A Few Questions

[MNChickens27]

Hi All:
I've been a fan of this forum for a long time and finally registered so I can ask some questions and get some advice from the experts here. This will be a lengthy post so please bare with me.

We've had a small flock in our backyard for about 4 years now, attached are some pictures of our coop, and we have 9 laying hens in there now. The coop is 6' x 8' We have a run that is about 10' x 6' and is completed covered with chicken wire. They are left inside the coop and run during the day but we let them out on nights and weekends, only when we are home.

We lost 2 gold star chickens, I think they are technically called ISA Browns to, at least in my opinion, parasites. The first that died started to stand around the yard with ruffled feathers. After a few days she wouldn't even leave the coop or get up on the roosting bars, I found her dead about a week after the symptoms started really showing themselves.

We lost the 2nd gold star in a similar fashion, she started to stand around with feathers ruffled, and developed a large mass in the lower portion of her body. The other hens started to pick on her so we separated her until we could have her seen by a vet. The vet did a vent exam and didn't feel an egg but felt the large mass I mentioned and told us he couldn't do much to help her. I decided to have her put to sleep to help ease her struggle.

The past couple of days I noticed one of our Rhode Island Reds and a Silver Pencil Plymouth Rock possibly start standing around with ruffled feathers. I say possibly because they move around quite well but I've seen them standing around a little bit. It did get quite a bit colder here in Minnesota the past few days so I wonder if the cold could be doing that, but the other hens are not so it leads me to believe they are exhibiting the same symptoms our ISA Browns did.

I don't like medicating but I started them on Corrid yesterday and will treat them for 5 days (unless others have a more effective timetable for treatment, please let me know). I also ordered Wazine from Amazon but am curious what people think on this forum. Would you recommend using both Corrid and Wazine? If so, can you use them at the same time or should I finish the Corrid treatment then move to the Wazine? Or, should I be using any of these? As I said, I don't like medicating, and medicating without knowing for sure what's going on seems like a recipe for disaster. Having 2 hens die with the same symptoms and seeing 2 more with the same symptoms is a pattern, so I am hoping you have some advice.

We don't heat our coop, we use the deep litter method in the winter. As you can see in the pictures there are windows, which we keep open in the summer and closed in the winter, and there are slotted vents. In your opinion, are those slotted vents enough for ventilation? I know cold weather and moisture are horrible for chickens so I've been thinking of leaving one of the windows (the one away from the wind) cracked to help with air flow. We feed them organic layer feed and change their water once a week (it's a 3 gallon double walled fount).

I hope someone out there can give me a few ideas or suggestions on what to do or some steps to take, I am really nervous about my flock and want to make sure they are taken care of. Sorry for the really long post but I think the details are important, please let me know if I can clarify anything.

Sincerely,
Brian

 

[Chickiemom25]

have you checked for mites?

 

[azygous]

If you had gathered a random sample of poop from your flock when you took the hen in to the vet, the vet could have performed a fecal float test for parasites, including coccidia and worms. You may still be able to have a fecal test, but the Corid would probably make it negative for coccicdia, but you would still be able to determine if they have worms and what species they are so you can then properly treat.

Your concern for over-medicating isn't justified. Corid isn't really a "medication". It's a vitamin B blocker to starve the coccidia parasites. I don't see why a wormer couldn't be used in conjunction with it if you determine worms are present.

Worming medicine, while safe, can render future infestations resistant if a specific wormer is used too frequently or consistently. Switching types of worming medicines is therefore a better practice if you worm regularly.

As for antibiotics, you are justified in being concerned in using them indiscriminately. Resistance can occur if used too often. However, sometimes a life can be saved by using an antibiotic before you can verify a diagnosis, and the antibiotic can even help in this regard.

In the absence of a diagnosis, treating for coccidiosis and worms can at least eliminate those as causes for the problems you are having with your flock. However, if the chickens continue to sicken and die, I would suspect an avian virus, and a necropsy would be the best possible method of diagnosing it.

 

[sannabelle]

@KikisGirls may have something to ad in regards to the Corrid usage and dosage

 

[Kiki]

I would definitely start them on the Corid, it won't hurt any.
I would treat with he severe dose below.
Wazine if for roundworms only, I am not a fan of it.
I would recommend a fecal float test from a vet first, before treating for worms.

 

[MNChickens27]

If you had gathered a random sample of poop from your flock when you took the hen in to the vet, the vet could have performed a fecal float test for parasites, including coccidia and worms. You may still be able to have a fecal test, but the Corid would probably make it negative for coccicdia, but you would still be able to determine if they have worms and what species they are so you can then properly treat.

Your concern for over-medicating isn't justified. Corid isn't really a "medication". It's a vitamin B blocker to starve the coccidia parasites. I don't see why a wormer couldn't be used in conjunction with it if you determine worms are present.

Worming medicine, while safe, can render future infestations resistant if a specific wormer is used too frequently or consistently. Switching types of worming medicines is therefore a better practice if you worm regularly.

As for antibiotics, you are justified in being concerned in using them indiscriminately. Resistance can occur if used too often. However, sometimes a life can be saved by using an antibiotic before you can verify a diagnosis, and the antibiotic can even help in this regard.

In the absence of a diagnosis, treating for coccidiosis and worms can at least eliminate those as causes for the problems you are having with your flock. However, if the chickens continue to sicken and die, I would suspect an avian virus, and a necropsy would be the best possible method of diagnosing it.

Thank you for the detailed reply. We did use an antibiotic on one of the gold stars and she seemed to respond well to it.

 

[MNChickens27]

I would definitely start them on the Corid, it won't hurt any.
I would treat with he severe dose below.
Wazine if for roundworms only, I am not a fan of it.
I would recommend a fecal float test from a vet first, before treating for worms.View attachment 1174027

Thank you for the reply, so you think doing a severe treatment is a good place to start to see if there is improvement and hold off on the Wazine?

 

[Kiki]

Yes. Cord is safe enough to use even if they don't have Coccdiosis

 

[MNChickens27]

Yes. Cord is safe enough to use even if they don't have Coccdiosis

Thanks so much, it's hard to see something you care so much about struggle so I hope this helps.

 

[Kiki]

Hi All:


We lost 2 gold star chickens, I think they are technically called ISA Browns to, at least in my opinion, parasites. The first that died started to stand around the yard with ruffled feathers. After a few days she wouldn't even leave the coop or get up on the roosting bars, I found her dead about a week after the symptoms started really showing themselves.

We lost the 2nd gold star in a similar fashion, she started to stand around with feathers ruffled, and developed a large mass in the lower portion of her body. The other hens started to pick on her so we separated her until we could have her seen by a vet. The vet did a vent exam and didn't feel an egg but felt the large mass I mentioned and told us he couldn't do much to help her. I decided to have her put to sleep to help ease her struggle.

Sincerely,
Brian

I was quite busy earlier and could respond 'properly'.
After reading this again I think it is possible that these two Gold Stars may have had internal laying issues or something similar to that. It is fairly common with production birds.

I would still treat the current ones with Corid to see if it helps them.