5th chick dying in my hands right now - help!

[familypendragon]

Hello everyone. The chicken illness fight goes on as does the cancer fight. If anyone would like to keep up with our cancer battle I have it blogged on Give Forward here https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/xty3/kill-my-cancer/updates/60197

Everytime I think I have progress on the chicken front we get precipitation and new ones get sick :/ Had to put down another roo this week. Its a freezing mud pit here this week so just waiting to see how it goes. So.dang.tired.of.this.... I think we have lost over 50% of the flock now. I guess its a good thing it started so huge. No longer entertaining any thoughts of breeding - strictly eating eggs. I am just going to keep those that live and not expand the flock for at least a year. Then I will see how things are going at that point.

 

[lovingmyhens]

That is so strange, how you are completely unable to get this chicken illness under control. I pray this stops soon and you are left with some really fabulous laying chickens. Prayers continue for your hubby and your family.

 

[craftiekids]

Hey All, I don't get to this thread for a few days and WOW.... Have you called a vet? That would be next. Maybe they can figure it out. I am so totally stumped, I think you need an expert in mystery chicken problems. That white fungus maybe the real problem? Who knows. You need a major time out for Great Behavior!

My perscription for ails such as yours: 1 excellent "Bottle-o-Bubbly" What ever flavor you like best.
1 Hot tub full of Bubbles.
Soothing Music
Combine however you like and Please Enjoy!


When the chix illness is done I'll send you a dozen hatching eggs or a few bitties, that may help with fresh babies to rebuild your flock.
In the mean time We will all send major Prayers and Happy thoughts yours and hubby's way on all fronts!!!
Susie Q

 

[Kelsie2290]

Best wishes and prayers still for you and your husband and the rest of your family in his continued fight for health.
Had hoped the chicken illness would stop once you moved them. The fungus or whatever it seems to be contaminating the ground in the whole area?, would putting some sort of barrier down in the coops like plastic and putting the litter on it or something like that help? It almost sounds like you have to get the birds off the ground?

 

[familypendragon]

I have been thinking a lot about the fungus issue. I remember when I first moved here in 2004 a neighbor recommended that if I planted a garden I should do raised beds because the soil "was ruined". When I asked what that meant she said Cotton Root Rot was really bad in our area since they used to be cotton fields, and that she'd lost a lot of trees to it. I don't know what any of that really means but I wonder if it has something to do with all of that. I hadn't remembered that conversation since then, but always did raised beds anyway because the ground is black clay.

Thank you every one

 

[familypendragon]

I have been thinking a lot about the fungus issue. I remember when I first moved here in 2004 a neighbor recommended that if I planted a garden I should do raised beds because the soil "was ruined". When I asked what that meant she said Cotton Root Rot was really bad in our area since they used to be cotton fields, and that she'd lost a lot of trees to it. I don't know what any of that really means but I wonder if it has something to do with all of that. I hadn't remembered that conversation since then, but always did raised beds anyway because the ground is black clay.

Thank you every one

Just found this http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1150.html

Now I need to find anything relating it to chickens...

 

[pwand]

If this possibly affects chickens, you could have one tested. Call your state vet and see what there thoughts are.

 

[Kelsie2290]

That Cotton Root Rot is interesting, can't seem to find anything saying it affects anything but plants, wonder if there is another fungus that likes to live in conjunction with it or where it was. They do say things like "After heavy summer rain, the fungus may come to the soil surface and form large tawny mycelial mats, 10-20 cm in diameter and 0.6 cm thick, on which conidia are borne." chickens being what they are, digging around in the dirt and eating it, wonder if eating too much of it would cause problems, or make them more susceptible to something else? Wonder if the fields were ever chemically treated to try and control it? You'd think as big as a problem it is with cotton etc you'd find more info for the home gardener about keeping the kids and animals away from it and being careful digging.

 

[familypendragon]

Still dealing with this slow war of attrition Each of our last two big storms I've lost 3 more birds about 3 days later. We had more rain yesterday and I have at least 3 more looking bad again. Unfortunately I also have two broody hens who are hatching eggs right now too. After 3 weeks of fighting it I let them each keep one egg. Then when we had to go up to Johns Hopkins for a week my chicken sitters accidentally let them keep 5 more eggs :/ So far I have 3 that are ok at 4 days old. I hope they have better luck some how, being raised by mom. At this point just about all the younger birds I hatched last year have died. My very last hatch was my beloved Wheaten Ameraucanas. Of the original 13 there are 7 left - only 2 girls. I don't know if they will survive it or not. It seems that those who make it to point of lay are generally survivors and lay very well. A friend has done multiple test hatches for me and all her chicks are healthy with a great hatch rate. So that gives me some hope that maybe someday we'll get past this. I just don't have the time/funds/brain power to do any more for them right now. The fight for my husband's life is pretty all consuming. You can read about that here https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/xty3/kill-my-cancer We will be getting a little money from selling his miniscule life insurance policy, so maybe I can try something else when that comes in.

 

[kuulgrl]

Hugs! Many many hugs and prayers!

How are YOU holding up? Taking time for yourself? Finding local support of wives who have been though what you're going through?

I'll keep you and your family in my prayers.