CHICKENS SICK ALL THE TIME, READY TO GIVE UP!

[enola]

What are the dimensions of your coops and runs? How many chickens do you have in each coop?

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

Our big coop is about 10 feet x 16. It has 10 laying hens & 10 4 month old pullets and cockerels. It has a big fenced in run as well, which they hardly go in because we let them free range all day. The coop has PLENTY of perches, my husband used young trees so about 10 could fit on one and there are 10 perches in there with plenty of room in between. We use straw bedding on the floor of the coop. I will get pictures & post in a little bit.

The rest of the young chickens are in the coop I posted a picture of previously.

 

[Folly's place]

It would be best to actually have a diagnosis, rather than having more guesses, while your birds are dying. Mary

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

Yes Mary that was supposed to be the point in me posting this! If I didn't care I don't think I would be wasting my time on a chicken forum! I don't know why some people would rather criticize than help. If you aren't offering advice, I'm not sure why you are even commenting.

 

[Bengt747]

Quote: It does take time for poultry medications to go into effect. Even though you may have moved some of the poultry around to larger coops, made changes, etc. it will still take time for the birds to adjust and get better. In some cases, the birds simply just happen to die a day or so after you administer the medicine. Unfortunately, it's simply not possible to keep every afflicted bird from dying.

For the short term, I would complete the Corid treatment as the package instructs and continue keeping the yard clean and coops as dry as possible.

If this carries on much longer after finishing the treatment (or perhaps even before), it may be advisable to seek out the expertise of a veterinarian as Mary (Folly's place) suggested. There comes a point in time when expert opinion proves necessary, and if you're continually losing birds, that's the time to get help.

Best of luck...

 

[Free Feather]

It is crazy how judgmental and assuming half these comments are. The poster was asking for help. I am sure if she knew she was doing something wrong, she would not still be asking about it.

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

It is crazy how judgmental and assuming half these comments are. The poster was asking for help. I am sure if she knew she was doing something wrong, she would not still be asking about it.

Thank you! I love my chickens and hate to see any of them die! I don't have tons of money to spend on different medicines or a necropsy. I'm trying my best and appreciate any help!

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

It does take time for poultry medications to go into effect. Even though you may have moved some of the poultry around to larger coops, made changes, etc. it will still take time for the birds to adjust and get better. In some cases, the birds simply just happen to die a day or so after you administer the medicine. Unfortunately, it's simply not possible to keep every afflicted bird from dying.

For the short term, I would complete the Corid treatment as the package instructs and continue keeping the yard clean and coops as dry as possible.

If this carries on much longer after finishing the treatment (or perhaps even before), it may be advisable to seek out the expertise of a veterinarian as Mary (Folly's place) suggested. There comes a point in time when expert opinion proves necessary, and if you're continually losing birds, that's the time to get help.

Best of luck...

I finished the Corid treatment Saturday and still had one die today. All the others are doing fine except for one, and even the one that died was not showing any symptoms. I guess I will just wait it out and see.
I need to quit picking favorite chickens because sadly it is always my favorites that get sick and die

 

[allpeepedout]

Sorry for your losses. It sounds like you are trying hard to help your birds and making progress. Hope your favorite pulls through and meds kick in.

As others note, it looks like your coop and run capacity is below recommendations and workable only if good weather prevails and birds can free range for most of their waking hours.

So since you have been hit with continuous rain, perhaps birds were confined or chose not to go outside as much, and your bedding could not dry thoroughly each day. That makes it a breeding ground for bacteria, boredom, fighting, injuries, and stress.

For litter to work with constant high humidity and output from a large number of birds in a small square footage, you would need to add / swap out generous amounts of dry material each day to keep it dry. If the coop has any smell at all, it's simply not dry or clean enough.

I also agree with others on Dumor. My chickens refused to eat. I had to mix it with something else to get rid of it.

As others have suggested, covering runs with tarps is a start. Reworking your pen soil to improve drainage might help, as well as adding a layer of gravel, pebbles, or sand under it all to help with drainage and drying. Here's hoping you get some sunshine -- and a break!

 

[lazy gardener]

I believe you can get a free necropsy from your local county Agricultural extension office.