Black Astralorp appears to be ready to die

[gtaus]

Sorry for your loss. If you should lose another hen, since you have lost 3, consider sending the body to the state vet for a necropsy, to look for a cause of death. I agree that broody hens should be broken right away if you don’t want chicks. Some hens will take to a nest box because they are feeling sick as well. Here is a list of state vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Well, I lost 2 hens the past 2 weeks and maybe a third hen sick today. I have been very lucky in that I started with 10 hens 2.5 years ago as chicks, and only now have lost any birds. Our local vets don't know anything about chickens, but a vet visit will still cost you about $80. In other words, I could replace my entire flock twice over for the cost of one vet visit.

That, and I have been thinking of culling the flock and not carrying them over for their third Minnesota winter. Last winter, their second winter, I was only getting 1 or 2 eggs per day for 10 hens. It's just too cold here and the hens stop laying due to the cold (-35F at nights) and short daylight hours. They did fine their first winter, but last winter they ate more food than giving eggs. I don't imagine they would do any better their third winter. At any rate, I will have to replace the flock next spring if I want to continue to get any eggs. I am averaging only about 2-3 eggs now, whereas in the first year I was getting about 8 eggs per day this time of year. So egg production is almost done.

 

[gtaus]

If symptoms continue I would suggest purchase tylan or tylosin powder to mix in their water. It helps with respiratory issues, although it will only lessen the symptoms if it is something major.

I'll write that down and if I go into town later this week, I might check into those meds. Thanks.

I don't know if the problems I have had are respiratory or not, but they seem perfectly healthy one day, then the next day I notice them gasping for air and dying within hours. Never have seen any coughing or sneezing or any other abnormal behavior until hours before they pass.

Like I said, not knowing what to do, I did a complete cleanout of the chicken coop today and put down fresh wood chips deep litter. Blew the coop out with my leaf blower get out that fine dust. Don't know if the cleaning will help, but I know it will not hurt.

 

[gtaus]

it sounds to me, she may have had a respiratory infection,

I have just been watching about 2 hours of YouTube videos on chicken respiratory infections. It appears more and more to me that I might be dealing with a case of Infectious Bronchitis (IBV) in the flock. The YouTube videos of the chickens with this disease look like the same symptoms I am seeing in my chickens in their last hours. Open mouth, gasping for air, not making much if any sounds....

If I am dealing with IBV in the flock, that would also explain my low egg production numbers. Anyway, several people have used the medication VetRx in the water to treat their flocks with some success. So I might go into town tomorrow and see if the local Fleet store has that, or a similar medication.

FYI, we had a terrible drought here this year and it appears that IBV can spread better in those conditions. At any rate, we finally got a few days of rainfall the last week of August and then my chickens started dying. Don't know if that is all just a coincidence or not, but we went from a drought May-August with now more normal weather for our September.

 

[mamajos]

VetRX is like Vicks Vaporub. It just helps with symptoms. It’s won’t actually treat the respiratory issues—

 

[gtaus]

VetRX is like Vicks Vaporub. It just helps with symptoms. It’s won’t actually treat the respiratory issues—

Thanks for the quick feedback, I don't want to waste time or money on worthless treatments.

However, Dear Wife is a firm believer in Vicks Vaporub. She must believe that it smells so bad because it is working so good....

 

[Tclloyd0812]

Vet Rx is not the way to go. Like @mamajos said, it's not medication it's just like Vick's vapor rub. Sometimes I've even had it make a respiratory infection or disease worse. And it's not to be used more than maybe one or 2 times.

Tylan can be found at the feed store but usually is the injectable kind. If you wanted to get tylosin you usually have to order it because the feed store most likely won't have it unless you ask them to stock it for you. Its online on a lot of websites and you can get the kind for pigeons or other birds, it works just the same as the expensive big tub of it online.

Anyways, hopefully the symptoms will go away in the next few days but I'm not sure about just using VetRx. That may do more harm than good, and I own it myself. I just hardly use it because its practically pointless unless it's just a cold.

 

[gtaus]

Anyways, hopefully the symptoms will go away in the next few days but I'm not sure about just using VetRx. That may do more harm than good, and I own it myself. I just hardly use it because its practically pointless unless it's just a cold.

Well, the chicken that had respiratory signs of infection yesterday is running around normal today. None of the other chickens have displayed any symptoms of disease. Maybe I'll get lucky and have no further problems. At least the chicken coop got a very good cleaning out yesterday. I'm going to pass on the VetRx given the feedback from you guys. Thanks.

 

[Tclloyd0812]

You're welcome! I hope everything stays normal. Good luck and God bless!

 

[Vannahen]

May I ask how much oregano oil you add to the water?

I use fresh water daily, I’d say I put in 2 gallons of fresh water, and roughly a tablespoon of oil of oregano, apple cider vinegar every time. anytime I hear a cough or odd respiratory noise, I segregate my hen, and give her a full syringe throughout the day of oregano oil, I swear within 24 hours they are back to themselves with no more noise! I swear by it!!!