CHICKENS SICK ALL THE TIME, READY TO GIVE UP!

[oliviaandjosh4]

We have had chickens for almost a year and a half and have experienced quite a few problems/illnesses. Now it is to the point where my husband & I are ready to just be done with them. They get sick more than anything I have ever seen! I will admit now that we have 40, so of course we are going to have more problems compared to when we started out with 6. We are both at the point that we are ready to downsize for sure!

We have experienced: respiratory problems(MANY of these), hen that wouldn't recover from a leg injury, eggbound hen, lethargic & unable to stand (our recent issue), bumblefoot..

I constantly feel like I can't win, no matter what we try to do to prevent them from getting sick, it never works. Our laying hens are doing great here lately with no issues. It is the young ones that are having all the issues. I think we might just get rid of them and keep are older, healthier ones.

If I could go back in time, I can honestly say I would tell myself to not even get into chickens because of how sickly they can get! I know I am sounding very negative but I am just so disappointed and fed up.

Anyone else feel the same way?

 

[centrarchid]

Start your thinking from scratch. Show pictures of setup. Tweaking may be in order.

 

[Folly's place]

Evaluate your management and facilities. Also, you can have tests run to discover what health issues are affecting your flock. If you have a chronic contagious respiratory disease in the flock, find out, so you can have a plan to manage the problem. Were all these birds from a good hatchery? Random sources? Disease free breeder? Are they getting a balanced diet? Good ventilation in the coop? Just a few things to consider. Have sick or dying birds necropsied. Mary

 

[Mrs. K]

Truthfully, anything that is sick is culled.

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

I hardly have time to cull they die so quick.. I am thinking it is Coccidiosis that my young birds have, I am gonna buy some Corid & treat all birds ASAP.

Do yall have any recommendations for cleaning out their coop/pen? Would sprinkling diamectaous earth (however you spell it) or something like sevin dust on the ground in their pen help in any way? I want to do it right so that I don't have to worry about it coming back..

 

[centrarchid]

Get birds up and off the ground for now. If you are in the south and been experiencing a protracted bout of wet weather then you could also be dealing with worms. Get them on fresh feed and preferably one for younger birds. Do what you can to prevent cold stress. This is one of the few time I would add electrolytes to water. Can you show pictures of infected birds.

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

Yes I live in the south & this wet weather is not helping! Can't really get them off the ground, there is 25 + birds...
I don't have a picture of the ones that are sick now, but I do have this pic of the first one that died..



They all look similar to this.. lethargic, not moving much..noticeably less active than the others..and then they get to the point where they can't stand up anymore, and within hours they are dead.

 

[centrarchid]

They are loosing salts and water in a manner we do with extreme diarrhea. They also have a compromised ability to thermoregulate, especially when comes to staying warm. Can you get them up on straw? Last bout I had with such was treated in part with a heat lamp even with birds like yours. They will drink a lot more water than otherwise and will fail faster if they cannot. That water needs to be clean. The gut is in such bad shape they will have trouble absorbing consumed nutrients and secondary infections can be very important as well. TO control secondary infections I also lave water with antibiotic (very much off-label use) comfortable in saying it is effective. Feed only lightly. Birds will loose weight regardless and feathers will record the stressor in the survivors.

 

[centrarchid]

Can you show a picture of how birds are confined?

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

I will take a picture tomorrow & post. I might have overdid it & put too many in a pen too small. I let them out everyday to free range for a little bit too.