Chickens dying almost monthly

[SarahDier]

Okay, so my little backyard flock has been experiencing chicken death almost monthly since August. At the end of summer we had a bought of dry pox make its way through the flock. Everyone made it through without issues, save a slight decline in egg production. A few weeks later, a Silkie roo died unexpectedly. I October a Barred Rock pullet (6 mo) became lethargic, wasn't eating or drinking much, and died a few days later. Since then we have lost a 4 month old EE and a 5-6 month old Silkie bantam. Now I have a 8 month old Buff Orpington beginning to show the same behavior. She's laying down a lot, stumbled when she got up, just seems like something's off. The symptoms are all the same. No diarrhea, no congestion, no worms, nothing that stands out other than they just seem to decline and die within a few days. I don't know what is going on and there are no poultry vets anywhere near me.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. What state are you in? The best way to get a diagnosis is to have your state vet do a necropsy on the body. It must be kept cold not frozen, and taken in or shipped overnight. It could have something to do with pox, possibly wet pox, or something else. Have you seen anything that might look like Mareks? Has there been any possibility of mold in the feed or a toxin? Here is a list of state vets and call soon to get some info on cost and how to go about it if you lose another.

 

[SarahDier]

I'm in Texas. Specifically, the northeast region. There hasn't been anything with their mouths, like wet pox, whatever is killing them takes them within 2-4 days.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is the list of state vets :
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html