Cold Weather Issues! Help, please!

[AGirlAndHerChickens03]

Hmmm, healthy 7 month old pullets should not die in 10* weather. Especially if they were indoors and protected from the weather. Maybe it would be a good idea to have them checked for lice, mites or internal parasites. Something must be weakening them.

From what I understand, lice and mites are not very active in cold weather. Would it make sense for them to make a sudden difference when cold weather has just started? The second chicken had been walking around with her head tucked into her body for about two weeks before she died, but most of the other chickens have been doing that too.

 

[aart]

From what I understand, lice and mites are not very active in cold weather

Not true, lice and some mites live their whole lives on the bird where it is nice and toasty warm.

I'm so sorry you lost 2 birds, but have to agree that it wasn't just the cold that killed them. The cold can stress an already sick bird, but heating the coop won't fix the underlying cause of death and in some cases may make it worse.

It can be very difficult to figure out exactly what ails a bird once they have some disease.
Many birds carry disease but show no symptoms until stressed enough to weaken their immune systems.
A necropsy and pathology testing at a reputable lab is about the only way to know for sure....not possible for most folks. Gross DIY necropsy may offer clues if you're up to it and have a good understanding of what you're looking at....many can't do this either.

Good space and ventilation coupled with a good diet should keep birds healthy enough to with stand the cold. Assess your housing and feeding regime.

Check all your birds for external parasites:
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

 

[Firefoot]

From what I understand, lice and mites are not very active in cold weather. Would it make sense for them to make a sudden difference when cold weather has just started? The second chicken had been walking around with her head tucked into her body for about two weeks before she died, but most of the other chickens have been doing that too.

Have you had a fecal float test done recently? It does seem like parasites are possible. Mites aren't very active off of the chicken in the cold temps but I'd imagine a nice warm chicken body is a great place to spend the winter. Have poops been looking normal? I saw someone recently with hunchy, lethargic birds and someone else suggested coccidiosis.

Definitely agree something else is going on here.

 

[AGirlAndHerChickens03]

Not true, lice and some mites live their whole lives on the bird where it is nice and toasty warm.

I'm so sorry you lost 2 birds, but have to agree that it wasn't just the cold that killed them. The cold can stress an already sick bird, but heating the coop won't fix the underlying cause of death and in some cases may make it worse.

It can be very difficult to figure out exactly what ails a bird once they have some disease.
Many birds carry disease but show no symptoms until stressed enough to weaken their immune systems.
A necropsy and pathology testing at a reputable lab is about the only way to know for sure....not possible for most folks. Gross DIY necropsy may offer clues if you're up to it and have a good understanding of what you're looking at....many can't do this either.

Good space and ventilation coupled with a good diet should keep birds healthy enough to with stand the cold. Assess your housing and feeding regime.

Check all your birds for external parasites:
Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

I've had a small lice problem with some of my birds, but these ones that died were good. I've been giving them DE and some other stuff to get rid of them. One possiblity I thought of was dehydration? I know, sometimes in the cold a bird isn't used to the cold and doesn't drink enough water to sustain them. I've made sure that they gave plenty of food and clean water. I would normally have two feeders full since one of my roosters wouldn't let them eat out of "his feeder." They both ate out of the other feeder that was completely clean and good food. No mold or anything. It was like they were fine one day and the next day, they were dying. I know dehydration works fast.

 

[AGirlAndHerChickens03]

Have you had a fecal float test done recently? It does seem like parasites are possible. Mites aren't very active off of the chicken in the cold temps but I'd imagine a nice warm chicken body is a great place to spend the winter. Have poops been looking normal? I saw someone recently with hunchy, lethargic birds and someone else suggested coccidiosis.

Definitely agree something else is going on here.

Like I said before, I know I've had a slight lice problem, but these guys were clean. They were new and separated from the rest of the flock and I never found any lice on them. We had a mite problem, but they weren't on any of my chickens. I saw them on the wood in the coup, so we cleaned our chickens regardless and sprayed the whole coup for mites. I've never had another problem or seen another mite. Poops looked normal to me. They were nice and firm leading up to the days when they died. We don't have the luxury of having a poultry vet around, so any treatments are done by me.

 

[aart]

They were new and separated from the rest of the flock

How new?
They may have had something when you got them?

I've been giving them DE and some other stuff to get rid of them

DE will not get rid of a lice infestation.

 

[bobbi-j]

Agree with Aart - if they were quite new, they may have had a “hidden” problem that was exacerbated by the stress of moving.

 

[AGirlAndHerChickens03]

How new?
They may have had something when you got them?

DE will not get rid of a lice infestation.

I hatched them myself. I've used some other stuff apart from DE. I don't remember what it was called, but it seemed to really bring down the issue.

 

[aart]

I hatched them myself. I've used some other stuff apart from DE. I don't remember what it was called, but it seemed to really bring down the issue.

Hmmmm, incubator or broody?
Eggs from your flock or another?

What "other stuff"?

What all and how exactly do you feed?

It's realy hard to say what did them in.
I suppose a very sudden and drastic drop in temp could do it.
You may have a point about the dehydration...but why would your birds be dehydrated?

I've brought back a couple suffering from cold stress with a short (2hrs) reset inside garage and some electrolyte/vitamins...but that was after prolonged single digit temps and a couple days of lethargy.

 

[AGirlAndHerChickens03]

Hmmmm, incubator or broody?
Eggs from your flock or another?

What "other stuff"?

What all and how exactly do you feed?

It's realy hard to say what did them in.
I suppose a very sudden and drastic drop in temp could do it.
You may have a point about the dehydration...but why would your birds be dehydrated?

I've brought back a couple suffering from cold stress with a short (2hrs) reset inside garage and some electrolyte/vitamins...but that was after prolonged single digit temps and a couple days of lethargy.

It was a broody hen hatch. They were separated with the hatching, and the mother has never been part of the big flock. She's a pretty paint silkie, so I've wanted to give her special treatment, and I don't think that throwing her in with all the other brutes would help keep her clean. The eggs were some of my own that I pulled over from the main flock when she went broody. All parents are completely healthy and over a year old. I give them a diet of layer feed and an occasional treat of seed or cracked corn. Sometimes we give them fruit or bread, but not that often.

About a week before the first chicken died, it was in the 80s weather-wise. Then it dropped down to the 40s during the day and lower in the night. The reason I thought of dehydration was because, in my reasoning, when it's very hot outside it makes the chickens thirsty, so they don't need to remind themselves to drink, but when it suddenly drops down cold, it doesn't make them as thirsty and they don't see a reason to drink as much.

I don't know what the other stuff was. It was a type of pesticide or something that was designed to rid parasites, such as lice and mites, from your flock. I've used it on my chickens and sprayed it inside the coup. It is also good for keeping out nasty flies. I don't have the original container that it was in, so I don't remember what it was called. I got it about a year ago.