Chicken deaths help!

I the last three months I have lost three chickens.
One silkie who appeared to be dust bathing in February.
One silkie found dead in egg box in March
One Cochin dusting bathing and then died today. I saw her bathing within the last half hour and now she is dead. Found her still warm in dust bathing hole. No wounds just found limp.
My Chickens are only 3 years old no signs of illness or being egg bound no predators. I was outside and heard nothing.
They have been picking on each other more lately. We live in Michigan and areas within a few hundred miles of us have had reported cases of the bird flu. So I have not let them free range per usual and they have a large covered run. I don’t see any swelling around eyes or swollen legs no respiratory issues. Everyone’s combs are nice and red standing tall. Just birds with missing feathers from pecking. I wouldn’t be concerned if it was not for the three deaths so close together.
Could all have died from sudden death?
Any advice appreciated.

Oh no! One second so I write a new message...

I am extremely sorry for your losses. I have had something similar happen to me as well.

How close together are your chickens? do they seem to peck each other? How big are the bare spots? Would you mind sending pictures?

They may be pecking each other due to being too close together and possibly bored. This happened to me and I have lost two chickens from it... my chickens looked completely fine but it had a bar spot on its back. I used Rooster Booster Pick-No-More Healing Lotion, here is the link: https://www.chewy.com/rooster-boost...lMh5IpPRBL4JiuWbjtWgrTn8K7IcY8NRoCC7cQAvD_BwE

It helped a little bit, but overtime the chickens began attacking eachother and I didn’t realize it till just before it died. Do they seem to be attacking each other at all?

In case it may be bird flu, here is a great supplement that may help. It is the cheapest product that is still effective and good for chickens. https://www.scahealth.com/p/ultracr...9G_h-zx5HqLmCzTuNow1xat5afjr9GqxoCymgQAvD_BwE

Signs of bird flu:

1. Swelling around eyes, neck, comb, head
2. purple-ish color in legs or legs going limp
3. respiratory issues, sneezing, or wheezing
4. diarrhea or runny poo
5. Discoloration in comb
6. sudden death in other chickens
7. egg production drop
8. deformed or soft shelled eggs
9. loss of appetite

They might very well be picking on each other because of boredom... you could try giving them scratch, (chicken treats) you may already! You could also buy some chicken toys. Make sure they get lots of dirt to dust bathe in, and make sure that they are not in a tight space. I will post a article that talks about how much space your chickens need per chicken. Just try to help the, not to be bored or else they will peck each other and that may cause death. I am so sorry for your hens and losses!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

here is a great article about how much space chickens need to avoid boredom. Hope this helps!

-Isla June- said:

They might very well be picking on each other because of boredom... you could try giving them scratch, (chicken treats) you may already! You could also buy some chicken toys. Make sure they get lots of dirt to dust bathe in, and make sure that they are not in a tight space. I will post a article that talks about how much space your chickens need per chicken. Just try to help the, not to be bored or else they will peck each other and that may cause death. I am so sorry for your hens and losses!

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We havd 10 bantam chickens. On each end of a run we have a 5x5x5 hen house. Most hens choose to roost at night in one house. But they lay eggs in both. The run connecting the two houses is 12 feet long by six feet wide and tall. We have branches for perching high and an old hexagon coop full of straw for digging, and I have been adding pecking blocks.
One chicken who passed had no missing feathers, one silkie had no head feathers but no wounds. The Cochin who passed today had broken back feather which looked over preened or broken from mounting by other female Cochin possibly and a bald spot on the back of her head but to cuts or bruising to the skin.
I have seen my chickens gang up on each other before and I almost always hear it. I heard nothing which I just find so odd. Just seems like she was dust bathing one min and dead the next.

Poetspets said:

We havd 10 bantam chickens. On each end of a run we have a 5x5x5 hen house. Most hens choose to roost at night in one house. But they lay eggs in both. The run connecting the two houses is 12 feet long by six feet wide and tall. We have branches for perching high and an old hexagon coop full of straw for digging, and I have been adding pecking blocks.
One chicken who passed had no missing feathers, one silkie had no head feathers but no wounds. The Cochin who passed today had broken back feather which looked over preened or broken from mounting by other female Cochin possibly and a bald spot on the back of her head but to cuts or bruising to the skin.
I have seen my chickens gang up on each other before and I almost always hear it. I heard nothing which I just find so odd. Just seems like she was dust bathing one min and dead the next.

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Your coop surely seems fun for chickens and big enough to house them... my chicken had no pecking marks on her and did seem to be dust bathing in our coop when she suddenly died. Since I, going through this same thing, I don’t know if I can help you further, here are some amazing BYC members that can hopefully help you: @nuthatched @Dr Evy @ColtHandorf