2 suddenly dead chickens---help!!

[sunnybrookbecca]

Hello!

I am hoping somebody with more experience than me can help.

Three days ago, when I went out in the morning to feed my 6 week old Delaware roosters, one of them was laying on his side dead. They had all seemed fine the night before around midnight when I checked on them before bed. Now the same exact thing has happened this morning. They have all seemed healthy, eating a ton and gaining weight well. I have them on 24% starter (no antibiotic) and am also giving them zucchini, cantelope, broccoli, and tomatoes from the garden, as well as some chopped up clover. No signs of blood or diarrhea or anything like that, or of birds suddenly becoming loners, sleeping too much, etc. Everybody seems happy and healthy and then wham, another one dead. Some of the cantelope I gave them had seeds in it, could they be getting blocked up somehow by them? Their coop is predator proof, and I completely change their wood shaving litter every week, it never smells dirty unless its gotten wet, and then I change it ASAP.
Any ideas? I can send pix if that would help.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Becca

 

[FamilyOfChickens]

How hot is it, especially in their coop?

 

[RoyalHillsLLC]

Any sign of physical harm? That is about the age I had to get rid of a couple of my roosters because they were fighting and killed each other. If not, boy you may never know. I would immediately get the dead ones away from them, bury them or throw them away a long way from your chickens, and watch for any signs of sick birds and quarantine them if they look ill.
You may have a tough time figuring it out. Have they had plenty of water in this heat, and plenty of shade?

 

[Chellester]

Is there any chance something bad (like rat poision or some other kind of chemical) could have gotten mixed up with their feed?

 

[sunnybrookbecca]

It's pretty cool right now, down to the high sixties at night.

Their coop is 16 by 4, and has 4 big screen windows down the front and 2 on each end, only the back is closed up. The roof overhangs so rain can't get in.

This has happened overnight or in the early morning both times.

I feed and water them before bed, adn they do have a light on all night, a red bulb, but not a heat light. They chirp deafeningly if we don't have the light on when it gets dark.

 

[sunnybrookbecca]

I don't think anything could have gotten into their feed. We don't really have any poisonous chemicals stored near it at all, I've been feeding it to them for about 2 weeks. It's almost gone, so as a precaution I will junk it and start a new bad.
They chest bump a little during the day and I did have some pecking problems, but they seem to be cleared up with the addition of other things for them to peck at (veggies), the red light at night and Blu-kote. The dead ones haven't showed any sign of being beaten up, no blood or anything, just flopped on their sides, their legs out, and their eyes shut, cold.
Are there any diseases that cause sudden death?
I am new at chickens. This just really has me worried because they seem so lively and rambunctious all day, ready to check anyhtign out, really alert, eating well, and then surprise, surprise, dead chicken

 

[sunnybrookbecca]

I meant to ask in the last post, is there any kind of broad spectrum treatment I could give them that might take care of possible pathogen causes?

Thanks again

 

[nuchickmama]

Are you giving them any grit?? Could the veggies not digested??

 

[sunnybrookbecca]

I haven't bought any grit. I have given them shallow dishes of dirt with small stones (grit) in it, and mixed in some playsand.
They gobbled it up. I haven't beeen giving it daily, though, about once a week. Should I leave a pan in their pen at all times?

 

[Chellester]

The first time I read your post, I didn't catch how young your chickens are. 6 weeks is a little young to be giving them so much vegetables and greens. I would stop doing that for a while and see if you still have problems. And when you do feed greens, make sure they have grit available at the same time.