Very sick chickens

[J7pirate]

Hello all,
We live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. We had 7 hens of all different breeds. We got them 2 years ago and have never had a problem until last saturday. We found one on the floor of the coop, she couldn't stand on her own and was very weak. By sunday night she was unresponsive and died. Another became lethargic on monday and she is very near death now. There is 2 more that are acting lethargic today and I have 3 that are still walking around. I took one of the sick one to a bird vet and she said maybe toxicity, maybe disease. Not much help. The vet took a blood sample,but said it usually doesn't show much. I don't know.what to do, these are our pets and we have not been able to help them at all. We are very distraught and just crying isn't helping. Have any of you experienced this?

 

[SilverBirds]

Do they have any symptoms other then lethargic? Discharge of the nose or eyes, heavy breathing, swollen crop, diarrhea, discolor of comb, wattles, feet, weight loss, or less eggs?

 

[Disheygirl]

Have you checked for mites or lice? Always do the easy and obvious first - physical appearance, general behavior - does their poop look normal, are they laying as usual, eyes, mouth, breathing, comb color, etc. Check for parasites under their the wings and by the vent. Do they have free choice calcium (eggshells or oyster)? Are they on a layer feed? Double check it to make sure it’s not moldy. Have you changed anything recently? In the interim, will they eat or drink? Try a wet mash and/or a sugar water mix and see if that perks them up.

Go through a checklist of observations to eliminate the easiest fixes first.

 

[J7pirate]

Thank you for answering. Some of them were laying eggs yesterday. The one that is the worst now has discharge in her mouth and nose, and is unresponsive and breathing hard. The one that died also had the same. The other hens have no discharge. They are just laying around with their eyes closed. They seem to be breating normal, but are so weak they don't want to move.

 

[NatJ]

The vet took a blood sample,but said it usually doesn't show much.

Did the vet test for Avian Influenza? (Disease that has been in the news, that is fast-acting and deadly to chickens, and is not treatable.)

It would be good to either rule out or confirm that possibility.

 

[Disheygirl]

Thank you for answering. Some of them were laying eggs yesterday. The one that is the worst now has discharge in her mouth and nose, and is unresponsive and breathing hard. The one that died also had the same. The other hens have no discharge. They are just laying around with their eyes closed. They seem to be breating normal, but are so weak they don't want to move.

This will sound weird, but does the nasal discharge smell sweet?

 

[Weeg]

Right before this, did you happen to notice a dramatic drop in water consumption? Where are you located? Did your birds happen to have any of these symptoms?

I'm so sorry for your losses.

The best way too know what is happening is to send a body into your state lab for a necropsy. @Eggcessive had a list. Necropsy's are typically very cheep, usually one 35$ to get a bird tested. If you choose two go this route, keep the body refrigerated but not frozen.

 

[Weeg]

Right before this, did you happen to notice a dramatic drop in water consumption? Where are you located? Did your birds happen to have any of these symptoms?
View attachment 3069967
I'm so sorry for your losses.

The best way too know what is happening is to send a body into your state lab for a necropsy. @Eggcessive had a list. Necropsy's are typically very cheep, usually one 35$ to get a bird tested. If you choose two go this route, keep the body refrigerated but not frozen.

You could also perform a necropsy yourself if you like. Post a BYC thread and we can help diagnose that your seeing.

 

[J7pirate]

Did the vet test for Avian Influenza? (Disease that has been in the news, that is fast-acting and deadly to chickens, and is not treatable.)

It would be good to either rule out or confirm that possibility.

She didn't say what she was testing for and I called a short time ago and the results are not back yet.

 

[SilverBirds]

Did the vet test for Avian Influenza? (Disease that has been in the news, that is fast-acting and deadly to chickens, and is not treatable.)

It would be good to either rule out or confirm that possibility.

I was also thinking AI but didn't want that to be the first suggestion.