Why are my chickens dying?

[forninja]

I live in PA and I have a large flock of chickens. I have about 45 chickens, although half of them are bantams. My chickens are dying and I am not sure why. They have no symptoms. They are eating and drinking, they are lively and active. I have lost 2 chickens about a month apart. There is no warning. At 3pm, my chicken was in the backyard pecking and at 8:30 she was dead under the bushes. I lost another chicken about 4 months ago. So that's three total in the past 4 months. Maybe that is normal but I didn't lose any chickens for 1 1/2 years. My egg production has declined slightly but not a lot. I have 8 weeks old chicks but none of them are sick. The chickens who died were around 1 -2 years. At first, it didn't seem like they were connected but now I am wondering if they are sick and I don't know it. Is there a way that I can test for diseases? Are there kits? None of the chickens are missing any parts and there is no circle of feathers and it was during the day for all three so that removes most predators. These chickens are important to us so please let me know if there is something we should be doing.

 

[QueenMisha]

Go ahead and do some rounds of preventatives. Worm them chemically, and check every bird for mites/lice. You can also add oregano the the feed; it has natural antibiotic properties, and has even been shown to outperform some artificial antibiotics. If you can, handle each bird, checking it over for sores etc., and be sure to check the eyes, mouth, and nose, and listen carefully to the breathing when you do.

Unfortunately, without more specific symptoms, there's not much that can be done. If you want to, you can take a couple birds to the vet for blood tests, which can give a definite yes/no on some (but certainly not all) diseases. When I've had my bird's blood tested in the past it cost $50-$100, but the charge could be more, depending on the vet you use and where you live.

You should also check your coop/run thoroughly for anything poisonous or dangerous, and be sure there's nowhere they can escape the yard and get into trouble.

If you have any more deaths, it's really very important you autopsy the birds. I have discovered major issues in my flock thanks to a simple autopsy, issues I would have been unable to treat (thus saving bird's lives) if I had not diagnosed as soon as I did.