Wisconsin "Cheeseheads" - Page 1763

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Originally Posted by BlackBrookPoultry 

Someone called the store today about 2 hens that suddenly died. She had recently switched them to the Purina omega 3 feed because they were starting to lay. She was also mixing grit in with their feed. She found 2 dead recently and one had blood on its butt feathers. My first thought was coccidiosis or prolapse. I told her not to mix the grit in the food, just offer free choice and to give an antibiotic in the water. Any other ideas?

If she has Cocci she needs to give Sulmet.  Even if it is not cocci, Sulmet won't hurt.  It's a good all around medication to give if your not quite sure what is running through the flock. Cocci usually does not kill an adult chicken that fast.  They get punkie and unthirifty first.  Were her hens acting funny before the died? I'm leaning to have her treat her flock for Cocci.

 If she had prolapsed I would think that she could actually see the prolapse-more then likely. 

Honestly, I doubt that the grit mixed with the feed is the culprit.  A lot of people mix the two and have no ill effects but it is less expensive to free feed grit because you can give small amounts as needed. I agree, I would recommend to free feed grit too.  

Per DH: There could be a possibility that there was a sharp piece of grit that lacerated an intestine but I am not sure it could get that far since it had to travel through the crop into the gizzard and then into the intestine.  

Another possiblity could be rat or mouse poison?  Usually they bleed out the mouth and eyes too, but not always.

If she still had the birds you? She? could always post them and see what was going on inside.  From what I understand, normally they bleed internally with cocci so that sign may be similar to a lacerated intestine.

I'm not sure if this helped but those are the ideas  Dh and I came up with....

Hi all=good evening!  Pork roast and squash are in the oven.  I am also going to slice up some yukon gold potatoes and fry them with some green, red and yellow peppers that need to be used up...not sure yet on the green veggie....maybe peas. No one is home yet so I have a bit of time to think.

BBP--how old were the hens?  Many folks have luck with their birs living to 103 years old ;) but some times 2-3 year olds just die!  I have had several that have done that with no signs of anything being wrong...maybe a slightly closed eye for a day but not too much else. Kind of a bad idea to use an antibiotic willy-nilly (IMHO) I kind of like to use something made for the symptoms and if the only symptom is that they are dead...well?

Everything is good here today...that goat still did not kid!  I asked her if she is just FAT?  She didnt give me an answer--I think she likes being in the maternity stall and getting treats and such!  Plus no boys to "bother" her! The ducks that Carol brought over...she was right!  The chocolate muskovy flew right out and the other two are staying in the pen.  I think I will move them in with the rest of the young ducks tomorrow.  I also think I am going to either take all the ros I want to use this year and pen them together or take all the hens I want to use and pen THEM together. The only ones I have separated so far are the Black Aussies and the striped ones...with striped roos! (many different striped ones!)  Even my blues Ams have black AMs and a Phoenix roo that can get to them...I need to find info on blue birds...I have several different kinds and am not sure what to breed to what?  Anyone know...?

Well I dont want this post to to "too long" per FT...so I guess I will sign off and cut up some potatoes...Have a great night!  TErri O

Amy, first time trying this but here are a couple pics of the Langshan pullets taken today, I think they are around 10 months old

and another

until I get the separated it's hard to tell who lays what for eggs, but I am getting 1 or 2 lg/exlrg lavender(kinda/sorta) colored eggs a day. I think the one with the least feathers on legs drops a medium light brown egg caught a wet one in her nest box awhile back The blue green coloring doesn't show well think it's the camera dealing with the **** snow,,,lol

Not sure of the weight on them,,,need to figure out how to do that

Beauties! i just love their U-shape, and the feathered feet. I bet they have a green sheen just like my Sumatra, she can be quite vivid in the sunlight. When I have to weigh birds, I put them in a small box then weigh them on a digital kitchen scale. Be sure to tare the scale first.

hi again, the goslings went in with the big geese tonight,,  I got the tractor going and took a whole bucket of fresh wood chips and spread then in the guinea coop where the geese lay.. 1 bucket = 8 wheelbarrows..

just what are you feeding as "grit" that it matters what it costs, more or less?  If you feel that you have to feed grit, give them sand..  and if you happen to live where there is absolutely no sand, you can buy bags of it or a bucket of it from any sand and gravel company..  It does not have to say "GRIT" on the bag..  I believe there is sand in the granulated feed..

I do not believe that a chicken is capable of passing anything large enough or sharp enough out of their gizzard to do harm to the intestine.. they can swallow pieces of glass and polish it until the edges are round..  I have found shingle nails in goose gizzards..

are you sure that it was chicken blood ??  not maybe blood from worms ??

I am putting my money on rat poison..

.............jiminwisc.............

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amyable 

Beauties! i just love their U-shape, and the feathered feet. I bet they have a green sheen just like my Sumatra, she can be quite vivid in the sunlight. When I have to weigh birds, I put them in a small box then weigh them on a digital kitchen scale. Be sure to tare the scale first.

as long as you have the chicken in you hands anyhow, just step onto the bathroom scale .. 

Hey Jim, about those brooder pens of yours, instead of making them smaller, couldn't you put the doors in the middle so they would each slide toward the sides/ends? Then the birds couldn't run to the opposite side away from you. 

Raim, once upon a time I used to have my rabbits in big cages like Jim's brooders. We threw a sheet of that black rubber roofing stuff over the cage for winter. It kept the wind & rain out and attracted the suns heat. Worked great. That stuff is heavy, so you need a really strong framed cage, though.

Cind, good for you on cutting down on the smokes! That is one tough battle, I know. You can do it! 

Quote:

No kidding, Amy. Especially when I thought she said she was bringing him home to live with her.     

Apyl, hope your chicks come real soon for you.

Trying to watch the race here, so I'm gonna post this before I lose it. What is up with these dumb networks anyway? They hype up a big half way payout for whoever is leading the race, so what do they do? Go to a commercial!!!!!! 

TO a 103 yr old Chicken !!! LOL for a minute I thought you were talking about parrots because I read your post before BBP's !!!

I have grit mixed in with my milss mix, because of winter and all of my silkie pens I don't want to have to add extra grit cups in each pen. I don't think that is the problem either. I can see if maybe one got a sharp piece, but not all of them that died.

I'd say sounds like cocci too. If their living conditions are damp cocci is a very likely culprit. I've read about adult chickens that have died of cocci. Actually the affect of damaged intestines from having cocci as chicks. Once it's in your soil it can live for years (103 TO lol)

Unkadan, does Bill live at the Lodge? I didn't see any chicken coops. He must live some place else hey?

Here are some pictures of the lodge.

I missed the turn and had to take Hwy K all the way to the lodge. About 15 miles of this !!!

View from the lodge of Star Lake

Valentine Tree

Yup, now I need a box to hold a big$ss chicken,,,got the digital farm scale

grit was $10/50# 4 months and 25 birds have used maybe 6 cups,,,,should last for years