Winter Chicken Care - Killed My Girl With Kindness

[Molly77]

I want to share this because I'm a new chicken keeper, and in all the stuff I've read and all the videos I've watched, no one has mentioned this issue. I have 6 Buff Orps in their first winter. I'm in upstate NY and the weather has been brutally cold for 2 mos. I have seen a lot of posts here and on the Reddit sub recommending upping chickens' caloric intake in extreme cold. I started feeding my girls 3-4 scrambled eggs and a few fresh blueberries every few days about 3 weeks ago to augment their diet and put resources back in, because they didn't molt and were still laying heavily.

3 days ago I found one dead in the run. Since H5N1 is up here, I got an autopsy from my livestock vet. My girl died of a hemorrhage from fatty liver. My vet told me the last 4 necropsies on sudden hen death she has done were all fatty liver. She said it's a very bad idea to feed them more when they are mostly locked in a run and not getting a lot of exercise. My vet recommended gradually stepping down their feed so they don't die. Just want to add this to the knowledge base.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Aside from predators, fatty liver is a primary cause of death in a lot of laying hens. I would not think you feeding them blue berries and scrambled eggs for 3 weeks would cause a drastic change leading to her death. The lack of exercise due to the miserable conditions is more likely at play here, she may very well have died even without the extra treats.

I agree with stoping with the treats for now but I would also look at the feed you give them. Put hands on your remaining birds and see if they seem too plump. Some breeds are just more prone to liver issues too.

Here’s to hoping spring comes quickly! My birds are currently huddled under their coop to stay out of the wind. Luckily it looks like next week we will be above freezing, even at night (for a little while anyways).

 

[U_Stormcrow]

As Demeter says above, fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome is not a short term pathology. You need to look at what you've been feeding your chickens over the long period as well. Yes, excess dietary energy plus restricted movement will accelerate the progress of the disease - but it's typically a consequence of longer term imbalance.

 

[K0k0shka]

Orpingtons are very prone to obesity and related problems like fatty liver, more so than other breeds. So one needs to be extra careful with them. Have you been feeding them any other treats besides the eggs and blueberries? The usual culprits are corn and other scratch grains, which are very caloric but offer very little else in terms of nutrition. They should be fed very sparingly. A lot of people believe in the myths of feeding chickens corn in the winter to "heat them up", and do a lot of harm that way, putting them on the path of fatty liver and death. Or they feed them other caloric foods thinking it helps in the winter. It doesn't. Their poultry feed is enough, they don't need anything else - especially in the winter with restricted movement, and especially breeds that are already susceptible.