All 4 chickens died of different causes within 3 years. Are we doing something wrong?

[SylvieXandra]

Hello all, as you may know from my other posts, Pebble has been sick for a long time (though still happy and active for a lot of the day, she’s also suffering a lot). Today we’re putting pebble down at the vet. This morning, something was wrong with our other chicken, olive. We took her to the vet and she had gout and had to be humanely Euthanized. This afternoon we take pebble. We had Betty die at one year old of sudden chicken death, and Cheeks die at 2.5 years old from egg binding. Are we doing something wrong? Are we feeding them wrong? This doesn’t seem normal. All our chickens enjoyed being pet and were lap birds. We fed them organic layer feed, with the occasional treat of scratch, mealworms, blueberries. They eat grass in the yard sometimes. We want to get new chicks once we’ve grieved. What can we do so that this doesn’t happen again? Thanks

 

[IvyBeans]

What breed of chickens?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. How old were the 2 that are needing to be put down? They really do not need any extras except for their layer feed. That has all of the nutrients, and is balanced. Extra treats including scratch grains, berries, etc can cause them to be fat. If you do treat them, make it very small and less often.

Some of the sexlink hens we find in many hatcheries and feed stores may have more egg binding or other reproductive issues. Gout can be caused by some nutritional problems, but others as well. Feeding too much protein, salt, exposure to fungus, and sometimes heredity can be possible causes. Fatty liver disease may also be caused by feeding too much corn or scratch, or fatty seeds.

When I lose a chicken I consider having the state vet lab do a necropsy. I also do them at home, looking over the organs after opening the abdomen just to see if there was something that shows up. You can learn a lot from that.

 

[MaeM]

Sometimes it's just bad luck. I mean, I can't see a link between gout and egg binding.

For your next flock, I'd recommend:

- Following Eggcesive's tips about feeding (and necropsies).

- Getting vaccinated birds. I was sold unvaccinated birds and lost one of them (almost two) in the first year.

- Deworming them. If possible, check for parasites with regular poop labs. Too many worms can absorb their nutrients, chickens eat but are not correctly nourished and that may cause other problems. Or they can get intestinal damage due to excessive worms.

- Getting "stronger" birds with good genetics. As Eggcesive said, RSLs and other layer breeds are more prone to reproductive issues because they are "designed" to lay a lot of eggs, or bigger eggs, and when that fails, it becomes a problem.

- Getting a mobile coop or cleaning it often. Some health problems are related to poop. Don't let them live among their own poop. (Much less fungus in the walls or other environment-related threats.)

That's all I can think of right now. Sorry for your loss

 

[FunClucks]

x2 on following Eggcessive's advice.

In addition, research on here "Deep Litter", Deep Bedding, and Poop Boards with zeolite (aka Sweet PDZ horse stall refresher). You might find some of that info helpful.

No obvious connection is visible between the causes of death you've listed, at least not to me. Non-production hens (heritage breeds) would be a good choice if you want to keep them as pets for years.

Also consider a pelleted food rather than a food where you can see the individual grains. Some chickens pick out the grains they want and all the vitamin dust falls to the bottom. If you don't have a good routine for making sure they eat that dust they won't get the nutrients they need. Pelleted food avoids most of that issue, also, you can take the dust, add water so it's like applesauce consistency, and then it's a "treat". My chickens go crazy for wet feed dust.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Hello all, as you may know from my other posts, Pebble has been sick for a long time (though still happy and active for a lot of the day, she’s also suffering a lot). Today we’re putting pebble down at the vet. This morning, something was wrong with our other chicken, olive. We took her to the vet and she had gout and had to be humanely Euthanized. This afternoon we take pebble. We had Betty die at one year old of sudden chicken death, and Cheeks die at 2.5 years old from egg binding. Are we doing something wrong? Are we feeding them wrong? This doesn’t seem normal. All our chickens enjoyed being pet and were lap birds. We fed them organic layer feed, with the occasional treat of scratch, mealworms, blueberries. They eat grass in the yard sometimes. We want to get new chicks once we’ve grieved. What can we do so that this doesn’t happen again? Thanks

Sorry for your losses. I literally wrote this same topic yesterday after losing my 3rd girl under 3 years old due to some reproductive issue. I don’t have answers to whether or not we’re doing anything wrong but know you’re not alone in this question. I tend to think they are just sweet, fragile friends that we need to love every day because tomorrow is never promised with them.