Buffy dropped dead!

[Uzuri]

And doesn't it figure that it was the "pet" of the group that went first. Only one other even has a name.

What causes sudden death without symptoms? The only thing I saw that was off with her was that her bum needed plucked again and was getting a little dirty. No maggots or anything like that, even with her having been dead for a while (she was stiff), so I didn't leave the dirty feathers too long. I couldn't stomach a full post mortem, but I did do a louse/mite check, checked her orifices (no prolapse, no violence, no evidence of drainage from eyes or nose), and just kind of a general once over. This morning... well, no, come to think, this morning she WASN'T in my face like usual. But last night she begged to be lifted into the house like she always does. Did.

There's an off chance that we may have some diarrhea in the flock, but it still seems within normal range according to that site with all the droppings pictures.

So I'm worried that they're all going to start dropping like flies. What do I need to be looking for?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I would bet cocci. Sometimes the symptoms come on quickly. The dirty butt makes me even more suspicious of cocci. They can eat and drink right up to just before death too.

 

[Uzuri]

The dirty butt is a bit of a red herring -- Buffy had a dirty butt essentially from the day she was born. She was a Buff Orp, and her feathers just collected manure.

But I am planning on treating for cocci, just in case. I wish I'd have just thought of it a littler earlier; TSC and our local feed store are already closed, and I'll be late for work if I wait for them to open tomorrow.


Edit: AAAAnd I have a serious problem. No one carries amprolium of any brand in this area.

 

[ChooksChick]

You didn't say how old she was...or I missed it.

If she was over 14 weeks or so, I'd look less at coccidiosis and more at parasites. If she was indeed a teen, you can use powdered milk mixed in at a 1:1 ratio with their feed to buy you time for Amprolium to be shipped. Smith's Poultry Supply will ship liquid Corid quickly.

I'm sorry- they tug at the heart strings, don't they?

 

[Uzuri]

Oops, I'm sorry. Almost exactly a year.

Yeah, I feel kinda stupid for feeling a little sad for a chicken, but she used to greet me at the door, beg to be picked up, and always be right in my face no matter what I was doing. If any chicken could ever be said to have a personality, it was her. Oh well, so it goes sometimes.

 

[schellie69]

At that age I would think more worms then cocci, I would take a fecal sample to the vet and make sure that your chickens don't have worms.

 

[ChooksChick]

i sobbed when I lost my first one. It's okay to be a caring person.

I would look at the back of the rest- if you think they are having messy runs or if they have mucky feathers, I would get some Wazine into them. There are instructions on the bottle. That will take care of roundworms. Ten days later, I would put 3-4 drops of Ivermectin (Ivomec Pour-On) on the back of the neck ON THE SKIN. It needs to be skin, not feathers. Use a syringe. That will take care of other worms and parasites.

I'm not sure what else to tell you, but there may have been something wrong internally. Has she been laying normally?

I'm not betting it has anything to do with Coccidiosis at that age. It ought to be past that danger.

It's more likely an issue with laying or parasites. Do they have a proper layer feed, calcium and grit available at all times?

 

[Ridgerunner]

At a year old, I'd also consider egg bound?

I've found some dead for no apparent reason. One, I think may have broken her neck running into a feeder while flying down off the roost. One, a Speckled Sussex, I think ate himself to death at 12 weeks. He must have thought he was a meatie. Talk about being a pig at the feed trough. Then another, a hen about a year old, I just don't have any good theories. I had no real warning on any of them.

Not much help I know, but when you deal with living animals, you have to deal with dead animals. That does not mean it is easy.

 

[Uzuri]

Yes, proper layer crumble topped with some extra calcium and they get out of the coop into a mobile coop periodically to hit fresh dirt so they should be getting enough grit. I haven't seen any crop problems, no bad breath, no bulging crops.

It's not clear if she did a lot of laying or not, I think I'd only seen her in the box once. She didn't have the drop-bellied appearance that I've seen with internal layers, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Definitely no foamy droppings (and I oughta know, I looked at enough of them last night. Erugh.). I do realize that's no guarantee. I'm going to throw some DE in the bath for external parasites tonight, but when I checked Buffy over she was so incredibly clean it wasn't funny.

I'm not quite willing to rule out the cocci, because of the unusual weather pattern we've been having. It's horribly wet, whereas last year and the year before, when I had no problems, we were pretty dry. We may very well avoided it for two year only to see the soggy weather encourage it to thrive and to hit hard chickens without a resistance and who were already down from the weather (and they do get "under the weather"! Depressed chickens all sitting in the doorway as the rain sheets down. They perk up when the sun comes out.). I keep seeing people frustrated with the fact that they used medicated starter and got it anyway at a very late date, and Dad, who grew up with chickens actually suggested the cocci as well. Wish Pap was still around; he'd know.

I've yet to find a vet in the area who will look at chickens, or even chicken droppings. I guess I'd better find out if there's a way to do "home floats". Uck. Not at breakfast.

 

[Uzuri]

Quote:
Should I feel bad because this made me giggle? He sounds like the Wellie Rooster I gave away. Little pigs all.