A hen dying every two weeks

[Saveria]

Yeah, it is like you get PTSD when they start going in numbers like that. It's terrible. I'm so sorry you are going through all of this.

Hey @azygous , this person sent out her bird to a lab and was told it was fatty liver disease, but their other hens keep dying. Do you think it is it possible that a lab could just see the liver enlargment and not realize that avian leukosis is actually what is wrong?

 

[azygous]

I'm the one always looking in the weeds for the ball while all the rest are looking in the outfield. You mentioned grass, and that the chickens were eating a lot of it. The prolapse on the one that just died is another clue if we can connect it to other clues.

Is this grass high? Do these chickens get grit? Store bought or from your soil? Have you checked all of their crops? You may be dealing with impacted crops. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

You also could be dealing with coccidiosis due to time of year and wetness. How old are your chickens? How long have you had them?

 

[WingsysRoost]

I'm so sorry for your losses. I lost several of my birds when they were between eight months to a year old. Unfortunately, it seems like that is a time when a lot of health issues really start to show up.

When trying to solve a medical mystery like this, the first thing I would do (which you might have done already, and if so, you can skip this step) is to pick up each bird and give them a thorough health check. I would check their body condition. How do they feel when you pick them up? Lighter than usual, heavier, the same? How does their keel bone feel? Body condition can provide a clue as to the bird's health. I would check eyes, nose, inside the mouth if you can manage although that one can be tricky even with multiple people. How does their comb and face look? Paler than usual? Tinged blue or purple at all? I would feel their crop to check for anything there that could indicate a blockage or sour crop or anything similar. I would also check to make sure that their crops are filling and then emptying properly overnight. I feel their entire body, checking to make sure that there are no unusual lumps, bumps, swellings, anything like that. I check the feet for anything unusual.

I also check to make sure that their abdomen is not larger and more swollen than it should be, which can be an indicator of salpingitis or water belly. I look for any signs of mites or lice, both on the bird (under the wings and around the vent especially) and in the coop/run. How is their egg laying? Are they laying or have they stopped? Have they had any issues with soft eggs or lash eggs? Egg binding? Are there any signs of prolapse? Have they had any other health issues in the past? (This does not always mean there will be an issue, but can be an indicator - one of my hens had a prolapse several months prior, another struggled with laying and had also prolapsed, and the third struggled a lot in the heat.)

The next thing I would do would be to inspect the environment. Could they have access to anything that would make them sick? It could be feed that spilled and then started to go bad because of dampness, or anything else like that. Are there any signs of parasites in the coop?

Best of luck. I hope you are able to figure out what is going on.

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[BastyPutt]

Sorry for your loss. In the picture, it looks like a prolapse.

I was wondering why this wasn't brought up yet. It is initially what I saw, but after some others didn't comment on it, I thought I was seeing things.

Looking at it again, def prolapsed.

 

[Saveria]

Yes, but did she die from the prolapse, or did her body start shutting down and not functioning because of another illness and then the prolapse happened as she was dying?

 

[chrissynemetz]

They aren't from the same parentage. I have three breeds from Cackle Hatchery. They're vaccinated for Marek's. I know they can still get it though.

My first girl was totally normal, I came home from being gone for just three hours and found her dead. My second girl was totally normal that morning and I came home from work and found her dead. My third girl, also was normal that morning and and early afternoon. Later in the afternoon, she seemed slightly lethargic, laying around rather than up and playing. About an hour later, she was still that way and had begun panting so I picked her up and held her. Within about 5-10 minutes, she died while I was holding her. Her comb and wattles went pale and her body started thrusting.

I spend TONS of time with my girls. They are absolutely no different to me than my dog or cat. In fact, I'm closer to my chickens than my dog and cat. I'm afraid to check on them whenever I leave, knowing someone might be dead.

On a side note, just within these past five months i also lost my family. This has been the most awful part of my life and I keep losing those I love. I just want to save my birds now.

I can't offer you any advice, but I wanted you to know I'm really sorry you're having to go through this.

 

[WingsysRoost]

Yes, but did she die from the prolapse, or did her body start shutting down and not functioning because of another illness and then the prolapse happened as she was dying?

In my experience, my hen that had prolapsed due to an internal issue (though I didn't realize that at the time) prolapsed worse when she passed.

The other two, as far as I can remember, did not, despite one having prolapsed in the past.

I'm not sure if that information is helpful or not, but that is just what I have found from my (very limited, thankfully) experience.

 

[Saveria]

I am glad to know anything. I have been lucky to never see an actual prolapse, just tiny ones that seemed to fix themselves when I noticed them. I know there is a great article on here about them that Azygous wrote.

 

[azygous]

I would guess that these hens that had prolapsed vents when found had been experiencing cramping and were pushing to relieve them. Constipation perhaps. Full crops and constipation sometimes go together. I would examine all the surviving chickens for crop issues in case this is what was responsible for the deaths.

 

[azygous]

What were all of the symptoms you can recall prior to these chickens dying?