4 year old buckeye dies and now other hen is not eating or drinking

[ediebaggett]

I had a flock of three hens all turning four in July. Two weeks ago, I lost my Buckeye to sudden death syndrome. Yes, she died in my arms after convulsing and it was horrible. Three months earlier I suspected cocci separates her for over a week and she made a slow recovery. I treated the whole flock with corrid and she made a comeback and was returned to her flock.

Now my sweet Orphington isn’t wanting to eat much. I can get her to only eat a little yogurt and drink water (I’m on day one of watching her behavior) I’m not sure if they get depressed or if I have a bigger issue at hand. I’ve started them on corrid again and am praying she will return back to normal. She was her happy normal self on Sunday!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

I'm sorry about your loss and now another sick girl.

You need to examine her thoroughly, checking particularly for any abdominal swelling, below the vent and between the legs and check for crop function which should be full at night when she goes to roost and food should be withdrawn, and empty in the morning before she has access to food.
Also check body condition.... feel the breast area..... does the breast bone feel sharp under the skin or reasonably padded?
What does her poop look like?
Check for lice and mites although in my experience these external parasites, lice particularly tend to take advantage of sick birds rather than being the cause of them.
Do you know when she last laid an egg?
Older girls are prone to reproductive issues which can prove fatal.

I'm afraid "Sudden Death Syndrome" is a phrase people use because they have not had a necropsy done to establish the cause of death, so it doesn't really mean much.

What do you feed your girls? Main feed and treats?
Have you had any unusual eggs, soft shelled/shell less etc?

Answers to these questions may help us to figure out what is up with your girl. The two incidents may be unrelated or they could be connected. Unfortunately, whilst chickens can live to 10 years or so, the majority probably die between 2 and 5yrs as reproductive ailments are common due and usually fatal.

 

[ediebaggett]

Hi

I'm sorry about your loss and now another sick girl.

You need to examine her thoroughly, checking particularly for any abdominal swelling, below the vent and between the legs and check for crop function which should be full at night when she goes to roost and food should be withdrawn, and empty in the morning before she has access to food.
Also check body condition.... feel the breast area..... does the breast bone feel sharp under the skin or reasonably padded? My buckeye’s was sharp... my Orphington is padded..

What does her poop look like? A little runny but normal in color.

Check for lice and mites although in my experience these external parasites, lice particularly tend to take advantage of sick birds rather than being the cause of them. Haven’t seen any...

Do you know when she last laid an egg?
Older girls are prone to reproductive issues which can prove fatal. She has not laid in about 4 months (she stared in jan). The buckeye was sporadic too but stopped the last 3-4 months.


I'm afraid "Sudden Death Syndrome" is a phrase people use because they have not had a necropsy done to establish the cause of death, so it doesn't really mean much. I understand. My buckeye flipped over in my arms, laborious breathing etc. I had brought her back a few months ago from laberous breathing but she had always been weaker. She stopped flying to roost 3 years ago and I thought she may have had a stroke. So I would pick her up every night to roost

What do you feed your girls? Main feed and treats? Yes, laying feed some mealworms, lettuce twice a week, yogurt monthly, probiotic water etc. no table scraps...

Have you had any unusual eggs, soft shelled/shell less etc? Nope my Easter egged lays daily blue beautiful eggs.

Answers to these questions may help us to figure out what is up with your girl. The two incidents may be unrelated or they could be connected. Unfortunately, whilst chickens can live to 10 years or so, the majority probably die between 2 and 5yrs as reproductive ailments are common due and usually fatal.

Thank you very much for your help and reading my post!!!

 

[ediebaggett]

Please see above for answers to your questions! Thank you again!