck on finding out what happened and, like others have said, keep us in the loop on what you find out.

 

[1muttsfan]

So sorry about your sad loss! SteveH lost almost his entire flock this spring to a swarm of buffalo gnats, all on one sad day. Please let us know what you find out.

 

[CatDaddyAlbert]

Sorry about your experience. No one really knows how this makes you and your husband feel.

I am going to subscribe to this post because I would like to find out what you find out about the feed.

I wished I could find a post that talked about mold in feed and how quickly it acts.

Also wondering if the feed you get comes in bags with waxed liners or plastic. My question is at the feed place where you got the bags of feed was something spilled on them? If it were a clear liquid it might not stain. If something spilled on a bag it would highly concentrated.

Take care, and again, no one really knows.

 

[chkn]

Could you have had a swarm of Buffalo gnats. I'm not sure if it's the right time of year there or even if you've had problems with them out in Texas.

 

[RGBistro]

So, so sorry for your loss. Looking forward to hearing about those test results.

- Kim

 

[Suzie]

That is so terrible to happen to you - I can't see clearly through my tears to write this to you - that must be the ultimate nightmare for any one of us - my thoughts are with you at such an awful time for you and your family... I can't say any more.... they had great life with you and for that you will at some time in the future have some consolation that they were your babies.

Suzie

 

[cyanne]

Disappointing results from A&M. I guess I was expecting that a big vet school would have fancy tests and equipment to figure out what killed our chickens. Instead I got a call from a good-ol-boy type who said he 'figured it was due to the heat.' I asked what tests he did to come to that conclusion...his response? 'Because it's hot outside.'

The chicken I sent wasn't fresh enough to give a lot of info, despite having been refridgerated over the weekend until the vet school was open. And as for the feed, he said he smelled it and couldn't smell anything unusual. Smell? Really...? I was expecting that they would be running it through tests in a lab. I could have smelled it myself.

I asked about lab tests on the feed, but he said each test for each possible toxin would be $60 and there were hundreds of possible things they could test for. That's a little more than I am able to spend.

He said it would be a waste of money since they were 'just chickens' and it was probably due to the heat anyway since chickens tend to pile up on top of each other when it is hot and then die from the heat. Never mind that these are not 'just chickens' to me, I have NEVER seen them pile up on each other when they are hot. No, they sprad out, seek out shade, and hold their wings out away from their body to cool off. Not to mention, they weren't 'piled up' when I found them, they were scattered all over the floor of the coop around the feeders.

He also said he thought it was a combination of heat and lack of ventilation...I was like, no, my coop is well ventilated. Its a big 12 by 24ft wood barn with a vaulted roof. There are vents all over the place and a whirly-gig vent on top to draw out hot air. Also, the pop door was open leading to the run outside where they could have easily walked out to cool off. Thought it was presumptuous of him to say it was bad ventilation when he didn't even know what my coop was like. Also, his idea that the chickens piled up on each other is kinda weird since they were scattered all over when I found them, but the broodies were sitting crammed practically on top of each other (like they LOVE to do) and they were still alive and well.

Anyway, I guess this means we will never know what really happened. Either the feed was bad, or maybe something spooked them and got them stressed enough that they were overtaken by the heat...who knows. But, since I haven't lost anymore birds despite the temps being just as high or higher, and the only change I've made is giving them a different brand of feed I think I will play it safe and not ever buy the other stuff again.

 

[fargosmom]

This is just terrible. I can't even begin to imagine your pain, but I'm so sorry. Have you thought about testing the feed with some lab mice or rats? Awful as it sounds, if you went to a pet store and got some rodents and fed it to them, and they died, and perhaps keep a "control" mouse fed something else just for good measure, it might provide some insight you could take back to the feed store or the manufacturer. What a nightmare. Hang in there.

 

[ReikiStar]

OMG...what a response. I'm really sorry you're no closer to knowing what happened to your dear birds and that you had to deal with that compassion-less oaf.

 

[chicmom]

I am so sorry this happened. I just lost one of my little Polish hens yesterday, and I am so sad.....So sorry you're experiencing that sadness only for an entire flock! I don't know what happened to my little Polish gal either. She was just....gone without a trace. I'm assuming she's been taken by a predator.

Take care,
Sharon