- Apr 21, 2010
- 308
- 5
- 241
Hi everyone,
I have been having a heck of a time with my chickens since this summer. I'll try to summarize the events and get to the last point which is the title of the post. If you don't want to read the lengthy details, skip to the last two paragraphs.
During the summer I got a group of chicks from a hatchery that my silkie hen adopted and raised. At around 3-4 weeks old, we had a red mite infestation in our coop. I really struggled to get rid of them with multiple treatments of Elector PSP. I gave up on that product and got Permethrine and it worked in one treatment. I did the recommended 2nd dose anyway. I think the mites have caused some lasting damage to this particular group of chicks. For example, I got two blue silkies in that order and one is normal 19 week old size and the other is still the size of a six week old (same mom hatched eggs and I currently have two six week olds but the older silkie is their size and acts their age). I started with 11 chicks in that group and now have 6 left.
Unrelated probably, I have had multiple hens develop wry neck and ultimately die. I have treated them for worms. I have treated them for coccidiosis. I give them vitamins. I don't know what else to do. One would get sick and die. Then another. Then another. It was one at a time. I currently have a pullet that is acting the same way as the hens did before dying. Not able to move properly. Doing a belly crawl. Puffed up feathers. I have isolated her. Everything I read says coccidiosis though many chicken illnesses seem to have very similar symptoms. She has not developed wry neck yet.
Back to my summer chicks. Fast forward to today. On Oct 20, my golden laced Polish became extremely lethargic. She was on the brink of death. While inside, we discovered she had round worms. I dewormed her immediately. We put a heater on her and shockingly she came out of it. But she did have wry neck. She has been my house chicken ever since - so 5 weeks now. Understandably, we have become extremely attached to her. She's been doing incredibly well with treatment. It's been a slow process and I have been giving her time outside with my younger group of chicks. They have gotten along great. No picking that I could tell.
She was out with them today and since it was dark, I wanted to bring her inside for the night. I was watching her through the window and she looked great. She had a very good appetite. She was always eating. When I opened the coop, she wouldn't come to me so I had to crawl inside and grab her. As I was backing out of the small door, she started to fidget and I noticed her neck twisting (which it hasn't been doing lately). I was surprised and heard gurgling and when I looked at her there was blood coming out of her mouth. I made it inside and she'd spit up what I'd call a long, skinny blood clot. I was like, is this a worm? But I don't think so. It was thick blood. She was still spitting up blood and she died in my arms. This is new and has not happened with any of my other birds.
So my question is, what would cause this? I know she and her hatch mates didn't have a good start and they've all struggled. I feel like we had a lot of things going on this year and I have lost quite a few birds since the summer. I already know I should send in for a necropsy. But I am looking for experienced chicken keepers' opinions. I have posted on FB vet groups numerous times over the course of these illnesses so if you're over there, you may have seen some of this journey as it happened.
I have been having a heck of a time with my chickens since this summer. I'll try to summarize the events and get to the last point which is the title of the post. If you don't want to read the lengthy details, skip to the last two paragraphs.
During the summer I got a group of chicks from a hatchery that my silkie hen adopted and raised. At around 3-4 weeks old, we had a red mite infestation in our coop. I really struggled to get rid of them with multiple treatments of Elector PSP. I gave up on that product and got Permethrine and it worked in one treatment. I did the recommended 2nd dose anyway. I think the mites have caused some lasting damage to this particular group of chicks. For example, I got two blue silkies in that order and one is normal 19 week old size and the other is still the size of a six week old (same mom hatched eggs and I currently have two six week olds but the older silkie is their size and acts their age). I started with 11 chicks in that group and now have 6 left.
Unrelated probably, I have had multiple hens develop wry neck and ultimately die. I have treated them for worms. I have treated them for coccidiosis. I give them vitamins. I don't know what else to do. One would get sick and die. Then another. Then another. It was one at a time. I currently have a pullet that is acting the same way as the hens did before dying. Not able to move properly. Doing a belly crawl. Puffed up feathers. I have isolated her. Everything I read says coccidiosis though many chicken illnesses seem to have very similar symptoms. She has not developed wry neck yet.
Back to my summer chicks. Fast forward to today. On Oct 20, my golden laced Polish became extremely lethargic. She was on the brink of death. While inside, we discovered she had round worms. I dewormed her immediately. We put a heater on her and shockingly she came out of it. But she did have wry neck. She has been my house chicken ever since - so 5 weeks now. Understandably, we have become extremely attached to her. She's been doing incredibly well with treatment. It's been a slow process and I have been giving her time outside with my younger group of chicks. They have gotten along great. No picking that I could tell.
She was out with them today and since it was dark, I wanted to bring her inside for the night. I was watching her through the window and she looked great. She had a very good appetite. She was always eating. When I opened the coop, she wouldn't come to me so I had to crawl inside and grab her. As I was backing out of the small door, she started to fidget and I noticed her neck twisting (which it hasn't been doing lately). I was surprised and heard gurgling and when I looked at her there was blood coming out of her mouth. I made it inside and she'd spit up what I'd call a long, skinny blood clot. I was like, is this a worm? But I don't think so. It was thick blood. She was still spitting up blood and she died in my arms. This is new and has not happened with any of my other birds.
So my question is, what would cause this? I know she and her hatch mates didn't have a good start and they've all struggled. I feel like we had a lot of things going on this year and I have lost quite a few birds since the summer. I already know I should send in for a necropsy. But I am looking for experienced chicken keepers' opinions. I have posted on FB vet groups numerous times over the course of these illnesses so if you're over there, you may have seen some of this journey as it happened.
