Aging hens, 2.5 years, and it is hot out. sick or not?

Gypsi

Crowing
13 Years
Mar 20, 2010
925
171
306
North Texas - chickens 10 yrs
My 2.5 year old hens are aging, one apparently healthy production red dropped dead last week, a little shy about coming out of run to free range one day, dead the next. All my PR's have quit laying, not really moulting but I suspect they are winding down. Now the still - laying Americauna's the reds were in with are not looking as healthy. no sneezing, but the one americauna who is sleeping in the coop instead of on the roost in the run is drinking a lot of water, and her stool is mainly clear like water with just some solidish green and white. Feed is Layena supplemented with a handful of black oil sunflower seeds, water fairly clean most of the time (not perfect but only 3 hens in their run now. I kicked the production red old girls out to the old lady's pen on the lot as they were pecking americauna heads)
So stress might have been an initial problem. Will look for some vitamins and electrolytes and get in all water containers in all pens.

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It has been very very hot here I just went out and all 3 americaunas are perky this morning in the cool. After the production red hen died I quit giving them scratch with their BOSS, afraid that the corn contributed to her issues. (layena is served in a bowl in the coop the crumble and it stays dry and clean and easy for me to see how full it is) Anyway they weren't all that interested in the BOSS. So I tossed in a handful of scratch, i mean if they are dying anyway it can't hurt them much, and they went after the scratch like wildfire.

So I am thinking what is wrong with my Americaunas might have been some stress from the PR's,but a lot of it was not eating enough due to their preferences. They win. Going to see if I can get some non GMO or organic feed that they will like to take off the ground today. And I will get some ACV in their waterer and their "duck pan" (cat litter box they can drink from and/or cool their feet in) along with clean water.

definitely not coccidiosis, I searched the files.
 
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I think I wormed them in their first year, the product I used isn't really considered safe on chickens, so no I have not wormed them since. I didn't plan on using this stuff on birds again. I may go to an inspected flock for egg production next time I have chicken so these girls are just winding their way down. I used the only thing the feed store had: Wazine. I won't use it again - I get about 3 eggs a day from 9 old birds, don't feel like throwing the eggs away, if I worm I guess I process for chicken jerky for the dogs 4 weeks later.
 
I really don't want to slaughter them. The wazine wormer is safe for birds for meat as long as 4 weeks elapses between worming and slaughter. It is not considered safe for egg laying hens. Because I wormed when they were young I have not felt right selling my eggs.

I just had to kill the roo for flying at me claws out, instead of his former chest bump. he is in the pressure cooker. If this bunch has to be slaughtered they are going to a processor, and the meat really isn't going to be worth anything, they are not young dogs don't desperately need jerky either
 

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