Why Do My Chickens Keep Dying? (7 Menacing Facts)

Petting chickens is not an easy task. Keeping an eye on every chicken especially when the owner has a bunch of chickens, it can become very difficult to look after every bird, if they have food, if one of them is not ill, they all are safe from predators. Sometimes when petting a flock of chickens, the owner faces multiple chickens dying at the same time.

Why do my chickens keep dying? Chicken can die due to various reasons including, the spread of infectious diseases, injury, lack of quality food, overeating, organ failure, predator attack, etc. It can be difficult to control all these situations but they are controllable if necessary steps.

Why do my chickens keep dying
Why do my chickens keep dying? Why do my chickens keep dying every week?

 

Why Do My Chickens Keep Dying?

Why do my chickens keep dying? chickens are very sensitive and it can often be difficult for the owner to assess why their chicken died suddenly. One of the most common reasons why chickens may die can be due to a disease.

Many diseases can take the life of a chicken suddenly. Sometimes chicken would die due to worms, infections, and sometimes Marek disease. All these illnesses cause sudden death, sometimes chickens dying with no symptoms.

 

Why Are My Chickens Randomly Dying?

Why do my chickens keep dying randomly? chickens can die randomly and in most cases, chickens would die due to a disease that wasn’t caught by the owner. Sometimes, even the vet won’t be able to help the chicken because science doesn’t have enough detailed study that tells more about diseases among chickens.

However, most of them can be categorized as infections, worms, Marek’s disease, bronchitis, etc. Some of the diseases that a chicken may get are given in the below table.

DiseasesCausesSymptoms
laryngotracheitisIt is a respiratory problem that is common in warm regions Sneezing, coughing with blood mucus, and death. 
Infectious BronchitisIt is also a very common virus that happens in the respiratory system. It can be transmitted by air from one chicken to another. It is known to damage the kidney of chicken. White stains vent feathers, wrinkled, deformed egg and watery white and death
MycoplasmaIt is also a respiratory problem that is commonly found. Many chickens would test positive with Mycoplasma, as they may have contracted it from their parents. Sneezing, depression, swelling around the mouth and eyes are some of the symptoms of Mycoplasma
CoccidiosisIt is caused by a parasite that infects the gut of the chicken. It is considered one of the most common deadly diseases among chickens. Some of the other parasites that are known to deteriorate the health of chickens include lice, mites, and worms. Symptoms of coccidiosis include blood in the feces
FowlpoxIt is a virus that spreads due to the bite of an insect. The bite of an insect may lead to the dry or wet pox. Wet pox is more likely to cause death among the chicken. Symptoms of dry pox include lumps on the face, wattles, and comb of the chicken while wet pox includes symptoms of lumps inside the mouth or throat. 
ErysipelasErysipelas happen majorly in turkeys, it is developed by an insect that gets into the body of the chicken. Though symptoms are very difficult to find there is a hemorrhage around the heart
Infectious coryzaA bacterial infection in the respiratory system. It is also a common problemSickness, depression, lethargy, etc are the symptoms of Infectious coryza
Marek’s diseaseThough Marek’s disease doesn’t cause sudden death, it is very fatal among the birds. Baby chickens get it from adult chickens. The owner should get their chicken vaccinated. It can also cause paralysis among the chickens and high mortality rates. Symptoms include lameness, wasting, blindness, bleeding sores, scouring.
Necrotic enteritisIt is a disease caused by clostridium bacteria. It is also an intestinal disease like coccidiosis. It is caused by moldy feed or dies to the molds that grow in feed troughs when the wet mash is fed, afterward left to harden and cake the trough. Yellow diarrhea and inactivity among the chicken is the symptom of Necrotic enteritis.
Fowl choleraFowl cholera is also called Pasteurella. It is also a bacterial disease that is also very common among chickens. It can cause sudden death among the birds. 

The owners are recommended to vaccinate their chickens from the vaccination of Fowl cholera

There are no symptoms that can show if the chicken has fowl cholera, unfortunately, it causes Sudden death. 

 

What Are The Symptoms Of Marek’s Disease In Chickens?

Marek’s disease is very commonly found in chickens. Baby chickens get Marek’s disease from the older chickens.

The owners should get their chickens vaccinated as soon as possible. Some of the symptoms of Marek’s disease among the chicken include lameness among the birds, blindness or deteriorating seeing capacity, bleeding sores, and scouring are some of the symptoms of Marek’s disease.

The owners should note that even though Marek’s disease won’t cause sudden death, it is still the cause of the high mortality rate among the chickens. chickens should be vaccinated to increase their lifespan and to save them from this disease. Marek’s disease also causes paralysis attacks among a few chickens.

 

How To Prevent Chickens From Dying?

Many owners complain that my chickens are dying one by one UK, the reason can be explored further. The above-mentioned diseases are very harmful and most of them are untreatable. However, with the consultation of a vet, some antibiotics may help in declining the effects of bacterial infections.

Furthermore, it is highly recommended for the owners, if or whenever they notice unusual signs among one or a few chickens that seem like a disease, they should be immediately separated from other chickens as these diseases are spread very easily among the chickens and often end up taking the life of all other healthy chickens.

After separating the sick chicken from healthy ones, the owner should look for symptoms that may tell what issue the chicken is going through. Further, consult a vet to provide a treatment or pain reliever medication.

After separating the ill chicken from the healthy ones, the owner should carefully keep checking the healthy chickens to find if they have any similar symptoms. The process should be repeated for at least a week to be double sure.

 

How Do You Stop A Chicken From Dying?

What to do if a chicken dies? There are some measures an owner can take to stop his chickens from dying. These steps will ensure that the chickens get a quality environment, food and are less prone to infections.

The steps are as follow

  • The owner should buy quality food from a trusted store that keeps the feed hygienically and in a clean place. 
  • Never add new birds to the present flock, some new birds may have infections that they will give to the old chickens. New chickens should be isolated for 10-15 days. 
  • The owner should make sure that the feeding equipment is clean and free from dirt, algae, and mold. 
  • The owner should not come close to its chicken if he has come from another set of chickens, as he may carry some infections on his clothes or body. 
  • Keep chickens out of reach of starlings, sparrows, rats, stoats, ferrets. These animals should get into poultry feed.  

 

How Do You Tell What Is Killing My Chickens?

To know what is killing chickens, owners should understand if their chicken is getting killed by a predator or if it dies without having any hunting marks. If the chicken is getting killed due to a disease, it can be one of the following diseases. 

  • laryngotracheitis
  • Infectious Bronchitis
  • Mycoplasma
  • Coccidiosis
  • Fowlpox
  • Erysipelas
  • Infectious coryza
  • Marek’s disease
  • Necrotic enteritis
  • Fowl cholera

The owner should check what kind of disease the chicken had by checking the symptoms. After knowing that, the dying chicken may have given it to another bird, so the owner should be very careful with other birds. If he finds similar symptoms in other birds, they should be separated from the rest of the flock.

Another reason can be predators. The owner should understand what animal is eating their chicken, after finding that, the owner should put required safety measures, so that the predator is unable to get into the coop, so the owner may not find the chicken dead in coop.

The following is the list of chicken predators

 

What Food Kills Chickens?

Some of the foods that are the reason for chicken death include feeding chickens with:-

  • Citrus fruit
  • Junk food
  • Chocolate or sweet products
  • Avocado
  • Rotten food
  • Dry beans
  • Green potato skin
Why do my chickens keep dying
Why do my chickens keep dying? Why do my chickens keep dying in the yard? Why do my chickens keep dying randomly?

 

Why Are My Chickens Are Dying One By One?

The owner should check what is causing the chicken to die. Is it a similar injury, predator attack, being egg bound, old age, similar symptoms of Infections or diseases? After assessing all these questions, the owner will be able to understand why their chickens are dying one by one.

 

Why Do My Chickens Keep Dying Minecraft?

Some people who are Minecraft enthusiasts, also complain that their chickens keep dying in Minecraft. chickens die in Minecraft if a wall block is solid. To not let that happen the player should make a whole pool of source blocks.

 

Multiple Chickens Died Suddenly

If multiple chickens die suddenly, it can be the cause of the spread of infection. The best an owner can do is separate the chickens that are having symptoms of the disease from healthy ones.

Sometimes multiple chickens die due to poisoning, poor nutrition, or predators. The owner should first understand what caused multiple chickens to die suddenly. 

 

Why Do My Meat Chickens Keep Dying?

why are my healthy chickens dying? Sudden injury, illness, the spread of infection, poor environment, predators, poor food, overeating are some of the reasons why chickens may be dying.

 

Why Do My Baby Chicks Keep Dying?

If a baby chicken is dying, the owner should check if they sustained any injury, illness, the spread of infection, poor environment, predators, poor food, overeating.

 

Why Do My Bantam Chickens Keep Dying?

Why are my chicken dying? Bantam chickens just like any other chicken will die due to Injury, illness, the spread of infection, poor environment, predators, poor food, overeating are some of the reasons why chicken may be dying.

 

Why Do My Silkie Chicks Keep Dying?

Just like any other chicken, silkie chicks will also die due to Injury, illness, the spread of infection, poor environment, predators, poor food, overeating.

 

Why Do My Chickens Chicks Keep Dying?

Injury, illness, the spread of infection, poor environment, predators, poor food, overeating are some of the reasons why your chickens are dying off.

 

Final Verdict – Why Do My Chickens Keep Dying

Why do my chickens keep dying? Infections and diseases in chickens have almost similar symptoms and often go unnoticed until the chicken dies. The best an owner can do is provide proper food, environment, and water to the chickens and get them regularly checked.

Why do my chickens keep dying
Why do my chickens keep dying? Why do my chickens keep dying in winter? Why do my chickens keep dying in summer?

It would be best if the owner keeps their chickens safe and healthy by providing clean and hygienic food, water, and predator safe environment to their pets. There are many dangerous diseases that a chicken can get that can take their lives and there are many predators that the owner needs to save its chicken carefully from.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet chicken a good and comfortable life!

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