Is my rooster spreading herpes / thrush?

[V2vee]

We had a flock of 14 hens & 1 rooster that we rescued back in April ‘02 in dire conditions. (Overcrowded conditions, red mite, lice scaly leg mites etc.) The rooster was kept on his own separately from the hens with no parasites. They had been living with a different rooster.

We lost 8 hens to the fox and the remaining 6 hens have all died off one by one after stopping laying, having severe vent gleet and either dying shortly after or the vent gleet clears up (they no longer lay although sometimes sit on the nest as though they would) then the vent gleet comes back & they die shortly after usually after a prolapsed vent.

We introduced a new, (seemingly) healthy young hen into the flock in January. She stopped laying within about 5 months and got vent gleet which cleared but was replaced by constant faeces stuck to her vent. She then suddenly died 2 weeks ago with a prolapsed vent.

Is our rooster spreading some form of STI to the hens creating issues with their reproductive systems? I’m thinking this as the new hen that was introduced was young and healthy on arrival but died in the same way as all of our other hens?

The rooster is now on his own and looking depressed. I’d love to get him some more ladies but want to check if he’s the problem first?

The rooster seems fit and healthy with no issues!!

Any thoughts / advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Debbie292d]

If your rooster was spreading something this long that kills off your hens, he'd have been dead too.

I would start fermenting grains for them. That's high in prebiotics and probiotics, plus vitamins/minerals. I do it with quart jars which is enough for 15 or so chickens and they get some every other day.

Otherwise, are they on regular feed, as in layer or all-flock? Probiotics are in the feed.

You could also give them powdered probiotics in their water. Hydro-Hen or Sav-A-Chick are two brands but there are several.

Whatever method you choose, I'd make it a bi-weekly at least thing. I am just puzzled by what's causing it in the first place.

If you wind up getting chicks, they can have the probiotic water too. I'd start them on that week 1 and continue giving that to them twice a week at least, and for life until you figure this out as it's rare for chickens to get vent gleet, rarer for them to get it again, and even rarer still for them to die from it.

 

[V2vee]

If your rooster was spreading something this long that kills off your hens, he'd have been dead too.

I would start fermenting grains for them. That's high in prebiotics and probiotics, plus vitamins/minerals. I do it with quart jars which is enough for 15 or so chickens and they get some every other day.

Otherwise, are they on regular feed, as in layer or all-flock? Probiotics are in the feed.

You could also give them powdered probiotics in their water. Hydro-Hen or Sav-A-Chick are two brands but there are several.

Whatever method you choose, I'd make it a bi-weekly at least thing. I am just puzzled by what's causing it in the first place.

If you wind up getting chicks, they can have the probiotic water too. I'd start them on that week 1 and continue giving that to them twice a week at least, and for life until you figure this out as it's rare for chickens to get vent gleet, rarer for them to get it again, and even rarer still for them to die from it.

 

[Primchick88]

We had a flock of 14 hens & 1 rooster that we rescued back in April ‘02 in dire conditions. (Overcrowded conditions, red mite, lice scaly leg mites etc.) The rooster was kept on his own separately from the hens with no parasites. They had been living with a different rooster.

We lost 8 hens to the fox and the remaining 6 hens have all died off one by one after stopping laying, having severe vent gleet and either dying shortly after or the vent gleet clears up (they no longer lay although sometimes sit on the nest as though they would) then the vent gleet comes back & they die shortly after usually after a prolapsed vent.

We introduced a new, (seemingly) healthy young hen into the flock in January. She stopped laying within about 5 months and got vent gleet which cleared but was replaced by constant faeces stuck to her vent. She then suddenly died 2 weeks ago with a prolapsed vent.

Is our rooster spreading some form of STI to the hens creating issues with their reproductive systems? I’m thinking this as the new hen that was introduced was young and healthy on arrival but died in the same way as all of our other hens?

The rooster is now on his own and looking depressed. I’d love to get him some more ladies but want to check if he’s the problem first?

The rooster seems fit and healthy with no issues!!

Any thoughts / advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

He could be carrying some thing that lies latent within himself, but is being spread to the girls