I don't post a lot, but I read a lot, so thanks in advance for the help! Here's the problem:
Flock of 1 Roo 6 hens. Feed store chicks, 13 months old. Barred Rocks. Large house, completely enclosed lot. Fed Layena and healthy table scraps. ACV in water. Allowed to free range in fenced backyard with supervision several days each week. No illnesses or odd behaviour. Some moulting, not a lot, sprayed with BlueKote to keep them from pecking the new feathers as they're emerging.
Sunday free ranged almost all day in backyard. No pesticides or weed killers in backyard. Dog poo is the worst. All chickens had a great time, all seemed totally normal. 6 egg day.
Monday. Busy day for the humans. Let the chickens out into their run about 4 am. All seemed fine. Checked on them again at 8:30 all seemed fine. Went out to shut the door to thier coop at 8:30 pm. Cecilia, a very spunky hen, was dead between the waterer and feeder. No blood, no sign of trauma. No sign of convulsions (we use chips for bedding and her body was on top of chips.) All other chickens were on roost. Cecilia's eyes were closed and her body was stiff. I checked the vent area to make sure there wasn't an egg or egg fragments that might have cut her, and everything was normal.
Tuesday. Door to coop opened at 4:30 am, all six chickens seemed ok. Checked on them at 7am and all the chickens seemed a little traumatized, but although subdued, seemed fine. at 10:30 one hen, Lizzie was just standing around closing her eyes--extremely lethargic. 11 am thawed some corn as a treat and tossed it out with some feed, and while she and another hen, Rowland, pecked disinterestedly, the other three hens and roo gobbled happily. At 3pm, both Lizzie and Rowland were lethargic. They had green and yellow runny poop as did one of the other hens who is not acting symptomatic. Their crops seemed empty and a bit squishy. Thinking sour crop, we tried to vomit them using every method described on this board and then some. Only a small bit of clear liquid came out of each one. Wondering if perhaps they had been frightened away from the waterer and feeder by Cecilia's corpse the day before, we carefully fed the two hens water with electrolytes and offered yogurt. Rowland ate some yogurt, but not much. Lizzie ate an enormous amount of yogurt and then went over to the waterer and proceeded to drink. (we had added elecrolytes to the main waterer by then) Lizzie drank on and off, never leaving the vicinity of the waterer, until sundown. When removed from the house and placed in the lot, she would make a beeline back to the waterer. At sundown all of the chickens except Lizzie were roosting, Lizzie was by the waterer, we placed her on the lowest roost.
Today. 4am Opened door to run. All chickens on roost except Lizzie, who was alert and standing in front of the roost. 7am. Lizzie lying in run limp, and vomiting sporadicaly. Vomit was brown and smelled like bad poo. I removed Lizzie from the lot and tried to make her comfortable. I vomited her, but what came out was the same as what was already coming out, and it seemed to distress her terribly. Figuring this was the end, I opted to sit beside her and try to keep her from aspirating on her own vomit. She was dead by 8 am. I have since tried to vomit Rowland, with no success. Only a little clear fluid that doesn't have any smell comes out. Rowland is lethargic, and only picks at food. The roo and the other hens are active, have voracious appetites, and seem completely normal.
Sorry this is so long, but I didn't want to leave anything out. Any clues? No wheezing, limping, paralyasis, changing of comb, wattle, or eye color, no lumps, sneezing, coughing. No worms, no mites. Any clues as to what's happening with the chickens?
Flock of 1 Roo 6 hens. Feed store chicks, 13 months old. Barred Rocks. Large house, completely enclosed lot. Fed Layena and healthy table scraps. ACV in water. Allowed to free range in fenced backyard with supervision several days each week. No illnesses or odd behaviour. Some moulting, not a lot, sprayed with BlueKote to keep them from pecking the new feathers as they're emerging.
Sunday free ranged almost all day in backyard. No pesticides or weed killers in backyard. Dog poo is the worst. All chickens had a great time, all seemed totally normal. 6 egg day.
Monday. Busy day for the humans. Let the chickens out into their run about 4 am. All seemed fine. Checked on them again at 8:30 all seemed fine. Went out to shut the door to thier coop at 8:30 pm. Cecilia, a very spunky hen, was dead between the waterer and feeder. No blood, no sign of trauma. No sign of convulsions (we use chips for bedding and her body was on top of chips.) All other chickens were on roost. Cecilia's eyes were closed and her body was stiff. I checked the vent area to make sure there wasn't an egg or egg fragments that might have cut her, and everything was normal.
Tuesday. Door to coop opened at 4:30 am, all six chickens seemed ok. Checked on them at 7am and all the chickens seemed a little traumatized, but although subdued, seemed fine. at 10:30 one hen, Lizzie was just standing around closing her eyes--extremely lethargic. 11 am thawed some corn as a treat and tossed it out with some feed, and while she and another hen, Rowland, pecked disinterestedly, the other three hens and roo gobbled happily. At 3pm, both Lizzie and Rowland were lethargic. They had green and yellow runny poop as did one of the other hens who is not acting symptomatic. Their crops seemed empty and a bit squishy. Thinking sour crop, we tried to vomit them using every method described on this board and then some. Only a small bit of clear liquid came out of each one. Wondering if perhaps they had been frightened away from the waterer and feeder by Cecilia's corpse the day before, we carefully fed the two hens water with electrolytes and offered yogurt. Rowland ate some yogurt, but not much. Lizzie ate an enormous amount of yogurt and then went over to the waterer and proceeded to drink. (we had added elecrolytes to the main waterer by then) Lizzie drank on and off, never leaving the vicinity of the waterer, until sundown. When removed from the house and placed in the lot, she would make a beeline back to the waterer. At sundown all of the chickens except Lizzie were roosting, Lizzie was by the waterer, we placed her on the lowest roost.
Today. 4am Opened door to run. All chickens on roost except Lizzie, who was alert and standing in front of the roost. 7am. Lizzie lying in run limp, and vomiting sporadicaly. Vomit was brown and smelled like bad poo. I removed Lizzie from the lot and tried to make her comfortable. I vomited her, but what came out was the same as what was already coming out, and it seemed to distress her terribly. Figuring this was the end, I opted to sit beside her and try to keep her from aspirating on her own vomit. She was dead by 8 am. I have since tried to vomit Rowland, with no success. Only a little clear fluid that doesn't have any smell comes out. Rowland is lethargic, and only picks at food. The roo and the other hens are active, have voracious appetites, and seem completely normal.
Sorry this is so long, but I didn't want to leave anything out. Any clues? No wheezing, limping, paralyasis, changing of comb, wattle, or eye color, no lumps, sneezing, coughing. No worms, no mites. Any clues as to what's happening with the chickens?
