I have a flock of 5 chickens of mixed breeds and ages(3-6 years), but all were obtained as day-old chicks and quarantined until laying age before being added to the flock. Within the last few months I noticed my 6th chicken, a Red Star, had a very prominent breast bone sticking out when I picked her up. In the days after that she started becoming more and more lethargic, and during her last day or so she looked as though she was just hanging out sun and dustbathing before she passed away.
I moved two years ago and had to keep my chickens at my parents' house for a few months while I got everything settled at the new house. They started doing a head shaking thing pretty much all the time while at my parents' house and have continued it since they've been here at the new house, but I have never been able to find any mites on them or in the coop. Lately they have been laying pretty poorly, and I believe I only have two of the five laying at all. Finally, some (most? all?) of them sound congested on some occasions, kind of clearing their throat or sneezing. I don't have a poultry vet nearby, but my dogs' vet recently came out to give my pup her boosters, so I had her do a fecal float of some fresh chicken droppings I picked up in the chicken yard. She only came up with heterakis and arcands eggs (if I'm reading her writing correctly) which she said are very common in poultry and are picked up from earthworms and / or wild bird droppings. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what may be going on, treatment I could administer, or the like?
Rachel
I moved two years ago and had to keep my chickens at my parents' house for a few months while I got everything settled at the new house. They started doing a head shaking thing pretty much all the time while at my parents' house and have continued it since they've been here at the new house, but I have never been able to find any mites on them or in the coop. Lately they have been laying pretty poorly, and I believe I only have two of the five laying at all. Finally, some (most? all?) of them sound congested on some occasions, kind of clearing their throat or sneezing. I don't have a poultry vet nearby, but my dogs' vet recently came out to give my pup her boosters, so I had her do a fecal float of some fresh chicken droppings I picked up in the chicken yard. She only came up with heterakis and arcands eggs (if I'm reading her writing correctly) which she said are very common in poultry and are picked up from earthworms and / or wild bird droppings. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what may be going on, treatment I could administer, or the like?
Rachel
ACV also acts as an antiseptic by killing the germs that cause respiratory problems- which chickens are extremely susceptible to- in the throat and promotes healthy mucus flow.
