Black Astralorp appears to be ready to die

[cherrynberry]

Thanks for the response. I let her sit on the nest until her broodiness passed.



I have not seen any parasites in the nest boxes. And when I examined the chicken after she died, I did not see any parasites on her body.

It sounds like she died from sitting too long.

 

[Tclloyd0812]

She could have been weak from sitting for so long and was susceptible to getting sick and maybe having a respiratory problem like others have mentioned. Since you've had 2 die in such a short amount of time I would definitely keep track of everyone's symptoms and keep a closed flock until you know for sure you aren't dealing with a disease of some sort.

 

[cherrynberry]

She could have been weak from sitting for so long and was susceptible to getting sick and maybe having a respiratory problem like others have mentioned. Since you've had 2 die in such a short amount of time I would definitely keep track of everyone's symptoms and keep a closed flock until you know for sure you aren't dealing with a disease of some sort.

Agreed. When you dont want a hen to be sitting, you need to break them, or else they will get weaker. Breaking them as in a broody breaker crate or locking them away from the nesting boxes. Broody hens tend to loose weight, even when broody for 2-3 weeks, and they may be slightly dehyrdated as well, since they only go out 1-2 times a day.

 

[mamajos]

I also had a broody pass unexpectedly. I let her be until she stopped the broodiness, but a few months later, she died. She was 2.5 also. I did not realize how broodiness can zap the life out of them, if broody for several months—as she was (though I would take her out of the nest box so she could eat).

 

[cluckmecoop7]

 

[gtaus]

She could have been weak from sitting for so long and was susceptible to getting sick and maybe having a respiratory problem like others have mentioned.

When you dont want a hen to be sitting, you need to break them, or else they will get weaker. Breaking them as in a broody breaker crate or locking them away from the nesting boxes. Broody hens tend to loose weight, even when broody for 2-3 weeks, and they may be slightly dehyrdated as well, since they only go out 1-2 times a day.

I did not realize how broodiness can zap the life out of them, if broody for several months—as she was (though I would take her out of the nest box so she could eat).

I had not consider the negative health consequences of letting a hen stay broody. But your comments make sense. I don't have a rooster, so there is no reason to just let the hens stay broody. I did not have any problems with my broody hens last year, but maybe another year older and broody (longer?) may have been too much.

I'll have to check out a broody breaker crate or some other way to break them, if/when another hen goes broody. I was thinking just letting the broody hen sit through the broody period was "normal" and would not harm the hen. But maybe they get weaker and lose weight more than I thought - which could make them more vulnerable to disease.

 

[LaFleche]

maybe they get weaker and lose weight more than I thought - which could make them more vulnerable to disease.

That is exactly what happens.

Because the change in their hormonal status slows down their metabolism and leads to some kind of trance, they often don't get up from the nest on their own to eat, drink and poop properly which leads to starvation and extreme perceptiveness for any kind of parasites (internal and external) and/or disease.
Some broodies won't get off their nests at all and at hatching time are often too weak to care for their chicks or die shortly before or after. Others get off only 3 times during the whole incubation period (19-23 days!) which takes a hard toll on their health.

This is why it is highly recommended to lift the broody off the nest each day (or every other day) for at least 20 minutes, so you will be able to check for poultry mites and she will be able to defecate, eat and drink and dust bath properly. This way she will stay much stronger during this strenuous period and minimize the risk of her dying on the nest or shortly after the hatch.

I even deworm my broodies, so they will not get harmed by internal parasites depriving them from their much needed uptake of vitamins and nutrition.

So always break a broody if you don't want chicks.

 

[gtaus]

So always break a broody if you don't want chicks.

Yeah, I don't even have a rooster. So, from now on, I'll be breaking the broody hens for their own health.

FYI, I had another hen this morning starting to show similar signs of opening up her beak and letting out a muffled sound. She has not been a broody hen, so I'm thinking maybe respirator issues as mentioned by others.

I cleaned out my deep litter bedding today, blew out all the dust, and started putting in fresh litter. I don't think my deep litter was the problem, there was no smell that I was concerned about, but I had planned on cleaning out the coop in a number of weeks anyway. Having another potential sick hen just made me decide to get rid of all the old litter and start with fresh new wood chips right now. I figure a good clean up is about all I really know what to do at this point, so everything got cleaned today.

 

[Tclloyd0812]

Yeah, I don't even have a rooster. So, from now on, I'll be breaking the broody hens for their own health.

FYI, I had another hen this morning starting to show similar signs of opening up her beak and letting out a muffled sound. She has not been a broody hen, so I'm thinking maybe respirator issues as mentioned by others.

I cleaned out my deep litter bedding today, blew out all the dust, and started putting in fresh litter. I don't think my deep litter was the problem, there was no smell that I was concerned about, but I had planned on cleaning out the coop in a number of weeks anyway. Having another potential sick hen just made me decide to get rid of all the old litter and start with fresh new wood chips right now. I figure a good clean up is about all I really know what to do at this point, so everything got cleaned today.

That's not a good sign that the others are starting to show signs of sickness. I'm sorry you're dealing with that. Hopefully it will get solved, for now keep the flock closed and monitored. 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.

 

[Eggcessive]

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