2 dead, 2 not doing so great =(

[MaineiacJay]

1st DEATH: Fry

So about a week ago, we lost a 13 week old cockerel (the orange/white chicken in my icon). he was fine the day before, maybe a little more lethargic, but he would still eat and run away when approached. i checked on them at 11pm after work and everyone was in the coop and all was good. the cockerel was still alive, huddled with the others. the next morning, he was dead, in the same place he was the night before, only, on his side.

i thought it was the heat, and part of me still considers this. its been in the high 80s and low-mid 90s and very humid. the chickens are constantly panting, their wings out. i have been keeping their water clean, fresh and cool. they have been getting watermellon and ice cubes with fruit frozen into them. there is a fan in the coop as well. i have also sprayed them down with the hose on a few different occasions, when the temp is high.

2nd DEATH: Midge

yesterday, after a 3 day struggle, a pullet that i was caring for for my mom died. we had just gotten her and another of the same age (give or take 8-10 weeks old) from Vermont. i had gotten 5 older chickens from the same woman a week or so earlier, they are all healthy and doing well. on the first day, i went out to the coop and noticed Midge laying on her side among the other chickens. i knew something was wrong because when i shined the light in, all the chickens got up and went to the food or just to see what the light was. but Midge was up against the wall and stayed there. i picked her up and set her on her feet and she just flopped over. i brought her inside into the AC thinking it was heat stroke again. i put the fan on her and she perked up a lot. she perched on the side of the tote all night. she was still eating for the most part, but i had to kinda move the food around. i stuck her beak in the water so she would drink because otherwise she wouldnt have.

the second day she got worse. she started falling off the perch to lay on her side once more. she wasnt eating, wasnt drinking, she was just declining very rapidly. i have some diatomaceous Earth and i put that stuff on her in case, however unlikely, it was mites or something... no luck. by the third day, she was just awful. i worked that evening and about an hour before i got home, my fiance texted me and said he thought she was dead, she was on her side again, but he wasnt sure because when he blew on her he thought "she twitched." when i got home, i was sure she was gone =( i picked her up and she wiggled a little. her little toes were curled so she couldnt stand right, she just kept falling over. her wings were drooping, but she could still move them, same with her legs, it was like she lay like that too long and was just so weak... she passed away sometime between 1am and 2am yesterday morning.

3rd and 4th SICK: Mia & Ben

so yesterday before work, i went out to the chicken coop again because i just got 3 new chickens and a couple of ducks and now i am paranoid :/ i threw out more watermellon for them, cleaned out the water dish and added more food for them (starter/finisher). i noticed that when i was throwing the treats, one of my Silver Lace Wyandottes (6-7 week old cockerel), wasnt able to really run after it. he would run after it, and then kinda tumble over. his wings were drooping and he just didnt seem to have the energy. but when i put him in the coop by the fan (after wetting him down a bit) with a piece of watermellon, he was pecking at it. i gave him bread and he was tearing it apart. he did seem skinny, but they always have food out there

i noticed, at the same time, that my favorite pullet, Mia, a 13 week old EE (the brown pullet in my icon), also looked out of shape. seemed weak. she chased the treats more than Ben, but when she got there, she still seemed like she had to keep herself from falling over. but she was eating with force, like Ben. when i picked her up, she was very light and i could feel her breast bone i brought both inside, not willing to take chances. they have a fan pointed at them to keep them cool since its around 70-75 in my house during the day, cooler than outside, but still hot. they have food and water in their tote. they have just been laying there. Ben has his wings spread and isnt doing very much, his comb looks a little sunken too. ill add a picture shortly. Mia looks better though. but Midge did too that second day...


ive only had chickens for about a month, im a newbie and my flock seems to be dropping like flies What is happening to my chickens? is this heat stroke? i thought maybe coccidiosis but im not sure.. its all just so sudden.. i havent noticed bloody stools, but i THINK i saw some foamy stools from Midge, but im not sure. im picking up corid powder (i cant find the liquid at any of the local stores, only powder) tomorrow just in case. it wont hurt to give them that at a treatment dose even if that turns out to NOT be the problem? and in that case, is it ok to give it to my other chickens that arent showing signs of illness? should i give them it at a treatment or a preventative dose? and lastly, my fiance picked up some save-a-chick electrolyte mix and probiotic mix. is it safe to give them that with the corid or should i just do the corid and electrolyte or just the corid?

thanks so much guys! i so hope this is something i can treat before it takes a larger hit on my flock!

 

[ten chicks]

1st DEATH: Fry

So about a week ago, we lost a 13 week old cockerel (the orange/white chicken in my icon). he was fine the day before, maybe a little more lethargic, but he would still eat and run away when approached. i checked on them at 11pm after work and everyone was in the coop and all was good. the cockerel was still alive, huddled with the others. the next morning, he was dead, in the same place he was the night before, only, on his side.

i thought it was the heat, and part of me still considers this. its been in the high 80s and low-mid 90s and very humid. the chickens are constantly panting, their wings out. i have been keeping their water clean, fresh and cool. they have been getting watermellon and ice cubes with fruit frozen into them. there is a fan in the coop as well. i have also sprayed them down with the hose on a few different occasions, when the temp is high.

2nd DEATH: Midge

yesterday, after a 3 day struggle, a pullet that i was caring for for my mom died. we had just gotten her and another of the same age (give or take 8-10 weeks old) from Vermont. i had gotten 5 older chickens from the same woman a week or so earlier, they are all healthy and doing well. on the first day, i went out to the coop and noticed Midge laying on her side among the other chickens. i knew something was wrong because when i shined the light in, all the chickens got up and went to the food or just to see what the light was. but Midge was up against the wall and stayed there. i picked her up and set her on her feet and she just flopped over. i brought her inside into the AC thinking it was heat stroke again. i put the fan on her and she perked up a lot. she perched on the side of the tote all night. she was still eating for the most part, but i had to kinda move the food around. i stuck her beak in the water so she would drink because otherwise she wouldnt have.

the second day she got worse. she started falling off the perch to lay on her side once more. she wasnt eating, wasnt drinking, she was just declining very rapidly. i have some diatomaceous Earth and i put that stuff on her in case, however unlikely, it was mites or something... no luck. by the third day, she was just awful. i worked that evening and about an hour before i got home, my fiance texted me and said he thought she was dead, she was on her side again, but he wasnt sure because when he blew on her he thought "she twitched." when i got home, i was sure she was gone =( i picked her up and she wiggled a little. her little toes were curled so she couldnt stand right, she just kept falling over. her wings were drooping, but she could still move them, same with her legs, it was like she lay like that too long and was just so weak... she passed away sometime between 1am and 2am yesterday morning.

3rd and 4th SICK: Mia & Ben

so yesterday before work, i went out to the chicken coop again because i just got 3 new chickens and a couple of ducks and now i am paranoid

i threw out more watermellon for them, cleaned out the water dish and added more food for them (starter/finisher). i noticed that when i was throwing the treats, one of my Silver Lace Wyandottes (6-7 week old cockerel), wasnt able to really run after it. he would run after it, and then kinda tumble over. his wings were drooping and he just didnt seem to have the energy. but when i put him in the coop by the fan (after wetting him down a bit) with a piece of watermellon, he was pecking at it. i gave him bread and he was tearing it apart. he did seem skinny, but they always have food out there

i noticed, at the same time, that my favorite pullet, Mia, a 13 week old EE (the brown pullet in my icon), also looked out of shape. seemed weak. she chased the treats more than Ben, but when she got there, she still seemed like she had to keep herself from falling over. but she was eating with force, like Ben. when i picked her up, she was very light and i could feel her breast bone

i brought both inside, not willing to take chances. they have a fan pointed at them to keep them cool since its around 70-75 in my house during the day, cooler than outside, but still hot. they have food and water in their tote. they have just been laying there. Ben has his wings spread and isnt doing very much, his comb looks a little sunken too. ill add a picture shortly. Mia looks better though. but Midge did too that second day...


ive only had chickens for about a month, im a newbie and my flock seems to be dropping like flies

What is happening to my chickens? is this heat stroke? i thought maybe coccidiosis but im not sure.. its all just so sudden.. i havent noticed bloody stools, but i THINK i saw some foamy stools from Midge, but im not sure. im picking up corid powder (i cant find the liquid at any of the local stores, only powder) tomorrow just in case. it wont hurt to give them that at a treatment dose even if that turns out to NOT be the problem? and in that case, is it ok to give it to my other chickens that arent showing signs of illness? should i give them it at a treatment or a preventative dose? and lastly, my fiance picked up some save-a-chick electrolyte mix and probiotic mix. is it safe to give them that with the corid or should i just do the corid and electrolyte or just the corid?

thanks so much guys! i so hope this is something i can treat before it takes a larger hit on my flock!

Yes,treat all chicks for Coccidiosis,cocci is a parasitic infection of the intestinal tract,very common for chicks to have an overload of it. Spread by droppings which get into feed/water via droppings. Some symptoms are runny/watery poop(may or may not contain blood)fluffed feathers,lethargic,not eating/drinking properly. Dosage for Corid powder is 1/2 tsp per gallon of water,dosage for Corid liquid is 2 tsp per gallon of water. Treat all chicks for 5 days,DO NOT give vitamins during treatment(interferes with medication)give vitamins after treatment. Treating chicks for cocci will not harm them,but not treating(if they have coccidiosis,will probably kill them).

Heat stress/stroke is dangerous for chickens. Chickens body temp is around 104-107 degrees Fahrenheit,if their body temp reaches anywhere from 113 degrees and up,they are in danger of dying. Chickens have no sweat glands,they rely on their respiratory system to cool themselves.that is why they pant,spread wings. You are doing all the right things in regard to heat issues,one more thing is if you see your chickens panting and they look ill,submerge them in COOL(NOT COLD)water up to their neck,this will immediately drop their body temp,and possibly save their life. Good idea to keep a pail of cool water around yard at all times in case of an emergency situation with heat issues.

 

[MaineiacJay]

thank you. i will treat all the chickens tomorrow. we have a couple of malards so i have a low sided tote full of cool water. before i brought Ben and Mia in, i soaked them in it (up to their neck, then flipped them to get their back without dunking their head). just thought that may help, i guess i was right...

i threw bread in the box for the 2 sick chickens, Mia went at it voraciously, but Ben is too weak. I have no doubt that I will lose Ben... he is skin and bone Mia still has some weight to her, I think I caught her in time and she is regaining her strength, if a little at a time, ive still noticed improvement. is there anything i can give her that can boost her energy/caloric intake to help her out quicker?

 

[MaineiacJay]

here are some photos

Ben - he is 10 times worse today than he was yesterday. at least yesterday he was eating. i think its too late for him now, i think he is too far gone to save

Mia is doing ok, but still thin.. need something to boost her intake..

 

[ten chicks]

here are some photos

Ben - he is 10 times worse today than he was yesterday. at least yesterday he was eating. i think its too late for him now, i think he is too far gone to save

Mia is doing ok, but still thin.. need something to boost her intake..

When you get the Corid medication mixed with water,try and get Ben to drink,(you may have to put a few drops at a time on side of his beak,keep doing this). If it is Cocci,you should see an improvement in 24-48 hours(depending on how ill they are). Give them scrambled eggs(loaded in vitamins,minerals and protein)add warm water to feed(because Ben is so ill,i would use medicated Corid water for this,at least you will know he is getting the medication if he eats),so it resembles oatmeal,chicks love this and is easier for frail ones to eat.Something else you can try for Ben if he isn't drinking,sounds crazy but on two separate occasions i have done this and it works,ask vet for a sml pill container(this is what i use,it is sml and clear/bge color) or use a washed pill container that you have,put medicated water in this,hold it up to chick,so his beak touches water and he might drink from it,this was the only way one of my chicks would drink when ill. For Ben you could try tube feeding,if you decide to go this route,i would PM Castportpony,she can explain in detail how to tube feed.

 

[MaineiacJay]

thank you all so much for your help. unfortunately, both Mia and Ben passed today before i was able to get the Corid. I also found another of the Wyandottes dead in the coop. ive dosed all birds and checked all of their weights because Mia and Ben were so thin.. i made sure to watch that all birds were eating and drinking ok. i got a half a dozen eggs that i will also cook up (scramble) for them. how long should i continue the corid for all the chickens?

hopefully i dont lose anymore

 

[petcommunicator]

That pic of ben is making me cry so sorry

 

[Mehjr10]

One thing you may want to look into when adding new birds to your flock is quarantining them and practicing good biosecurity.. Some good threads on the site on that topic. You can easily get birds that have immunity to a certain bug that when brought into your flock will wreak havoc.

Did they seem to have any type of respiratory symptoms? Sneezing, runny nose or eyes, crackling sound when breathing?

 

[MaineiacJay]

We will be doing that. Going to build a separate coop for quarantine. Keep them away from the others. Im not adding anymore chickens until this is under control and then i will replace the ones i lost (namely my wyandottes).

As for symptoms, they didnt have any of that...

Stupid question, what does a normal crop feel like?

 

[Mehjr10]

When it is full you will fill a large mass of food, will fill mostly solid.. In the mornings it should be mostly empty if they have not eaten. Different birds will have different sizes, one of mine when she comes in in the evening from the yard, you would think she ate a whole peach..


If you are buying chicks from a hatchery or a good breeder you are better off than buying older birds..