chickens keep getting sick and dying

[jessicamichele]

Hi all! I have had chickens for close to a year. We love our girls and try to do everything we can to keep them healthy. This is the third time that we have had a hen get sick. It starts with lethargy and then they just sit down and don't want to move around. I separate them and give them electrolyte water by syringe and I try giving them food etc. We have had two die and now this morning we found one of our hens, Louise, just sitting and very weak seeming. What do you suggest? What could this be? It seems like the same symptoms every time, but weeks or months apart.

 

[sorce]

Reckon more info is needed.

Flock and coop details.
Food and schedules etc.

Best!

Sorce

 

[ValerieJ]

Hi all! I have had chickens for close to a year. We love our girls and try to do everything we can to keep them healthy. This is the third time that we have had a hen get sick. It starts with lethargy and then they just sit down and don't want to move around. I separate them and give them electrolyte water by syringe and I try giving them food etc. We have had two die and now this morning we found one of our hens, Louise, just sitting and very weak seeming. What do you suggest? What could this be? It seems like the same symptoms every time, but weeks or months apart.

Sorry you are having such a hard time with sick pullets. I think we need more information in order to help you. And a picture or video would be helpful.

Have you checked them all for mites or lice? Have you checked the coop for red mites?

What do you feed them? How many treats to they get? What kind of treats? Is their feed fresh? Is their water fresh and clean? Is there more than one feed and water station?

If you lose another one, it would be a good idea to have a necropsy done on her to find out what happened. Sometimes this is the only way we figure out what is going through our flock.

 

[jessicamichele]

Sorry you are having such a hard time with sick pullets. I think we need more information in order to help you. And a picture or video would be helpful.

Have you checked them all for mites or lice? Have you checked the coop for red mites?

What do you feed them? How many treats to they get? What kind of treats? Is their feed fresh? Is their water fresh and clean? Is there more than one feed and water station?

If you lose another one, it would be a good idea to have a necropsy done on her to find out what happened. Sometimes this is the only way we figure out what is going through our flock.

Thank you for your response! I have checked for mites and lice. I see no visible wounds or anything. They appear totally healthy until one morning or evening we find them being lethargic. They have two different water stations. We refill their water about once a week before it runs out. They eat a mixture or crumble and scratch. We give meal-worm treats maybe once a week. They have one area of feed and my children also take a scoop out every morning and toss it around. I have yet to find a local vet that will do a necropsy.

Ours do not get to free range unfortunately because of hawks and a neighbors dog. Their run however is a good size so they have a lot of room to roam around. That being said I don't believe they could have gotten in to anything bad to make them sick.


I would love any feedback and suggestions!

 

[ValerieJ]

Thank you for your response! I have checked for mites and lice. I see no visible wounds or anything. They appear totally healthy until one morning or evening we find them being lethargic. They have two different water stations. We refill their water about once a week before it runs out. They eat a mixture or crumble and scratch. We give meal-worm treats maybe once a week. They have one area of feed and my children also take a scoop out every morning and toss it around. I have yet to find a local vet that will do a necropsy.

Ours do not get to free range unfortunately because of hawks and a neighbors dog. Their run however is a good size so they have a lot of room to roam around. That being said I don't believe they could have gotten in to anything bad to make them sick.


I would love any feedback and suggestions!

Send one to your state lab. Here is a list of them.
https://heritageacresmarket.com/poultry-necropsy-labs/

The mixture of feed and scratch, is that basic corn scratch? I would stop doing that and just give them their feed. Scratch would be considered a treat. The combination of scratch, meal worms and any veggie or kitchen scraps should be no more than 10% of their food intake. Also, I would change the water out more often, if it is soiled in any way. But, I say that not knowing what type of waterer you have. Some enclosed ones don't get so dirty so quickly.

But, I don't know if any of that would make a difference. It seems the only way to know what is happening is to get a necropsy on one of your chickens. If you aren't queezy about it, you could even do one yourself. There are videos and instructions on how to do it and what to look for.

 

[jessicamichele]

I w

Send one to your state lab. Here is a list of them.
https://heritageacresmarket.com/poultry-necropsy-labs/

The mixture of feed and scratch, is that basic corn scratch? I would stop doing that and just give them their feed. Scratch would be considered a treat. The combination of scratch, meal worms and any veggie or kitchen scraps should be no more than 10% of their food intake. Also, I would change the water out more often, if it is soiled in any way. But, I say that not knowing what type of waterer you have. Some enclosed ones don't get so dirty so quickly.

But, I don't know if any of that would make a difference. It seems the only way to know what is happening is to get a necropsy on one of your chickens. If you aren't queezy about it, you could even do one yourself. There are videos and instructions on how to do it and what to look for.

I have two of the 5 gallon bucket waterer's that have the little spickets they can drink out of at the bottom so the water stays very clean. I only gave them the crumble and they stopped eating and laying and I got nervous and started mixing it. I can stop mixing them together. They will eventually get hungry enough that they eat the crumble by itself? I will have to look up the necropsy instructions.

 

[ValerieJ]

They'll eat the crumble. Are you feeding layer crumble or all flock? Are you providing grit and oyster shell?

 

[ValerieJ]

Also, make sure the crumble has not gotten old, wet or moldy.

 

[jessicamichele]

Well she died. I can’t believe she died so quickly.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are the chickens that you have lost? I change my water daily in warm months, and usually in winter as well to keep bacteria and mold out. Look over your feed and smell it for any off odor. Scratch especially can mold overnight, and mold can kill chickens. What brand of layer feed are you using? Stop the scratch grains except for an occasional small treat they eat within 10 minutes. Do you have a feeder? If they won’t eat their feed, you might want to change to a flock raiser feed. It is 20% and you can supply crushed oyster shell in a separate container. I would follow up on the kids taking care of feeding.

Hard to know without more details what is killing them, but coccidiosis or mold poisoning would be possible problems. A necropsy can be done by your state vet tomorrow if you cool the body (don’t freeze) and take or send it to them. Here is a list of state vets, and I would call them right away and explain you have lost 3 backyard chickens, and ask for a cost of a necropsy:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm