Whole flock gone

[azygous]

Have you disposed of the bodies yet? It would be instructive to see a photo of how you found them.

A predator would panic the chickens. You would find them all over the place, even out in the run, especially with the door still open.

If you've disposed of the bodies, I'm afraid any further discussion will just be guessing since there are no clues to develop. Also, a body could be sent to a lab for a necropsy and cause of death would probably be discovered.

Food toxins kill, but will not kill every chicken at exactly the same time.

 

[Tonyroo]

Have you done a thorough physical examination on your dead birds? It should give you a direction of there demise or at least a hint of the problem.

 

[Kwdfunnyfarm]

Do you have weasels in your area?

I don't believe so. How would I be able to identify a weasel attack? Like some predators leave behind the beaks and feet, and some take the heads, and some drag them off to other areas... we used to let them free range a couple years ago but we lost several to what we presumed as a bobcat... during the day time, killed a xl large rooster and had a different feeding site... but that is when we put them back in the coop/run. Then hawks started attacking so we completely enclosed it all. And at the bottom of the run is garden fencing for deers, hoping to keep snakes out.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

They had stopped laying for several months, so we added in black sunflower oil seeds, all stock sweet feed, and catfish food pellets. Within 2 days they started laying again. This was a little over a week ago. My thought initially is if it were poison, then wouldn't they be scattered through out the run and the coop?..and they all died the same afternoon... any thoughts?

They were all on one side of the coop and it was the strangest thing.

They weren't piled up but they definitely were not scattered. To be honest it looks as if someone went in there lined them up and executed them... does that make sense?

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Hard to know what happened. For all to die at the same time it's very strange.

Since you are in TX, you have access to very good state lab facilities.
Refrigerate the bodies (all of them if possible) and call your lab to have a necropsy/diagnostics. Calling and speaking with a person is going to get you some help with shipping labels (unless you live near one of the labs). They will likely want some samplings of the foodstuffs as well, but they can tell you what they need.
@Kiki can you give the info for TX labs?

 

[Kwdfunnyfarm]

Have you disposed of the bodies yet? It would be instructive to see a photo of how you found them.

A predator would panic the chickens. You would find them all over the place, even out in the run, especially with the door still open.

If you've disposed of the bodies, I'm afraid any further discussion will just be guessing since there are no clues to develop. Also, a body could be sent to a lab for a necropsy and cause of death would probably be discovered.

Food toxins kill, but will not kill every chicken at exactly the same time.

No we have not disposed of them yet and considered calling the county animal agent. I will try to get a photo.

So if we don't think it was a predator because they weren't scattered, there was no loss of feathers, blood, missing body parts. If it wasn't food toxins- which is what I thought it would be the catfish food- because again they're all in one place and all within hours of each other. No heat lamps, no exhaust.... we live on almost 20 acres with a locked gate and the coop is at the back half of our property. So surely someone didn't come and poison our flock...

 

[azygous]

Is your coop and run located right next to a street or road? If so, an old, badly maintained vehicle could have been idling nect to the open coop and gassed the chickens.

Another possibility is if your city sprayed for mosquitoes right at the time the chickens died.

I've had plenty of predator attacks, the most recent being a bear getting into the coop. Believe me, chickens do not sit calmly in a neat row when a predator enters a coop where they are all roosting. In my case, every single chicken fled as the bear entered the coop through a broken window and none were killed or injured.

 

[Kwdfunnyfarm]

I'm very sorry for your loss.

Hard to know what happened. For all to die at the same time it's very strange.

Since you are in TX, you have access to very good state lab facilities.
Refrigerate the bodies (all of them if possible) and call your lab to have a necropsy/diagnostics. Calling and speaking with a person is going to get you some help with shipping labels (unless you live near one of the labs). They will likely want some samplings of the foodstuffs as well, but they can tell you what they need.
@Kiki can you give the info for TX labs?

I do not have room in my freezer and my husband is very much wanting to just dispose of them, deep clean the coop/run and start fresh. He immediately gathered all eggs ans put them in the incubator... I on the other hand want to know what happened.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If it wasn't food toxins- which is what I thought it would be the catfish food- because again they're all in one place and all within hours of each other.

Was the Catfish food moldy or rancid?

You mention within hours of each other - did you find some that were still alive at the time you discovered the majority dead?

@centrarchid I know you may give some fish food or meal to your birds. Thoughts?

 

[Kwdfunnyfarm]

Is your coop and run located right next to a street or road? If so, an old, badly maintained vehicle could have been idling nect to the open coop and gassed the chickens.

Another possibility is if your city sprayed for mosquitoes right at the time the chickens died.

I've had plenty of predator attacks, the most recent being a bear getting into the coop. Believe me, chickens do not sit calmly in a neat row when a predator enters a coop where they are all roosting. In my case, every single chicken fled as the bear entered the coop through a broken window and none were killed or injured.

No we live on almost 20 acres, with a locked gate. The coop is near the back half. Surrounded by trees and 1 storage building. They definitely weren't spooked. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, no brooms knocked over, not even the feed scoop knocked off of the barrel.

 

[Kwdfunnyfarm]

Was the Catfish food moldy or rancid?

You mention within hours of each other - did you find some that were still alive at the time you discovered the majority dead?

@centrarchid I know you may give some fish food or meal to your birds. Thoughts?

Not that i know of. It looks fresh ans smells like fish food... Nope all dead at the same time
But I heard the rooster that morning and hears the hens clucking during the day when I went outside. But I don't check on them during the day - there's an automatic opener that let's them in and out. So I only go once a day to collect eggs and feed and water.