- Mar 4, 2007
- 1
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Hello. I am wondering whats going on with my flock and hope someone can give me their thoughts.
Here's the story.....
-April 2005~We started out with 15 healthy chicks (9 hens, 6 roosters).
-Spring 2006~ we hatched 3 hens, and one rooster. At the same time, we bought 3 hen chicks from the local feed store (*from a reputable hatchery).
-Winter 2006~We adopted 2 unwanted roosters from a friend, who got them from a feed store as chicks, also from a good hatchery.
That brings us to 24 chickens (7 roosters, 17 hens).
We started all ours on medicated feed (except the 2 one yr old roos, we didnt raise them). Never had any problems, or mortalities. No sickness with the exception of a single case of bumblefoot, and a hen that I thought was eggbound, but it ended up being kinda a chronic state of unthriftiness..
A little while after the two new roosters came in (we kept them separate of course), the hen that was looking unthrifty for quite some time (apparently it wasnt egg binding), was found dead. She would have been two in spring 2007. I wanna say about a week after that, my sister witnessed our largest Rhode Island Red rooster apparently having a "heart attack" and dying. He was also the same age as the cinnamon queen. Maybe a week later my family noticed an almost 2 yr old white silkie bantam hen looking unthrifty with a bit of diarrhea. She was dead by the next day. And just a few days ago, another WSB hen, also almost 2, was found dead. So all were our first batch of older chickens.
Now, it is an unusually cold winter, and I know the ones that died were into their second year, but it still makes me wonder. They all have access to water and good feed, so it is not hydration or anything like that. There is a heat lamp on especially cold days in the coop for some relief. They have never been in contact with outside poultry since they were chicks, with the exception of these two new roosters, who are apparently healthy and have been quarentined for a few weeks. But the fact that we have never had a mortality until soon after these two came into the barn....and then suddenly we lose 4 in a matter of a month and a half makes me wonder if there could be something the roosters brought in. I know the family that had them before has never had chickens before this, and they started with four ( 2 killed by a coon, these were left) so I dont know how likely that would be.
Now I have a 2 yr old Americauna hen looking sickly. She is all fluffed up, her eyes look watery, and although her mouth is not open, she seems to be breathing heavily. The symptoms look kinda like egg binding, and I think there may be a little diarrhea. But I have been wrong about egg binding before. Kinda like the first that died, but not exactly.
So are we just losing them to age and cold weather? Is there something going around? If so what? Everyone else seems suprised that we never lost a bird before this.....but it judt doesnt seem normal to me.
Ideas?
Here's the story.....
-April 2005~We started out with 15 healthy chicks (9 hens, 6 roosters).
-Spring 2006~ we hatched 3 hens, and one rooster. At the same time, we bought 3 hen chicks from the local feed store (*from a reputable hatchery).
-Winter 2006~We adopted 2 unwanted roosters from a friend, who got them from a feed store as chicks, also from a good hatchery.
That brings us to 24 chickens (7 roosters, 17 hens).
We started all ours on medicated feed (except the 2 one yr old roos, we didnt raise them). Never had any problems, or mortalities. No sickness with the exception of a single case of bumblefoot, and a hen that I thought was eggbound, but it ended up being kinda a chronic state of unthriftiness..
A little while after the two new roosters came in (we kept them separate of course), the hen that was looking unthrifty for quite some time (apparently it wasnt egg binding), was found dead. She would have been two in spring 2007. I wanna say about a week after that, my sister witnessed our largest Rhode Island Red rooster apparently having a "heart attack" and dying. He was also the same age as the cinnamon queen. Maybe a week later my family noticed an almost 2 yr old white silkie bantam hen looking unthrifty with a bit of diarrhea. She was dead by the next day. And just a few days ago, another WSB hen, also almost 2, was found dead. So all were our first batch of older chickens.
Now, it is an unusually cold winter, and I know the ones that died were into their second year, but it still makes me wonder. They all have access to water and good feed, so it is not hydration or anything like that. There is a heat lamp on especially cold days in the coop for some relief. They have never been in contact with outside poultry since they were chicks, with the exception of these two new roosters, who are apparently healthy and have been quarentined for a few weeks. But the fact that we have never had a mortality until soon after these two came into the barn....and then suddenly we lose 4 in a matter of a month and a half makes me wonder if there could be something the roosters brought in. I know the family that had them before has never had chickens before this, and they started with four ( 2 killed by a coon, these were left) so I dont know how likely that would be.
Now I have a 2 yr old Americauna hen looking sickly. She is all fluffed up, her eyes look watery, and although her mouth is not open, she seems to be breathing heavily. The symptoms look kinda like egg binding, and I think there may be a little diarrhea. But I have been wrong about egg binding before. Kinda like the first that died, but not exactly.
So are we just losing them to age and cold weather? Is there something going around? If so what? Everyone else seems suprised that we never lost a bird before this.....but it judt doesnt seem normal to me.
Ideas?
