One of our gals just died :(

[Dan B]

So a little history....

Last spring (in April) we started our first flock. We bought two RIR's and two Barred Rocks. One of the RIR's was went missing so we bought another one. This summer was a hot one and egg production really fell off in July, and August. The BR's started Molting in late August and by September the eggs slowed down to one every couple of days. In mid October we wormed them and about two week later the eggs totally stopped. One of the RIR's started molting in early November and is just now finishing up. The newest had yet to molt but when we got her she looked as if she had recently went through a molt.

So anyways....we wormed our four gals in October and all was fine. So on November 15tt we bought a bigger coop and ending up getting two more gals (Amerucaunas) from the guy we bought the coop from. Of course the old gals and the new gals did not like each other and they fought for the first few days we had them together but after 3 days they starting tolerating each other. They even sleep side by side each other in the coop at night. Then about 3 days ago my wife told me that one of the BR's was acting sluggish. Back in the summer we had a couple do this and just gave them electrolytes and all was OK so that's what she did this time. Today she tells me that the sick one is not coming out of the coop and is very week. She was going out and giving her electrolytes every couple of hours and making sure she as ok. Then about 11am she went out for the routine and while holding the sick gal in her lap she died. She looked healthy body wise. Her weight was good and just 4-5 days ago she was running around like nothing was wrong. He comb was scaly looking and a little pale compared to the others but other than that she was normal looking.

My daughter is very sad over it because she treats them like pets. I feel bad because I've been so busy and I just didn't think she was that bad to worry about it. Now I'm worried if it might be something that is possibly transmittable to the other gals. There are no real signs to tell me what it was other than a pale scaly comb. Does anyone know what I might be dealing with? I'm hoping it was just a sick chicken...and nothing more serious. Non of the others are showing any signs. I'm just wondering if the "no eggs" since late October is tied in with this. I think it just because of the winter time (less light). I do not light the coop for extended light bu you would think that out of 6 hens we would be getting at least two eggs a day?

Any ideas or thoughts? I'm pretty much clueless

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I'm sorry to hear about your hen

What I can answer is that you may not get any eggs until spring. I don't provide supplemental light either and am getting no eggs.

I'm not sure about the scaley comb. My girl's combs became pale with their molt. My neighbor told me, the other day, that her friend lost a bird because the liver burst from plopping down from too high a perch. I had not heard of that, and can't attest to it's veracity, but thought I'd throw that out there.

Generally, people recommend quarantining new birds for 30 days prior to introducing them to the current flock, but don't know if that was a factor. Do they appear healthy?

 

[Dan B]

Yeah the new ones are very healthy looking and had been wormed. I do wonder if they could have brought something with them from the hens they were in the coop with previously.