2nd Chicken Death in two weeks

[stillthdiva]

Hi, hopefully someone can point me in the right direction before I loose any more of my girls. Two weeks ago, I lost a chicken. She had a bloody rear end and was lethargic. Seemed like she was egg bound or prolapsed uterus - I kept her quite and separated but she passed anyways. I have been mixing diatomacous earth with their feed since just in case as I guess worms may be the cause also. Today I lost an older hen. She also was lethargic and I noticed a couple of days ago that she had a messy pasty butt but no blood so I cleaned her up and he not want to further irritate her already red butt. She did also neeze and chortal yesterday afternoon but nothing too noticeable or indicative of a larger problem. Today I found her dead in the run. She was present at breakfast and eating as usual. I do not know if these two deaths are related. My girl that died today was a production red that was pushing 6 years but she still laid an occasional egg now and then. I do not want anymore deaths so maybe someone with more experience may have some advise. Thank you

 

[17 chickens]

If you can feed cucumber with the seeds and pumpkins with seeds the is a natural to deworm. I use Zyfend A to de worm my chickens, There is no egg with drawl and it's easy to use! I got my first sample on BYC contest.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Check for mites too, i read that they can get up into the vent and cause problems.

 

[stillthdiva]

Thank you. I have cucumber but will go get pumpkin.

 

[stillthdiva]

I will check for mites. Thank you

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Unfortunately there is no way to know for sure the cause of death without further necropsy/testing.

It sounds like the one with a bloody vent may have had a prolapse and/or be egg bound.
You're older hen - could have been age related - the messy pasty butt could be worms or she may have had an internal laying/reproductive disorder that finally took it's tole.

It would be best to have a fecal float performed by your for confirmation of worms - if a worm overload is found use what is recommended by your vet or use a de-wormer like Valbazen or Fenbendazole (Safeguard/Panacur) for treatment.

If you do happen to have another pass in a short period of time, refrigerating and sending the body to your state lab would be a good idea, so you can find out the cause
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

DE, imho, is not effective as a de-wormer - do some research/reading to decide for yourself - here's a couple of articles to get you started http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2016/12/the-cut-dry-truth-about-diatomaceous.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/05/diatomaceous-earth-de-benefitrisk.html

 

[stillthdiva]

Thank you for the info on DE. I am still in the process of reading all..., i believe the cause of the problems was mites! I had rescued some birds from an Urban Farm that was abandoned and the birds had been left to beg from school kids as an elementary school is across the street from their previous location. Well, I brought more than just the birds to our ranch, apparently. I have cleaned and sanitized all coops and runs have fresh litter and all birds have had their first mite dusting with miticide. All of the birds that died were pretty old - 5 years plus and unfortunately we're not able to weather my learning curb. Thank you for your advice, it was much needed.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the info on DE. I am still in the process of reading all..., i believe the cause of the problems was mites! I had rescued some birds from an Urban Farm that was abandoned and the birds had been left to beg from school kids as an elementary school is across the street from their previous location. Well, I brought more than just the birds to our ranch, apparently. I have cleaned and sanitized all coops and runs have fresh litter and all birds have had their first mite dusting with miticide. All of the birds that died were pretty old - 5 years plus and unfortunately we're not able to weather my learning curb. Thank you for your advice, it was much needed.

It was nice of you to take in abandoned birds.
Depending on the breed, 5yrs can be old, things start happening - old age, reproductive disorders, etc. A heavy external parasite infestation (mites/lice) can definitely weaken a bird and sometimes cause death. I'm glad you are treating them with a miticide. We all have a lot to learn, you did the best you could. I hope the rest recover and have a happy healthy life with you.