What is happening! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[lovin my birds]

Okay so for two days straight I have comehome to a dead chicken.

What could be happening, I think they might have gotten worms.

Would this cause them to die? Neither where egg bound, or showing any signs of being sick, or not eating. Please please help! I cant afford to loose chickens. I know you all will be the best people to ask.

 

[Shannon33]

What is your weather like? Could it have been heat?

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
Have you checked for lice or mites?

 

[lovin my birds]

Temp is about 83 degrees, pretty high humidity. But they have plenty of shade and they have a big fan in the run and two small fans in the coop to keep them cool.

I have checked for mites and lice on both the dead birds and the rest of the flock. Absolutely no sign of them.

Can worms kill chickens?

 

[spiritdance]

If there are no other obvious symptoms, it could be the heat. Haven't you been having a heat wave (like we have here in NE Texas)? I nearly lost 3 of mine at one time because the silly hens tried piling into one nest box in the heat (with 4 others available - sometimes they are just stoooopid

). Luckily, I work from home so I can check on them frequently, and I was able to get them inside, cooled off, and rehydrated, but it was a close call. Do they have a source of water to stand in? Mine wade in a kiddie pool and cooling their legs off keeps their body temp down. Is there enough shade that they don't have to dogpile one another to get into it? Is the shade well ventilated?

ETA: sorry ... I was typing as you were. That temp isn't nearly as high as what we're experiencing. Are there any other symptoms at all?

ETA: Worms can kill chickens, but usually you would notice that the deceased bird was pretty thin, since they usually kill them by denying them nutrition - unless it's really bad gape worms, and you would have noticed them "gaping" before they died.

 

[lovin my birds]

Mine have a kiddie pool as well, actually two kiddie pools and a big water bucket so plenty of room for all of them. And they have a big tarp in there that measures around 6'x15' and they all fit in there comfortably not at all on top of each other. The fan I mentioned is blowing under the tarp so that it keeps it cool in there. I also have a sand pit that has coverage, a tree, that they play in all day. The sand is pretty much cover in every spot all day because it is a pit made around the tree, so it is always cool to the touch. I really dont think it is heat.

 

[lovin my birds]

What does it look like when they are gaping? Sorry I have never had this happen before so I dont know much about diseases, I have had chickens for 6 years now and never had anything go wrong.

 

[The Driver]

Quote:
X2!

 

[seminolewind]

Not knowing what is happening, I would start with some cocci med, and toss the feed. Those would be the most common.

 

[Babe77]

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I think it looks like yawning, but happens 3-4 times in succession