Starting to wonder if it’s me…

[kurby22]

In the past 7 days I’ve lost two chickens and now a third one is acting like he doesn’t feel well. I have been through the ringer of chicken illnesses and I’m starting to wonder if I’m just not meant to have chickens :-( I just love them and hate that I can’t keep them healthy all the sudden. :-(

I made the fatal error of thinking that since if gotten chickens from a breeder once and they were healthy, that the next chickens would be too. I was new and naive and am paying the price I guess. :-( Back in August I added two pullets, and one was very ill, although I just thought she was irritated by the heavy smoky air and hot weather. Well she gave my entire flock MG and Infectious Bronchitis Virus and ever since I have had some issue or another and it just makes me cry knowing I did this to them. Since the first really cold wet day in late October they have all been sneezy and sounded a bit congested. About two weeks after the first rain, one of my chickens appeared to have an impacted crop, so we went to the vet and got meds and after about a week it was gone but another one had an impacted crop too. And at the same time as the second impacted crop, another chicken popped up with a lump on her face that turned into a bunch of lumps on her neck and face. Then several of my other chickens got dry pox. So, I called the vet and she recommended I treat the crop issue the same way and put them all on a round of Enrofloxacin just in case of a recurrence of MG. So they all went on two weeks of antibiotics per vet recommendation and I kept an eye on the lumps and dry pox. Well the impacted crop never got better and I had to put Brad down, and then two days later I found the one with lumps barely alive in the chicken run, and she passed away a day later. Fast forward to today and another one of my chickens is acting puffed up and a bit lethargic. Again after a very big rain event. No one has bloody poop or alarmingly colored poop, but the puffed up chickens poop was a bit runny today. Most of the chickens with dry pox appear to be getting past it and everyone has an appetite. Fluff the puffed up one also has a bit of a pale comb…should I treat for coccidiosis? Despite the lack of bloody poop? Could the runny poop and lethargy be a sign? They’re all also getting thru molting so they’re a bit run down to begin with.

They have plenty of space, a protected run, a well ventilated coop, they stayed dry yesterday during the storm, they are on Bar Ale chick started still just to keep their feed and protein higher while molting, and I give them some probiotics after their antibiotics treatments. I feel like I’ve done all the things I’m supposed to do for them, but they’re still getting sick. I know getting IBV at 8 weeks old is probably part of the issue…and I can’t change that. Am I just going to have to expect all of the ones that were young to slowly die off due to compromised immune systems? :-(

 

[ChickenLeg]

Id treat with a round of corid, the rainy times is when it tends to pop up in my birds. Sorry for your struggles, we all learn as we go! Do you have a large flock?

 

[kurby22]

Id treat with a round of corid, the rainy times is when it tends to pop up in my birds. Sorry for your struggles, we all learn as we go! Do you have a large flock?

That’s good to know. I figured that the cold weather and wet ground was part of the problem. They all handled 110 degree weather but rain seems to have them all out of sorts. The one that seems sick now is one of my Ameraucanas so I’m extra sad and worried. I love them so much :-( I don’t have a huge flock, but it’s not really small either—I had 19, now 17. It’s a mixed flock with 6 bantams and all 8 months or younger. I will start them on Corid and hope that solves things. Thanks for the advice!

 

[ChickenLeg]

Its hard to start over once youve bonded with your flock. Ive never had disease problems outside or cocci, worms, and mites which are all easy to treat. Ive had respitory infections in 3 birds ever 1 got better I culled the other 2 but never a flock wide problem. I wish you the best of luck healing them. Have you considered starting off fresh, or are you too far bonded with them?

 

[kurby22]

Its hard to start over once youve bonded with your flock. Ive never had disease problems outside or cocci, worms, and mites which are all easy to treat. Ive had respitory infections in 3 birds ever 1 got better I culled the other 2 but never a flock wide problem. I wish you the best of luck healing them. Have you considered starting off fresh, or are you too far bonded with them?

Yeah, I’m way too far into bonding to start over :-( I guess whoever survives is going to be strong right? My daughter would NEVER forgive me if I culled and started over. The original sickly bird is still kicking, but seemed a bit run down tonight too. They all look a bit thin, so I’m realllllly hoping this is the answer.

 

[Banana01]

I used to feel the same but once you have the experience you will figure out your own medicines and treatments, and your feeding and watering. Enrofloxina will be in your eggs for two weeks and anyone who eats them will be taking in a potent antibiotic. If you raise chickens for pet companionship, there is no reason to cull as they can live with MG. But if you raise for eggs to eat or sell, then culling may be ideal.

I raise for pets and I treat for MG and coryza with enrofloxina whenever the eyes start to bubble, and I have had little problem with MG.

I didnt see anything in your thread about deworming treatments. Worms lead to immune system compromise and the pox and infections thrive on a host with worms. I always deworm and have found the appropriate ages and times through practice. I have not lost one to pox since checking for worms earlier and treating.

Impacted crop is easy to fix if it is caused by your food and water. Try to hand feed water and loosen the food. With experience maybe you can eliminate impacted crop deaths, that is prevemtable with a more variety of feed shapes, and maybe putting more water dishes near to where they eat so they drink more.

All your problems are beatable with experience and unfortunately deaths.

 

[Shezadandy]

The other thing to think about with the crop impactions is that the crop is one of the last things that stops working before they die of something else, so the impactions may be secondary and not really treatable. Here's a good link to sour crop treatment just in case the crop issues are primary problems and therefore treatable. Also x2 on trying worming medicine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

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