I am literally at my witts end with sick chickens

[JensChickies]

I am at the point to where I am about to throw In the towel with keeping chickens. I love them, they are great, but mine are getting sick and I don't know why.

First round of sickeness happened probably close to two months ago. I tubed fed her and kept her going while I treated with baytril and she greatly improved to the point where she started laying eggs. I was soo thrilled that she made it and looks so healthy.

About 3 weeks ago my Welsummer decided to stop eating/drinking/ laying. So I started tube feeding her treated her with baytril, no improvement, wormed her- no improvement, treated for coccidiosis- no improvement, now I'm treating in the middle of treating with metronidazole. This is day 5 and no improvement whatsoever. I am at a loss with her.

Noowwww my langshan has stopped eating and laying!!! I am soo frustrated with this, I have no idea how to help these chickens. Langshan was fine, doing well and now she's not eating and stopped laying about a week ago, just like my Welsummer.

Does anybody have any suggestions about what is going on with these birds??? My other two members of the flock are fine. Eating drinking laying all normal. I am so desperate and tired of helping sick chickens. Is chicken keeping always like this?? Is there always a sick chicken? I am at the point where I am done with chickens forever. Somebody please help,

 

[Amina]

Have your chickens had any other symptoms besides not eating and not laying? Sneezing? Facial swelling? Runny or green poo? Extending one leg all the time or holding the head in a weird position?

Before this started two months ago, did you bring in any new birds by any chance?

 

[Toddrick]

So the only symptoms are that they stop eating, drinking, and laying?

 

[JensChickies]

My langshan started as an impacted crop from dehydration then I'm guessing that she developed an infection for it which the baytril helped. No runny nose or anything, no swollen face. She was pretty bad...I thought for sure she was going to die. No sneezing....she does sneeze just everyone in a while, but it hasn't caught me off guard. Poop normal, but it's only a matter of time before it changed due to dehydration/ not eating.

My Welsummer, no swollen face, no runny nose nothing that would alert me. Poop is formed, but more on the watery side. That's why I have decided to use some metronidazole with her. Sneezing nope....maybe everyone in a while she will sneeze.

No signs of paralysis on any of them and no droopy wings nothing that would scream MD to me. No wry neck.

They both are 9 months old.

 

[JensChickies]

Anybody have any other suggestions??

 

[Suzie]

So sorry you are going through this...it sometimes seems that one gets sick and then a few others at the same time...it may just be a co-incidence ...so may problems can affect a flock at any time and many are not related to others...

Have you recently treated your flock for any mite/lice possible infestations ?

Check the feed...ensure that no vermin can readily access the feed..mice and rats are notorious for spreading disease..remove all feed and water at night...rats and mice tend to be bold during night time hours and can badly contaminate feed...

Any chance that your flock may be beginning a moult ? Moulting can be very hard on chickens and they will stop laying during a moult...

Keep your spirits up!

 

[JensChickies]

So sorry you are going through this...it sometimes seems that one gets sick and then a few others at the same time...it may just be a co-incidence ...so may problems can affect a flock at any time and many are not related to others...

Have you recently treated your flock for any mite/lice possible infestations ?

Check the feed...ensure that no vermin can readily access the feed..mice and rats are notorious for spreading disease..remove all feed and water at night...rats and mice tend to be bold during night time hours and can badly contaminate feed...

Any chance that your flock may be beginning a moult ? Moulting can be very hard on chickens and they will stop laying during a moult...

Keep your spirits up!

I thought about the molt, but they are only 9 months old. I thought my Welsummer might be going through a molt, but then I realized she wasn't eating or drinking. I think they are separate problems, but it's so draining.

I have treated them for mites/lice. Thank you for suggestions, I am just running out of energy and mental room to keep my cgickens up and going.

Thank you I do need a pick me up, I'm just sooo discouraged right now.

 

[Quailsong]

I thought about the molt, but they are only 9 months old. I thought my Welsummer might be going through a molt, but then I realized she wasn't eating or drinking. I think they are separate problems, but it's so draining.

I have treated them for mites/lice. Thank you for suggestions, I am just running out of energy and mental room to keep my cgickens up and going.

Thank you

I do need a pick me up, I'm just sooo discouraged right now.

It may just seem a bout of random bad luck. It happens to us all. Birds can go through an early molt & even the change in seasons can be rough on them. I would try to up the vitamins/minerals for the birds in the meantime. Give them treats they like laced with extra nutrition.

Yogurt comes to mind. Good probiotics & you could sprinkle in some Brewer's yeast (not the baking type) for extra Vitamin Bs. Fermented feed is also a great feed option, reducing the anti-nutrients & my own chickens consider it a very tasty porridge.

I just hope your bad luck turns around soon.

 

[JensChickies]

It may just seem a bout of random bad luck. It happens to us all. Birds can go through an early molt & even the change in seasons can be rough on them. I would try to up the vitamins/minerals for the birds in the meantime. Give them treats they like laced with extra nutrition.

Yogurt comes to mind. Good probiotics & you could sprinkle in some Brewer's yeast (not the baking type) for extra Vitamin Bs. Fermented feed is also a great feed option, reducing the anti-nutrients & my own chickens consider it a very tasty porridge.

I just hope your bad luck turns around soon.

Thank you for the advice. I'm all ears to everything right now. They both are sleeping inside. One is in a dog crate and the other is in the bathroom. The langshan will gobble up any treats and yogurt I put in front of her, which is good, but I think I caught her before she got really bad. My poor Welsummer takes a couple bites then that's it, poor thing just has no appetite.
Can they stop eating during molt?? My Welsummer has been loosing feathers, but I was thinking it was due to no nutrition. My langshan is still very proud of her feathers right now.

I am so at a loss with these two.

 

[JensChickies]

This was one of my sick hens droppings from this morning. She had been having droppings with intestinal lining, but this one looks more like blood to me. More red than the previous pinky/red colors that she had been having. Soooo I started her on corid just to be sure. What do you guys think?