2 chickens died, emaciated, green poop, help please for cause

[madornato]

Valsey, I spoke with a girl at the poultry diagnostics lab at University of Georgia. She told me that the Georgia labs do the same tests and have the same procedures as they do, just at a cheaper price. Before that I had left a message for a Dr. Davis at one of the Georgia labs--I'll have to listen to my voice mail message to get his phone # again and where he is located. He called me back at 5:30 today and couldn't get me so left a message. He said the same thing as you said--double-bag the dead chicken and put on ice, then send in. I'll have to call for mailing instructions. He did not say it was free--it would be really nice if they didn't charge me anything. Unfortunately, my chicken had been dead too long by the time I heard from him--too much decomp. already. I'll just have to wait to see if I lose another--keeping my fingers crossed I won't have to call him back. Thanks so much for the info. Who did you deal with at the Georgia labs?

Carrlr, about the ACV--how many days do you have to give it to be effective? Also, in your opinion, how often should I do it? Thanks for the help. I'll look for that brand of ACV at GNC or somewhere like that. I'd rather do natural things, if I have the option.

Thanks to all.

 

[spook]

Quote:
I have had birds do this and have come to the conclusion that it was genetic for mine. Ours did survive after giving her a good dose of Neomycin (off label and a harsh antibiotic) and then went to Duramycin (sp) but I had to dip her beak in, lift her head up, and continued the antibiotic,electrolytes, and yogurt. I'm not saying you have my issues, but she stood up, wings drooped and head flopped on the floor. She came out of it ate everything in site. She is a mutt bird and is fine.
Good luck, this is a terrible thing and I hope you find an answer soon. None of my other birds have done that, and she is in the middle of 17 other birds that are our layers.

 

[jerseygirl1]

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[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

If it was just one chicken, i would say perhaps some type of liver damage, perhaps liver cancer. Bright green poop means they aren't processing their food. With multiple deaths in a flock i would think it is something contagious, and my hunch would be Avian Leukosis. It is caused by a retrovirus and creates a cancer in the body, extensive damage to all organs and tissues, and results in a wasting away, severe emaciation. The chickens will continue eating up until the last day or so but the food isn't being processed and their internal organs are dying. They eventually die. It can be spread vertically through hatching eggs, or through exposure to infected chickens, or even through certain types of beetles or bugs. There is a very long incubation period, so you can have it in your flock and not know it for a while. i read here that there is a blood test you can do on your chickens to see if they are positive, but don't have anymore information on that. There are a number of threads here on Avian Leukosis. Try a search function on it to get better information from more knowledgeable folk.

i sure hope it isn't that and you find an answer soon.

 

[carrlr]

Quote:
I recommend it as a preventative. Although some have used it as a de-wormer with sucess. I prefer to be natural as well. Other than medicated chick feed, mine have not received any "medicine". You can use ACV all the time. One a site note, it acually will keep algea from forming in stock tanks. Remember non-metalic waterers only. Search for it on this site for others perspectives.

 

[carrlr]

Quote:
I would think this would be something even the untrained eye could see!!!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

carrlr, yes, you can tell as the disease progresses and they get towards the end of their lives. Just like cancer in people. They may look fine until the cancer progresses to the point where it is impairing body functions. But with chickens, they tend to hide any illnesses as a defensive technique. They puff up, try to act normal. i can't tell you how many posts i've read of people saying they picked up their chicken and were surprised to find they were emaciated, and the keel bone sticking out. Plus, the Avian Leukosis can have such a long incubation period, sometimes up to six months. So you can have a sick chicken and not know it - sick with this or any manner of other illnesses.

i was just trying to provide valuable information to the OP or any other chicken owner on this thread that Avian Leukosis is a possibility when you have a bird that is emaciated and eventually dies from unknown causes. It's not only important to keep a close eye on your birds but to handle them as much as possible to check for any abnormalities.

 

[carrlr]

Colleen, I'm sorry I didn't mean that wrong. I think you are providing valuable information to the OP and to me too. I was just thinking out loud I guess. By untrained eye, I meant myself and would definately think of Avian Leukosis now if I come across those items I bolded in your post. Chickens are unbelievably able to hide any illness sometimes to their own demise. I too believe it's a defensive measure. Thanks!!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Well, i hadn't even heard of Avian Leukosis until recently. i'm shocked at how many different (scary) things that chickens can contract, even if one is super careful with biosecurity. When diseases and viruses can crawl in on a beetle or worm or mouse, or fly in on a wild bird, there is just so much to fret about. Just when i think i've heard of most chicken diseases, i read about another. i used to think that predators like raccoons and such were the biggest issues. Now it seems those can be the least of the worries of a chicken owner.

Anyhow, no offense taken at all.

 

[PoultryPedia]

This is an old thread, but wanted to add this info in case someone needs it later:

Fungal infections in the digestive system can cause birds to slowly starve to death. These generally come from eating moldy food or bedding.

There is some info on treating these on the "Fungal Infections" page on my PoultryPedia.com website.