Sick hens

[Melissa Hunter]

What type of bedding?

Do you know the name of the feed? Or do you have any pics?

Pine shavings for bedding, and some brand I've never gotten before called pelouse. I wish I didn't throw away the bag so I knew exactly what kind. I'm going to call tomorrow and ask about it...

 

[The-White-Elephant]

Pine shavings for bedding, and some brand I've never gotten before called pelouse. I wish I didn't throw away the bag so I knew exactly what kind. I'm going to call tomorrow and ask about it...

Ah ok. I’m not sure if scratch grain should be used as a feed. @azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Please post some photos of what the feed looks like (the actual product), the hen that is not well and her poop.
Your location would be very helpful!
What were you feeding before you switched feed?

Do you provide grit (crushed granite) and oyster shell for your flock?

For the one that is not well, please look her over for lice/mites, when was the last time she laid an egg, how old is she, is her crop emptying overnight?

The new feed, does it smell ok? Any mold, bugs - anything off about it?

See if you can get the one that is not well hydrated.

 

[azygous]

If the discarded bedding contained spoiled feed, and if the chickens were scratching around in it, they most likely ate some of the moldy stuff. There really isn't any good treatment for chickens sick from eating moldy food unless you get it immediately after they ingested it.

There is a chance that they didn't consume mold, but bacteria. You can try to treat for that with an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin, often carried by Tractor Supply. If you live in the US.

It would still be helpful if you would tell us your general location such as Canada or Australia or US or China or Turkey, well, you get the idea. We have folks come here from all over the world.

 

[LaFleche]

Hey there, first time chicken owner here, just had a hen die, it was fast. I noticed something was wrong when she didn't follow the others out for their morning feeding. I brought her over to the food and she wouldn't eat, so I brought her inside and tried to hand feed her. She wouldn't eat but would drink. I noticed her pupils were dilating big to small really fast and consistently. Her poop was a light yellow color, she'd been getting a lot of corn and even some cucumber so not sure if that had anything to do with it, and she kept closing her eyes. The next morning she was dead. It seems like she had an egg that had a very pale shell next to her...now another hen isn't eating and very lethargic but drinking. I've quarantined it and I think another hen isn't feeling well now and I noticed light colored liquidy yellow...the rooster seems totally fine so far. Whats up?? I've tried looking around online and haven't found too many things it could be...

I recently got a new feed and it has a lot of corn pieces in it...not all corn, but still...gosh I hope that's not it. I did clean out the coop and it had been frozen so I couldn't clean it out until it thawed, there's so much snow here I couldn't get it far away from the coop and I worry that the old bedding outside caused it?? Is that possible? That they ingested some while it was wet and decomposing by the coop?

Hi Melissa, and welcome to the BYC communitiy

From what I gather so far, there might be several things going on.

A feed with lots of corn is not appropriate for laying hens and usually lacks in protein and other essential nutrients which can cause a multitide of issues.

As it is cold where you live: Do your chickens have fresh liquid water avialable at all times? Do you use a water heater? How often do you clean the waterer and what do you use to disinfect it?

Do your chickens have crushed oyster shells (calcium) and grit (crushed granite) available at all times?

What age are your chickens and how old is the male? Were they all raised together or did you recently add some chickens to your flock?

Just like the others already mentioned, it is important to check the feed for mould and parasites, as both can have detrimental effects and even lead to death. Pelleted feed should not be older than 5 month, so check for the mill date on the bag. And depending on how it was stored, might even be off way before, so always look closely and sniff carefully to check the freshness and quality.

Laying hens would need a feed containing 18-20% protein with a calcium source( oyster shells) and grit in a separate dish always avilable.

Whend did you last deworm them?

 

[Melissa Hunter]

Hopefully someone else can help with possible diagnoses, but in the meantime, here are some tips for supportive care: you'll want to separate her from the other hens and make sure she is warm. If she isn't drinking on her own, you'll need to give her water with a dropper or syringe with the needle removed. You'll need to give her water very slowly to ensure that she doesn't choke and aspirate the water. If she's not wanting to eat on her own, you can try and tempt her with chicken feed mixed with warm water, scrambled eggs, or plain yogurt. Best of luck to you and your flock!

Thank you! I tried all of these tbjngs with success!! Treating for coccidiosis

 

[Melissa Hunter]

Thank you! I am in idaho, there is feet of snow on the ground right now and has been for over a month. We had sub freezing temperatures, -10 was the worst. Some sideways snow got into the coop and froze solid, i wasn't able to get it out until it thawed so the damp bedding was cleared out right before they got sick...I think that was it...there isn't a good wY to transport it far from the coop with all the snow so I raked it out and left it near the coop thinking it would be ok...treating for coccidiosis and taking the advice with the syringe and soaking the crumble, they ate that thank goodness.

Your location would be immensely helpful to know. It would tell us if it's summer or winter where you are. If it's summer or you're in a sub-tropical region, this could be coccidiosis raging through your flock. If this is suspected, immediate treatment with a coccidiostat is urgent. Since it is killing chickens, an antibiotic would also be highly recommended.

This could be a botulism related infection if your chickens have access to a compost pile where spoiled food is tossed or where they have been excavating deep holes in an anaroebic layer of the soil. If they have, it's urgent to treat with an oral antibiotic immediately.

These symptoms can also occur from moldy feed. Moldy feed smells horrible, so give it a sniff.

 

[Melissa Hunter]

Thank you! I didn't realize I was getting a food like that so I've changed it back to the protein crumble with 20% protein like they're usually on...they have grit and fresh water available daily, I'm home all day so I'm always outside bringing fresh water, always cleaned out and often because if freezing. It was the cleaning out of the bedding that got some sideways snow in it and froze when we had our deep freeze recently...It finally got above freezing and I was able to clean it out right before they got sick...feet of snow still on the ground so I left it near the coop since I couldn't transport it anywhere and I know they pecked at it...certain that's what causes them to get sick...they're being treated for coccidiosis and syringe fed them water with the meds and put it in their crumble and they ate that up

Hi Melissa, and welcome to the BYC communitiy

From what I gather so far, there might be several things going on.

A feed with lots of corn is not appropriate for laying hens and usually lacks in protein and other essential nutrients which can cause a multitide of issues.

As it is cold where you live: Do your chickens have fresh liquid water avialable at all times? Do you use a water heater? How often do you clean the waterer and what do you use to disinfect it?

Do your chickens have crushed oyster shells (calcium) and grit (crushed granite) available at all times?

What age are your chickens and how old is the male? Were they all raised together or did you recently add some chickens to your flock?

Just like the others already mentioned, it is important to check the feed for mould and parasites, as both can have detrimental effects and even lead to death. Pelleted feed should not be older than 5 month, so check for the mill date on the bag. And depending on how it was stored, might even be off way before, so always look closely and sniff carefully to check the freshness and quality.

Laying hens would need a feed containing 18-20% protein with a calcium source( oyster shells) and grit in a separate dish always avilable.

Whend did you last deworm them?

 

[Melissa Hunter]

If the discarded bedding contained spoiled feed, and if the chickens were scratching around in it, they most likely ate some of the moldy stuff. There really isn't any good treatment for chickens sick from eating moldy food unless you get it immediately after they ingested it.

There is a chance that they didn't consume mold, but bacteria. You can try to treat for that with an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin, often carried by Tractor Supply. If you live in the US.

It would still be helpful if you would tell us your general location such as Canada or Australia or US or China or Turkey, well, you get the idea. We have folks come here from all over the world.

Hi there! Sorry I've been trying to get to all the comments! I'm in idaho, feet if snow on the ground here. Treating for coccidiosis and so far so good! Thank you!