2 chickens dead, 2 weeks apart..what could be wrong?

[kimandrich]

We had 10 4 month old chickens, and 4 chickens that are over a year old. One of our 4 month old chickens started acting funny, she wasn't clucking anymore, she stopped running around with the other chickens. She used to come up to me and sit in my lap. I walked out there 2 weeks ago to feed them and she didn't come to me, she looked over at me, and put her head back down. I figured she was sleepy, so I let her be. I came back out a couple hours later and she still didn't get up, so I picked her up. She started twisted her head all funny and she opened her mouth to cluck, and just took a big breath and closed her eyes. She started shaking real bad, I got scared. I put her in a separate pen, just to make sure she didn't spread what she had. She kept twisting her head all the way around and looking up at me, and her whole body was shaking. I didn't want her to suffer, but I couldn't snap her neck..I had to get my brother in law to do it for me. I knew there was no way she was going to make it, she was hardly breathing anymore.
The past week, one of our chickens that is over a year old has been laying around A LOT. In the pen, she'd just be laying around, and when we'd let them out of the pen to run around the yard, she'd find a spot in the shade and just lay there for hours, and not move. I thought maybe she was just being lazy, I don't know. When we'd pick her up, she'd act fine. She was still laying eggs all the way up until yesterday. I walked out this morning to feed the chickens, and she was laying there, not moving. I immediately let the chickens out, grabbed a pair of gloves and picked her up. She was stiff, so she had to have been dead for a while.
Has anyone had anything like this happen before? I don't know what could be wrong.

Thanks for your help!

 

[kimandrich]

Anyone...?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Difficult to know. I would treat all of them for cocci with Aprolium in their water for 5 days. Cocci does not have to cause diarrhea and they will often eat and drink right up until they keel over dead.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Agreed, although I would also check them over thoroughly evidence of lice, mites and worms. Note, some lice, some mites and some worms are MICROSCOPIC, so you are not necessarily expecting to SEE bugs or worms (although you may), but you will see evidence if they are present. This could include: messy bottom, bug eggs at base of feathers, feathers with striations across the feather (where the bugs have eaten the feather), red or irritated or excessively dry skin. Pale comb and wattles can indicate parasites, too. Droppings could contain bugs or worms.

 

[kimandrich]

About 2 months ago, the lady at the feed store gave me some "Tetracycline Hydrochloride Soluble Powder". It turns their water like fluorescent yellow, I guess you could call it? I gave it to them all and they all acted fine afterwards. I'll go ahead and do it again, I hope it works!
Thanks.

 

[cackydoodledoo]

Quote:
Make sure you read the instructions on that packet. That one small packet is enough to treat like a 100 gallon stock tank I think. Can't remember the exact numbers but make sure you are not putting too much in their water. The reading on the package is really deceiving the way it reads. Hope you get them all sorted out.

 

[kimandrich]

Yeah, I'm just putting a little sprinkle in there like I did before. It says 400-800mg per gallon. I have no idea how much that is..

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

1 believe it is 1 Tsp, but it might be 1 Tbs. Pretty sure you can google and find out the amount to add. A sprinkle is not enough, and will just build immunity to the tetracycline.

 

[kimandrich]

You can't convert MG to a tsp or tbs because it's weight and volume. I don't have a scale, and the lady at the feed store didn't know how to measure it either.
I don't want to give them too much of it.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I did not say you could convert it directly. But a lot of people HAVE done the math to figure it out. The label will say something to the effect of mixing the contents with so many hundreds of gallons of water to make a concentration of Xmg per gallon. With THAT data, you can figure out the proper amount to add.