Advice on ill chickens

[lynnielynd]

In the past month I've had two of my girls come down with a mystery illness.

I always provide vet care for my chickens. I love these girls. My vets are not avian specialists, but they do their best.

A month ago my sweet Clarabelle went down. She went to the vet multiple times. She was lethargic, tail down, droopy. She had the most disgusting smelling diarrhea you can imagine. It was liquid and jet-propelled. In it were small dark red pieces that almost looked like liver or blood clots. The vet said her bacterial load was out of sight. We tried multiple medications and my sweet baby died.

Several weeks later and today we find Mary Margaret huddled up. She, too, has this same kind of horrid diarrhea, but also she is vomiting a foul liquid. She was rushed to the vet and also has a very high bacterial load.

I do not know what this could be! There's nothing for them to get into. Their living conditions are not gross.

The only thing I can think of is the duck and geese pools?

Any advice on what I can have the vet test for so I don't lose Mary Margaret, too?

 

[lynnielynd]

I'm also adding there's no coccidiosis or worms. They've been tested.

 

[chickens really]

@Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

In the past month I've had two of my girls come down with a mystery illness.

I always provide vet care for my chickens. I love these girls. My vets are not avian specialists, but they do their best.

A month ago my sweet Clarabelle went down. She went to the vet multiple times. She was lethargic, tail down, droopy. She had the most disgusting smelling diarrhea you can imagine. It was liquid and jet-propelled. In it were small dark red pieces that almost looked like liver or blood clots. The vet said her bacterial load was out of sight. We tried multiple medications and my sweet baby died.

Several weeks later and today we find Mary Margaret huddled up. She, too, has this same kind of horrid diarrhea, but also she is vomiting a foul liquid. She was rushed to the vet and also has a very high bacterial load.

I do not know what this could be! There's nothing for them to get into. Their living conditions are not gross.

The only thing I can think of is the duck and geese pools?

Any advice on what I can have the vet test for so I don't lose Mary Margaret, too?

I'm also adding there's no coccidiosis or worms. They've been tested.

I'm sorry for your loss.
Did you vet prescribe any medications or do any further testing to figure out what type of bacteria you are dealing with?

Vomiting foul liquid sounds like she may have a blockage or slow digestion - that would account for swelling/infection in the intestines.
Re-consult your vet to see if they can give you some antibiotics to help control whatever she has.

If you lose her, getting further testing/necrospy would be the best route to take. Your state lab performs these services. You need to find out what you have so hopefully you can prevent further problems.
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I agree with Wyorp Rock that a necropsy would be the best way to find a cause of the illness, and if something is contagious. Even though you had a negative fecal test for coccidiosis, I would treat your flock with Corid in the water for 5 days. If another one gets similarly sick, then I would try to treat with some antibiotics, in case of clostridium, a common cause of enteritis. Amoxicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, and Tylan are some of the ones that can work.

In the last chicken who had foul smelling liquid coming out of the beak, it may have had a blockage causing sour crop. Sometimes in enteritis, bile stained intestinal contents can reflux back up into the crop. Here is some reading about enteritis in chickens:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/necrotic-enteritis/overview-of-necrotic-enteritis-in-poultry

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/101/necrotic-enteritis/

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/184/necrotic-enteritis/

 

[lynnielynd]

Sorry for your loss. I agree with Wyorp Rock that a necropsy would be the best way to find a cause of the illness, and if something is contagious. Even though you had a negative fecal test for coccidiosis, I would treat your flock with Corid in the water for 5 days. If another one gets similarly sick, then I would try to treat with some antibiotics, in case of clostridium, a common cause of enteritis. Amoxicillin, penicillin, tetracycline, and Tylan are some of the ones that can work.

In the last chicken who had foul smelling liquid coming out of the beak, it may have had a blockage causing sour crop. Sometimes in enteritis, bile stained intestinal contents can reflux back up into the crop. Here is some reading about enteritis in chickens:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/necrotic-enteritis/overview-of-necrotic-enteritis-in-poultry

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/101/necrotic-enteritis/

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/184/necrotic-enteritis/

Precious Mary Margaret died terribly yesterday morning when she was getting her shot.

I'd like to thank you so much for posting this info because now I know what happened. I've been sick myself and my daughter has been taking care of my girls. She'd been giving them geese food which was primarily oats. She said they loved it so much that she continued to give it to them.

A few weeks ago I saw one of the feeders full of oats and I told her that wasn't how we fed the girls and not to do it again. She continued on thinking she was spoiling them and this is what we got.

She is completely devastated and it won't happen anymore. Thank you again!

 

[Eggcessive]

Well, I hope that is the cause of their illness. If you lose another I would still get a necropsy. Here is an interesting article on feeding oats to chickens:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/the-shocking-effect-of-oatmeal/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss