Chickens dyng every day now - where to send in GA for necropsy?

[ShellP]

I'm losing chickens just about every day now. The latest one (cochin) is still alive but only BARELY, she can not hold her head up at all. She seems to still have strength in her legs and she's been like this since yesterday. I've given her vitamins and electrolytes but I don't know what else to do. We called a vet to find out about sending off one that has died for testing to see what in the world we are dealing with, and he says we have to sacrifice a live bird. What if it's not sick??? With the exception of the cochin, none have shown any symptoms besides some slight isolation (looking back - didn't really notice at the time). I've read on here a lot about people sending off birds that have died, but not live ones! Can anybody help clarfy? Does a vet have to send it, or can I send it? I live in Georgia and have no idea where to send an "already dead" chicken, much less a live one.

 

[chickenzoo]

Sorry for your situation. Find the number for your states vet or dept of agriculture. They should beable to help you. Here in Fl the dept of Ag does necropsys for very little. They want to test a living sick bird for best results...but I believe they do freshly deceased also....if kept refrigerated. Have to if sent in anyway.

What are the symptoms of your birds. Have they been wormed?

 

[casportpony]

Is there a vet school in GA? They would know...

 

[dawg53]

Here you go:
http://www.vet.uga.edu/dlab/index.php

 

[ShellP]

I was able to find this website today:

http://gapoultrylab.org/tifton.html

I called and they actually have a lab about 10 miles from my house in Forsyth, but they are only open there on Tuesdays - EXCEPT this Tuesday because of the holiday. Naturally. However the lab in Tifton is open 5 days a week. So I guess I'll be driving to Tifton tomorrow, but that's ok. If I can find out what's going on before I lose every chicken I have then it will be worth it. Also, they don't charge for the testing either.

As far as symptoms go, there really weren't any on all of the ones that died. I just went to check of everybody Saturday morning, and 4 young silkies were dead. I though maybe they had gotten too cold because their little coop didn't have a heat lamp like the other 2 coops have. There was one silkie and one coachin that hadn't died, so I (in my ignorance) put them in one of the other coops so they wouldn't freeze. The next morning the silkie was dead. Then, Monday night I went out to check everyone and the coachin was in the coop, laying in the floor. I though she was dead but when I picked her up she started squirming some but she couldn't move her heat at all. I brought her in and gave her some poly-vi-sol and electrolytes in water via syringe. She is actually still alive but just lays in a basket and only moves when I disturb her to give the vitamins, etc. Well, this morning after tending to her, I went to the coops again (starting to really dread that now) and there lies my black silkie hen, dead as a doornail. She was sitting on eggs with 2 other silkie hens just 2 days ago.

I wormed all of the chickens two weekends ago, but that's the only time I've done that. I have 2 other hens that have have some respiratory thing going on for several weeks now but they are in a different coop. Of course they are still alive. WTH???

Well, if this long saga sounds like something in particular, please let me know. I plan to take the cochin, the dead silkie from this morning and one of the 2 sick hens to the lab tomorrow. Hopefully we will find out something, and that that something is curable.

 

[chickenzoo]

Hugs to you....so very sorry. Keep us posted on what they find out. Young ones I'd treat for coccidia if they happen to seem like they are lethargic, stay fluffed up and droopy looking, keep eyes closed or fall down and seem thin..... Not sure what the problem is..

 

[katsdar]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Please let us know. I lost my Old man roo this am, he went to bed fine, ate yesterday normal, walked out of his house into the pen and hubby was going to go and let them out to free range and he came in and told me Big Red was down, and he was basically taking his last breath. I put this off to old age so please let me know what you find out.

 

[katsdar]

HI,
Thanks for the link,

 

[casportpony]

FYI, Never freeze a bird that is going to be necropsied.

 

[themoldypeach]

ShellP, did you ever find a lab to do a necropasy in Georgia? What happened to your flock? I have lost 2 birds so far - they stop eating & die within a day or so, no other symptoms. I have been calling around but only get the same answer you did - bring us a live bird to kill & test. That is sort of counteractive to what I am trying to do here! I want to keep the rest alive!