1 year old lavendar orpington died of unknown cause

[Buttons Birds]

I have three 1 year old lavendar orpingtons. All three stopped laying just over a month ago. They all began molting but one has taken the molt harder. She has been walking like a penguin but is not egg bound. Her comb is pale, she appears weak and listless. Her poop is normal, she eats and drinks. I've given her several baths to clean her dirty butt. Ive given her broad-spectrum antibiotics. Still no improvement.
Then, about a week ago, another one (Goose) became listless, panting, dirty butt with bright green runny poop. I gave her a bath to clean her dirty butt and she seemed to enjoy the blow dryer. I've added vitamins and probiotics to their water and increased their protein. I checked on the girls early yesterday morning. Goose's crop was full. She refused to eat scrambled eggs with tuna. By lunch she had died. I examined her closely and she was riddled with lice.
So, I went into crisis mode. I dusted all the chickens in the coop. I completely cleaned and scrubbed the coop, burned all the bedding, poured boiling water all through the roost, treated with agriculture lime and DE. I inspected all the birds. Prudence has visible lice as well. I dusted her thoroughly twice. Adding new sand and DE for new dust bath area.
I'm still not sure what happened with Goose. Can someone please give me their insight and let me know if I'm on the right track here? I really don't want to lose any more of my precious girls.

 

[MandS]

I'm really sorry.

Lice will make a chicken anaemic so you may have noticed her comb or wattles being much paler. If too anaemic, they can die.

Waddling like a penguin. I'd have done exactly what you did.

Crop full... There's obviously sour or impacted crop, but there's also the fact that the system can become congested if there is a reproductive problem that is causing blocking further down the digestive tract, intestines etc. That can happen. Happened to a lovely one of mine.

Other than that, I'm again very sorry. There are so many experienced people on here that someone may be able to shed better light on it.

 

[Thegirlsclub]

So sorry!!! My 6 month old lavender Orpington dies a few weeks ago. Very similar symptoms. No lice though. The state did a necropsy and said she died of EColi . All the rest 8 hens went on antibiotics. Now one of the Buff Orpingtons keeps going pale off and on. Vet did blood test as they thought it was her heart. Test show she was terribly low on electrolytes and protein so now they are drinking pedialyte and eating scrambled eggs. Sometimes this is hard!!!

 

[DobieLover]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

The DE is absolutely useless to treat lice or mites.

Go to a farm store and get some poultry dust that contains Permethrin and dust them all again.

For the coop, get some Permethrin 10 (concentrated liquid). You will have to empty the coop out again and clean all the dust (use a shop vac and remove as much material as possible and burn it all again). Then dilute the Permethrin concentrate per the label instructions. It's usually 8 oz per 6.25 gallons of water. Dilute it into a 2 gallon garden pressure sprayer (the amount to add to this size garden sprayer would be a little over 3 tablespoons. I would just use 3 Tbs and 1 tsp).

This treatment of the birds and the coop all needs to be repeated again in 7 to 10 days to kill what hatches from any eggs that are not killed until they hatch out.

Thoroughly spray the coop paying particular attention to the crevices where wood meets wood then set a fan to the coop to get it dry quickly. Add fresh bedding and the girls and go back in.

Can you get a mixed fecal sample from your remaining girls to your vet for a float? Has it been rainy where you are? This MAY be the reason for the slow crop and the poopy butts as a heavy worm infestation will cause the crop to back up. Combine that with the lice infestation and the molt and her immune system wasn't able to fight off the internal parasites.

I'd be inclined to give them a broad spectrum wormer but because they are molting, fenbendazole (ie Safeguard) should be avoided as it can affect feather formation. Try to find Valbazen to worm the girls.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. If you are in the US, permethrin 0.5% spray or the garden dust are best for a lice or mite outbreak. The concentrated permethrin 10 mixed with water in a spray bottle or garden sprayer is very economical.

It sounds like your hen may have had a crop disorder or she could have had a reproductive infection that caused salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis. The best way to find out is to either have your state vet do a necropsy if you keep the body cold until tomorrow. Or you could open her abdomen, and look at the organs and abdominal contents. Salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct) will look like masses of cooked egg material, sometimes with yellow ascites fluid inside the abdominal wall. E.coli can be a cause. You can take pictures of the major organs and intestines and post them here for help.

 

[OwO]

The first chicken sounds like she has sterile Egg Yolk Peritonitis. Feel her abdomen, is it very large and filled with fluid? If so, antibiotics won't do anything as it is her abdomen filling with eggy fluid I believe.

Goose sounds similar to the sour crop one of my chickens has currently. I'm having to force feed her and she also has green/yellow runny poo.

 

[Buttons Birds]

I'm really sorry.

Lice will make a chicken anaemic so you may have noticed her comb or wattles being much paler. If too anaemic, they can die.

Waddling like a penguin. I'd have done exactly what you did.

Crop full... There's obviously sour or impacted crop, but there's also the fact that the system can become congested if there is a reproductive problem that is causing blocking further down the digestive tract, intestines etc. That can happen. Happened to a lovely one of mine.

Other than that, I'm again very sorry. There are so many experienced people on here that someone may be able to shed better light on it.

Thank you. Prudence is still not right. Her crop seems fine.

 

[Buttons Birds]

The first chicken sounds like she has sterile Egg Yolk Peritonitis. Feel her abdomen, is it very large and filled with fluid? If so, antibiotics won't do anything as it is her abdomen filling with eggy fluid I believe.

Goose sounds similar to the sour crop one of my chickens has currently. I'm having to force feed her and she also has green/yellow runny poo.

I’ve felt Pru’s abdomen. It’s not enlarged or filled with fluid. How would I treat peritonitis?

 

[Buttons Birds]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

The DE is absolutely useless to treat lice or mites.

Go to a farm store and get some poultry dust that contains Permethrin and dust them all again.

For the coop, get some Permethrin 10 (concentrated liquid). You will have to empty the coop out again and clean all the dust (use a shop vac and remove as much material as possible and burn it all again). Then dilute the Permethrin concentrate per the label instructions. It's usually 8 oz per 6.25 gallons of water. Dilute it into a 2 gallon garden pressure sprayer (the amount to add to this size garden sprayer would be a little over 3 tablespoons. I would just use 3 Tbs and 1 tsp).

This treatment of the birds and the coop all needs to be repeated again in 7 to 10 days to kill what hatches from any eggs that are not killed until they hatch out.

Thoroughly spray the coop paying particular attention to the crevices where wood meets wood then set a fan to the coop to get it dry quickly. Add fresh bedding and the girls and go back in.

Can you get a mixed fecal sample from your remaining girls to your vet for a float? Has it been rainy where you are? This MAY be the reason for the slow crop and the poopy butts as a heavy worm infestation will cause the crop to back up. Combine that with the lice infestation and the molt and her immune system wasn't able to fight off the internal parasites.

I'd be inclined to give them a broad spectrum wormer but because they are molting, fenbendazole (ie Safeguard) should be avoided as it can affect feather formation. Try to find Valbazen to worm the girls.

Thanks Tonya. I did get the poultry dust and applied it to everyone in the flock. I have also ordered the spray and plan to clean the coop again this weekend. Any idea where I can get Valbazen? The closest aviary vet is an hour away and expensive. Because the weather is getting cooler I plan to move Pru into the workshop this week. That will make it easier for me to treat her. On a positive note, her comb isn’t pale and she’s eating, drinking and pooping well.

 

[Buttons Birds]

Sorry for your loss. If you are in the US, permethrin 0.5% spray or the garden dust are best for a lice or mite outbreak. The concentrated permethrin 10 mixed with water in a spray bottle or garden sprayer is very economical.

It sounds like your hen may have had a crop disorder or she could have had a reproductive infection that caused salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis. The best way to find out is to either have your state vet do a necropsy if you keep the body cold until tomorrow. Or you could open her abdomen, and look at the organs and abdominal contents. Salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct) will look like masses of cooked egg material, sometimes with yellow ascites fluid inside the abdominal wall. E.coli can be a cause. You can take pictures of the major organs and intestines and post them here for help.

How do you treat E. coli?