Why are chickens dieing?

[anjbagley]

I just went out to my coop and my 9 month old blr wy. was dead. This is the 3rd "healthy" chicken I have had die in the last 2 months that I have no idea why. I spend more time with my chickens than most people think is normal! Everyday I hold, pet, inspect for nose, eye, strange poop, I really love and keep an eye on these guys. They are more pets to me than anything. I have now had a blue cochin, black langshan, my wy. and a couple of oeb die for no apparent reason. What could I be missing? I just cleaned the coop on Monday, plenty of vents, no ammonia smell at all. Any ideas??

 

[ranchhand]

Oh my, I am sorry for the mysterious losses.

Ammonia- get down to chicken level and sniff.
What kind of feed?
Bedding?
Water source?
Parasites? Look for worms and/or mites.
Any weight loss?

Give each one a thorough medical exam.


Spend some time in the Emergencies Disease etc. forum. You may spot something you didn't realize was there. Best of luck.

 

[anjbagley]

Bedding- straw that I rake out and replace weekly
Feed- Laying mix that is kept in a 5 gallon feeder
Water- from the hydrant in the yard also in a 5 gallon double wall metal waterer
No weight loss
I cannot see any parasites
Ammonia good.
NOw that the weather is getting better they spend most of the day out in the run and it is huge. There is a manmade small ditch that runs from my duck pool through the run and out so that I can flood water the grass in the run. They dig around in the mud and dirt all day. I don't know if there is some type of parasite that they could be getting there but I did not have this problem last year.

There has got to be something I am missing. I just had a oeb die this weekend.
Any ideas????

 

[beachchickie]

Parasite would probably make them sick first. You would notice something. Poison maybe? Pesticide?

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

How old are they? If it's really muddy out there, it could be coccidiosis...that can kill them before you even know about it. You really need to send at least 1 bird in for necropsy for an accurate answer. I'm really sorry for your losses!!