Help, everything is going wrong, a little history of my multi problems- aquired chickens for 8weeks - 1yr. old 10 weeks ago. 24 total different types from swaps and individuals ( yes I NOW know stupid idea), problems are numerous, each time I think we are finally over something a new condition arises. To start my kids wants to chickens for 4 h projects, so this is haw we started ,2 chickens a seabright hen and rooster purchased from an indivual that stated he was changing to the goldens and no longer needed the silvers, so kids felt sorry for there poor living conditions which consisted of a 2x3 graveled pen with no house and food and water bowls empty ( and about 30 dogs chained or penned up all over the yard barking like mad. I did ask if they were healthy and why the hens wing feathers looked tea stained ,response was from the roo mounting her, seemed logical. I did notice chickens in a pen that were sneezing in a pen adjacent. So Brought home JAckson and Marie and made the a nice comfy area until their outdoor digs were complete. Then purchased 4 more chickens from an individual with upwards of to 150 free range (all NPIP), so go a dot,approx. 1 year ,a brown leghorn approx. 8 months old, blue spash maran and cuckoo maran both not laying yet to start laying in OCT./Novemeber. They all meet and no problems, then went to 2 swaps and pick up all the rest up to total 24 in all. They all live in a 8 x 1`2 shed with a 12 by 15 run and have free range access during the day, to a large farm with a couple of horse 10 cats and numerous cattle in a feeding operation right out there back door. So here is where it starts to turn sour in our storybook. About a month of them living happily together a few squacks here and there and getting 3 eggs a day, Only one from the little seabright hen on day 2 of her arrival, but doing research knew they only lay about 40-50 eggs a year so we felt like we were doing good. Then for the last month it has been a nightmare of illness. First a little brahma that was 14 weeks old and when purchased was missing tail feathers but prev. owner assured was getting picked on by older flock members and would come out of it once was less stressed but other bramha was full feathered and both appeared healthy except feather missing part. He showed up dead by feeder in coop her coop was empty and we just thought stress was to much, next day a diffent seabright hen dead in almost exact same spot, we checked all chickens day prior after finding dead one they were all eating and drinking ( we had a check list ), Some said oh probably worms, so got wormer and wormed all, and started on duramycin from the local farm supply store just to be on the safe side. 3 days later another brahma (the healthy one looked terrible over night so we moved her to a seperate area ( se was not a pullet that liked to picked up or have much human interaction but we kept pher alive for another 36 hours she rapidly when down hill and did not respond to meds, her eyes in the end were the infected gooey no real nasal drainage but did alot of the gasping for air and ruffled feather appearance. So I thought maybe should get some stronger anti biotics to keep on hand , Then our Roo was sick next AM not bad but upset about last 3 deaths so determined to save our dear Jackson, so in he moved to sick bay, Spoke with peter brown from first vet and followed his suggestions and with oxytet now in water and La200 and nasal flushing and eye cleaning and feeding him oatmeal and babyfood and various other thing he pulled through 2 weeks away from the girls but back to normal other than a slight sneeze. now most recently our black frizzle was dead in PM when came home from school and a Cochin has been seperated to the sick bay with her neck twisted up and won't eat doesn't seem to repond to meds afraid we are going to make her choke ehen trying to get her to eat. By this time I am in tears wonding how in the world We can have this bad of luck, being a nurse in school setting, I feel terrible for my kids that are losing their feathered friends quickly. Now the just told the roos eyes are yucky again Help losing my mind along with these chickens, I now realize we should not have mixed so many from various places and that people will lie to a child for $3 and tell them their chickens are healthy and explain away all the warning signs, So I will go bakc out and doctor our sick chickens, and pray from someone to give us some guidance. I need advice any at this point have tried to find some super smart chicken wrangler in out area but no luck, can't even find anyone that can point me towards a glimmer of hope. My nephews have had chickens for about 8 years and don't give my flock much hope but they also don't believe in saving the sick. I have sevral issues that kinda give me red flags now but feel like all disease in the chicken world mine have had some of the symptoms to. so here is a list of various symptoms our chickens have had maybe just one or a couple of the chickens showed these, sneezing, watery eyes, bubbling /foamy eyes, stuck shut eyes, oh roo lost his cock a doodle do for about 4 days, thea gasping for breath, now the twisted neck and when you get it straighten out she twists it right back under her left wing. There poos did have some worm activity but after the wansine have not seen any. I don't know if this matters or not but reading where some thing make them sick- we do have 10 cats with in side litter boxes that have been dumped out where we have seem chickens in, our cattle eat silage that the chickens could easily access, we were using straw as bedding that is about 20 years old, My sone cleans the coop just about every weekend. They have layer crumbles with DE, scratch grains and free range access to anything we have they really like wax begonias. I have managed to save 2 thus far but usally they are dead when we notice they are sick. We watch them eat daily and my kids hand feed about 17 of the 20 that are left except for the twisted neck one. We have felt for growths and found nothing. ANy help would be greatly appreciated. I am sure glad I am a people nurse and not a chicken nurse.
1Crazylady with 1 husband,3kids, 10 house catswith free with free range access, 2 silver seabrights,2 golden seabright, 4 cochins, 3 easter eggers, 1 brown leghorn, 2 marans, 1 dot, 1 frizzle, 2 silkies, 1 d'uccle, 2 horses , and cattle
