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Urgent Help Please! This Spider Killed 2 Chickens Already!

post #1 of 22
7/13/12 at 11:29pm
Thread Starter 

I live in Northern Thailand and over the last 3 weeks we have had two chickens - hen and now my only rooster - die suddenly.  Both had following symptoms...sudden paralysis, sleepiness, not eating, gasping for breath and then death.  From paralysis till death took about 6-8 hours.  Both chickens had eaten this spider, the rooster being found dead with the spider crushed inside his mouth. The hen was seen to eat and swallow the entire spider.

 

I need URGENT help please in identifying this spider.  I only have 3 hens left and I'd like to prevent their deaths.  Can someone please help me?  I don't know if there might be an antidote available or not.  I'd need to know what I'm dealing with first.  I did take my hen to the vets here and they took blood tests which indicated avian malaria.  However, as both chickens have eaten this spider and died within the day I'm suspicious that the spider might be more the culprit (I don't know the 'load' of the malaria in the chickens blood but assume it has to be fairly high to cause death).  All chickens are very very healthy, including the remaining 3.  The rooster had a blood red comb right up till death.

 

All help/advice appreciated.  

 

Photo below of spider.

 

Spider.jpg

~ Angela

Wife to a FANTASTIC husband, Mum to 11 kids, carer of 7 rabbits, 6 chickens, 5 cats and 2 talking Lovebirds  

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~ Angela

Wife to a FANTASTIC husband, Mum to 11 kids, carer of 7 rabbits, 6 chickens, 5 cats and 2 talking Lovebirds  

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post #2 of 22
7/13/12 at 11:40pm

I can't help you with identification...but I'm sorry for your loss.

I would never have that spider touching my hand! That thing is huge!!!

Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.
---John Wooden

 

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Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.
---John Wooden

 

Royal Palm Turkeys * Appenzeller Spitzhauben *

 

Feel free to join us at.....

Oregon Homesteaders Classifieds

 

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post #3 of 22
7/13/12 at 11:52pm
Omg!! That thing is HUGE! Hope someone will help you out.
I would not touch that even if they pay me. It seems your used to it.
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post #4 of 22
7/14/12 at 5:50am

Do you have a local college or university in your country? If so, see if they have a bug and insect section, entomology dept.  then call and ask them if you sent a body of one of those spiders to them, would they be willing to look at it for you. That may be a place to start. Have you talked to your neighbors who also have chickens? Do they know what it may be?
 

We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." - Immanuel_Kant
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We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." - Immanuel_Kant
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post #5 of 22
7/14/12 at 10:19am

It is the bird eating spider!!!hide.gif

 

gig.gif

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post #6 of 22
7/15/12 at 1:49am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for your replies.  The hand holding the spider is that of my 8 year old daughter.  Nothing much fazes her!

 

I will ask around, but I don't know that anyone can tell me the name in the English language.  The scientific name would be good to know and then I could google search it.  Anyone here know the scientific name for this beast?  It would appear to have 4 eyes.  The one in the photo is only a baby one.  Usually they are a little bigger.

 

Many thanks for your help.

~ Angela

Wife to a FANTASTIC husband, Mum to 11 kids, carer of 7 rabbits, 6 chickens, 5 cats and 2 talking Lovebirds  

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~ Angela

Wife to a FANTASTIC husband, Mum to 11 kids, carer of 7 rabbits, 6 chickens, 5 cats and 2 talking Lovebirds  

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post #7 of 22
7/15/12 at 2:46am

my goodness that spider is enormous ihavent herd of it i would never have that thing on my hand

(i hate spiders!!)i am very sorry for your loss that is such a shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hit.gifhugs.gif

My focussed breed of chook:

belgian d'uccle

 

My focussed breed of duck:

call ducks

 

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My focussed breed of chook:

belgian d'uccle

 

My focussed breed of duck:

call ducks

 

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post #8 of 22
7/15/12 at 6:27am
Thread Starter 

"Brown Huntsman" (Heteropoda Venatoria).   After much searching online I think I may have discovered the species of spider in my photo above.  Are there any spider experts here please who could confirm this?

 

Also, if a chicken was to eat this spider would it cause paralysis, heaving breathing and then death within 6-8 hours?

 

Many thanks.  

~ Angela

Wife to a FANTASTIC husband, Mum to 11 kids, carer of 7 rabbits, 6 chickens, 5 cats and 2 talking Lovebirds  

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~ Angela

Wife to a FANTASTIC husband, Mum to 11 kids, carer of 7 rabbits, 6 chickens, 5 cats and 2 talking Lovebirds  

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post #9 of 22
7/17/12 at 3:47am

Gday Angela,  No, not a spider expert but we have swags of what has always been called "Huntsman".   They look/sound the same as yours.

They grow to 200mm/8" dia, and will jump on you if you upset them.

Although they have a mild venom, I have never heard of them causing any more than a mild irratation.   My chickens peck them to pieces and then gobble them up,  have done for many years.

 

Cheers...........The Dog

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post #10 of 22
7/17/12 at 5:54am

We have them here and i have seen my chickens eat them and they are still laying eggs and crowing.

here is one in a tree by one of my ponds, it has been in this tree a week moving from place to place, guess there is good hunting in that tree.

huntsman.jpg

“You can’t really begin to appreciate life until it has knocked you down a few times. You can’t really begin to appreciate love until your heart has been broken. And you can’t really begin to appreciate happiness until you’ve known sadness. Once you’ve walked through the valley, the view from the mountaintop is breathtaking"

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“You can’t really begin to appreciate life until it has knocked you down a few times. You can’t really begin to appreciate love until your heart has been broken. And you can’t really begin to appreciate happiness until you’ve known sadness. Once you’ve walked through the valley, the view from the mountaintop is breathtaking"

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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Predators and Pests › Urgent Help Please! This Spider Killed 2 Chickens Already!