Two Chicks Dead - One Lethargic

[RCCheshire]

This morning I went to let my chickens out. They free roam throught the day. I have three chicks approximately 10 weeks old. They stay in a separate hen house at night than the rest of the flock. Well today I went out and two of them were dead and the remaining chick was very lethargic, a bright red comb and eyes swollen. My first throught was the temperature but it barely got below 40 last night. I examined the rest of the flock and everyone else looks okay.

Does anyone know what could have happened and if the rest of my flock is in danger? My heart is broken as these are the first babies we have raised from day old. Please help if you have any information.

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: My husband thinks that they may have followed one of the workers into the shop and pecked on mouse poison. He is checking when he gets home.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm sure it wasn't temperature at 10 weeks.
How did the stool look?
My first thought is if they just recently started foraging they may have gotten too heavy of a dose of coccidia oocysts.
Your best bet would be to send one or both to the Mizzou poultry lab for necropsy and lab work. That way, you'll know how to treat the lethargic one and if your other birds are at risk.
29

Missouri

Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
University of Missouri
810 E. Campus Loop
Columbia, Missouri 65211-0001
Phone: 573-882-6811
IAV-A, CSF, ND, FMD, PRV, IAV-S*
30

Missouri

Missouri Department of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
701 North Miller Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65802-6460
Phone: 417-895-6861


If you call them, they'll send you a FedEx express mail label at their reduced corporate rate.
You don't even have to pay for the shipping till the necropsy bill comes to you.

 

[RCCheshire]

I'm sure it wasn't temperature at 10 weeks. How did the stool look? My first thought is if they just recently started foraging they may have gotten too heavy of a dose of coccidia oocysts. Your best bet would be to send one or both to the Mizzou poultry lab for necropsy and lab work. That way, you'll know how to treat the lethargic one and if your other birds are at risk.
[TR] [TD] 29 [/TD] [TD] Missouri [/TD] [TD] Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory University of Missouri 810 E. Campus Loop Columbia, Missouri 65211-0001 Phone: 573-882-6811 IAV-A, CSF, ND, FMD, PRV, IAV-S* [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] 30 [/TD] [TD] Missouri [/TD] [TD] Missouri Department of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory 701 North Miller Avenue Springfield, Missouri 65802-6460 Phone: 417-895-6861 [/TD] [/TR]
If you call them, they'll send you a FedEx express mail label at their reduced corporate rate. You don't even have to pay for the shipping till the necropsy bill comes to you.

Thank you! They have been foraging under supervision for a couple weeks. The last week we have left their run door open to go in and out as they please. I didn't spend much time with them yesterday and my husband let them out yesterday morning. We had a carpenter over doing some work in the backyard, but other than that it was a normal day for them. But the day before that everything was completely normal.