unsymptomatic deaths

[seminolewind]

I've just had 2 hens die in 2 weeks with no symptoms whatsoever. They laid eggs right up till the day before they died. They were wormed, de loused a month ago. Their crop was fairly full normal at bedtime. They live with 13 other hens, and free range. I just don't understand. Anyone?

 

[WallTenters]

Breed, age? Major weather changes?

Best guess is they got into something :/ Try keeping the birds in a few days and make sure your feed smells and tastes sweet, not at all dusty/possibly moldy. Sadly this time of year some feeds are the leftover old from last year getting sold as the new comes in and more animals get sick from bad feed around this time of year than any other.

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks. These each came a day after being in the pen/coop for 2 days because of my job. My feed is fresh. The breeds were Salmon Faverolle and an EE.

With hot weather, can they look fine at night and die during the night?

 

[Leslieb118]

Aw, I'm really sorry to hear you lost two of your girls. I have no idea what could've caused it, though. It would seem that it would be something environmental maybe, like heat or maybe they got into something. It's just hard to believe that two could just suddenly drop dead with no sign of illness whatsoever.

Back in late June and early July we had that really bad heat wave where temps got to be well over 100 degrees. I wasn't sure my flock could handle it, but they did. I don't know the temps in Florida right now, but surely can't be anything that the girls couldn't handle, especially night time temps. That's just my opinion, though.

I wish I could be more help to you. You've been very helpful to me the past several months. I just don't have answers.

So sorry!

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks, Leslie. The temps her are around 90 all summer, cooler at night. Very humid. I guess it could be weather, but those 2 never looked heat stressed, and they are in shade all day.

 

[seminolewind]

Those 2 hens would have been way down the list for looking ill.
I will be getting a necropsy if I lose another one. I have the cooler, the paperwork, and ice packs.

 

[Leslieb118]

I'd do the same thing if I were you. It just doesn't seem like it could really be hot enough to cause that kind of stress in 2 chickens at the same time. I don't know though. It's been in the 90s here off and on, but cooling off now. Nowhere near as humid here in KY though, but still, my girls and boys handled it really well. I would've expected something to happen to them back during the heat wave if anything like that was going to happen. I hope you don't have anything else happen to any more of them. I don't guess any of them are really panting or anything? Showing any kind of signs of being uncomfortable?

 

[seminolewind]

Those two never looked uncomfortable. I have a few others that I dunk in water if they pant too fast, or I make a large puddle on the ground that they stand in.
This one really has me stumped, Leslie.

 

[Leslieb118]

Back in July I had a rooster that I had hatched out in March. We were out of town and my son was chicken sitting. He called me and said that roo was dead, on the ground with some of his feathers plucked off his back. I posted here from my phone wondering what in the world it could be. I thought maybe he just dropped dead from the heat and the others were pecking/plucking him. He was a very large for his age roo. Consensus was that it was possible that something got into the run. Problem was, there was no blood, no marks, no injuries and it was very fresh. Before then, and until this day I've never had anything get into the run. I still don't know what happened to him. After my little frizzle roo died from Mareks I would've liked to have had a necropsy done on that other one, but my son disposed of him right away. That still wouldn't have explained the bald patch on his back.

I know how it is to feel stumped, for sure! I just can't think of anything that would take 2 in one night, even heat.

 

[seminolewind]

These 2 hens died a week apart.

If your one roo died from Marek's, I would think that the other one did as well. He could have wasted away, died, and was plucked by others.

My older Marek's birds wasted. These 2 hens were unsymptomatic, good weight, and laid eggs.
I also had a hen about 6 weeks ago that was hiding in a corner, and brought her into a nice cool house, and gave her a daily penicillin shot, she got better and went back outside. I was actually thinking dehydration because of the amount of water she drank the next day.