Chickens are kicking the bucket!! HELP!

[catdaddy66]

I have need of the combined wisdom of the BYC members due to some mysterious (or not so mysterious) ailment in my older flock. Recently (6-7 weeks ago) these birds were moved to a newer, more spacious coop from a smaller and dirtier one they had been in for 1.5 years. About 4 weeks ago I found a hen in sad shape, with 50% of her feathers and large amounts of mucus running from her nose/beak. I immediately put her down (

) and kept a good eye on the remaining birds, who all seemed fine for the next 2 weeks. In the last 2-3 days both my wife and my cousin have said that the hens are no longer laying and are not eating. Part of the problem in my estimation is that my cousin, while he means well, does not understand why I feed them what I do (the recommended layer rations). He found the birds REALLY like the scratch and BOSS so he feeds them this as regular diet!! I have told him NOT to do so, and explained at length why he needs to stick with the crumbles/pellets. Today another hen was found dead in the coop.

Now, could the illness be diet related? I also wonder if the respiratory condition may be coccidiosis from excessive moisture (1-2 were found sitting in the water dish!) I made a point to tell my cousin to stick with the layer ration ONLY. Can anyone hazard an educated guess on my problem? I probably will have to sanitize the coop at any rate...

Thanks for your input!

 

[georgeandmildredgoose]

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im so sorry you are having problems, im sure there are far more experienced people than me to offer advice. do you have the option of getting samples sent off to a lab?, imo it will (hopefully) give you a clearer idea of whats going on, and info on what to treat them with.

hope things improve for you.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Yikes, I am going to say check for moldy or bad feed, but yes, I would do a necropsy on one of the deceased birds so you know how to combat what you have. Cocci has never shwon the symptoms that yours have, so I would say something else. Have you wromed them? I woudl try that first while trying to determine what has happened to otherwise healthy birds. I think mucus from the beak comes from any type of illness.

 

[catdaddy66]

Thanks, jerseygirl1. I thought about moldy feed, but am using Dumor from TSC. Not saying a bad batch can't happen, I have had no issues since 2/2010 when this odyssey named chicken began! Would the local agricultural extension be able to do the necropsy? That WOULD help a great deal!

 

[chickengrl]

To find your state vet and lab just google "south Carolina state veterinarian" and you should get a contact. Good luck

 

[sonraychick]

Yes, your state's agricultural extension office will be very helpfull to you, and for free. Please contact them for help. The Florida one is fantastic. They will come out and can run several tests on your birds on the spot. You can submit a bird for a necropsy, but it will need to be a live, sick one, and she will not come back home. Best wished.

 

[sonraychick]

http://www.freshfromflorida.com/

 

[rbaker0345]

In the meantime, I would worm, de-louse and treat my flock with a broad spectrum antibiotic immediately, like as soon as I wake up tomorrow.

 

[ILOVELEGHORNS]

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