chicks dying , help....coccidiosis???? any thoughts....

[esther5]

ok i found a chicken vet and am off to see her at 3. i'm not hopeful after all i've read on here about misdiagnosis but it's worth a try. i have done loads of reading about diseases and nothing seems to quite add up.i don't seem to have the stiffness associated with mareks disease and most seem to say their birds still have appetite whereas this lot become disinterested in food. also mine seem to die quicker than those i've read about with mareks.

i checked for red mite at dusk and saw no signs of any.still baffled...can't bear the thought of losing them all one by one

 

[ESofVA]

PLease keep up updated. I am soooo interested to find out what is wrong with your chickens!TY

 

[esther5]

yeah...i'd like to know myself. as i feared, that was a waste of money. the vet was very nice but said she didn't have a clue. she rang the local exotic vets who said it was probably viral. probably too late for the flock and a consultation with them is £120.00 before you even begin to add on the cost of stool samples,post mortems bloods etc. they recommended i do nothing but wait and hope some have immunity or cull the lot and start again.

he did mention the possibility of infectious bronchitis which i will read up about but since only one had symptoms that might fit that it's hard to think that is the problem.

at present the joy has gone from chicken keeping. watching them die by inches is no fun. at least the bill for today was not huge.....

 

[esther5]

it really doesn't look like infectious bronchitis to me. the spread is not rapid enough. i am not seeing soft or misshapen eggs. only one had respiratory symptons. vet said it didn't look like mareks. we've treated for coccidiosis. it doesn't fit newcastles..it's not lice or red mite.it doesn't fit botulism. i've wormed and can see no worms in the poop.

if anyone has any brighter ideas than the vet i'm all ears. i have been feeding reluctant chicks for 12 weeks on and off and am weary of it as they all die anyway......

 

[esther5]

my pullet is stood with her eyes shut. ignoring food, even tempting stuff. if i touch her she opens her eyes then drifts again almost at once.

it's funny how your perspective changes. i've gone from being really upset by each loss to feeling resigned to loosing possibly my flock and hoping at least some of them might be immune.

it used to lift my spirits each day seeing my girls...and the odd roo. now just feel depressed by it all......

 

[ESofVA]

It will be OK! Start thinking about what you will do with new ones, what kind you want, and where you are going to get them. If you buy from a poultry hatchery, I would recommend that you get them vaccinated for all they will give them. Mine come with Infectious bronchitis, Marek's and Newcastle's. I watched of my first chickens die from IB and Marek's. It seems that this area is horrible for diseases. Everyone says it is because of all of the commercial chicken growing houses here but I don't really think so as they have sooo many rules and regulations, they have to because the poultry plants actually own the chickens to begin with and send the chicks there to grow them out.
A lady told me the other day that they had gotten fowl pox in their flock from a man visiting and had to destroy all of their chickens and start over.

I know how hard it is...but it will pass and the joy will return!

 

[NYSAHMof3]

So sorry. This has to be so hard on you. Wish I had more suggestions.

 

[esther5]

hi
i am trying to be positive. right now we have 4 runner ducks. i assume they will be safe. x3 of my flock of chickens were from a hatchery so will be vaccinated. x3 are 2 years old so might have some immunity.( they were the only ones left after a fox wiped out the rest earlier this year) i will just have to wait and see i guess.

all the vet said is it is likely a virus. i am putting duramycin in the water in case it helps. it can't hurt i guess.

it helps to know people understand and care.....

 

[6 littleHens]

Esther,
My baby Buckeyes are 4 months old and 2 have same symptoms in last 4 days. The first hen always by herself while others free range with eyes closed. Not eating or drinking. Not caring what noises happen around her. No other symptoms. Got worse within a day or two and seemed to be dying. I brought her in and fed her mixture of pedialyte, sugar, baby chick food, vit e capsules, and vinegar with a syringe. It was so difficult to get her open beak, but forced her to drink it. She became energetic after drinking 3ml, napping for 2 hr., and drinking 3 more ml of the mix. I put her back with the flock and couldnt tell within minutes which one she was.
Then, I found the most disgusting thing that I had ever seen. A large green dead round worm in my coop. Someone must have poohed it out. I treated with Wazine.
Then last evening noticed the top hen sleeping, not moving, not caring, and not foraging. I brought her in and did same. She was worse shape, layed down with face in bottom of cage. Had more difficult time coaxing and forcing the mix down her. I got 9ml of mix in her, then let her sleep all night. This morning she was up and peeking through the blanket on the cage. I made her eat/drink 9 ml more of the mix and took her back out. She ran out of cage and drank from their waterer for 5 minutes, then ate from the feeder. Seems like a little weak, but maybe she'll make it.
I don't know what symptoms of round worm are but only symptoms they had was lethargy, weakness, not moving, not eating/drinking, and not caring about noises.
Sorry about your chickens. I don't know if this is anything to consider or not but might be worth treating them for.

Tammy <3

 

[wantedman66]

Hi sorry to hear about your chickens,I'm having some similar symptoms with some of my 4-5month olds, there fine one day then they start losing weight and some are eating and some have to coax them to eat I've lost a bunch already but it's weird because a few recovered.From what you guys are describing it sounds like worms but my 2yo girls are fine it seems to be only the young ones,the ones that are surviving I've been giving organic apple cider vinegar,powdered cayenne pepper also pepper sauce,pumpkin seeds and pumpkins from a can and garlic cloves in the water and so far 3 of them seem to be recovering;FINGERS CROSSED.