dead hen troubleshooting

[2jsbabyfarm]

Well this afternoon I went out to my coop and there I found my BLRW hen dead =( I cannot figure out why. I am no great chicken expert unfortunately. It came to mind that 2 days ago she was wheezing when she breathed..veing the self stated novice I thought.she was doing.her hen noises because she frequently did that..now I obviously know that was not the case. I dont hear any of my other birds doing it...yet. I hooe somebody has a clue so I can stop this if its something infectious!

 

[Chicks and Hens]

What do you feed your birds? I doubt it is infectious but don't be too careful IT COULD BE!

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

Layer pellets and scraps..although lately they have been helping themselces to every last tomato in my garden which has caused water poop. But the seem to have tired of thaf and quit and poop is back ti normal.

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

Oh my sorry about all the typos!!

 

[Chicks and Hens]

So what main food do you feed them

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

Well primarily the layer feed and I cant even tell ya the brand off the top of my head. And then just scraps from whatever doesnt get eaten by our family. I guess lately its been alot of apple scraps BC I have been doing apple sauce. Nothing strange or anything with bones.

 

[CherishHolland]

You said she was wheezing,was there any sinus drainage? Open mouth breathing/gasping? It could have been a respiratory infection check the rest of your flock for wheezing or gasping for breath,also when I am checking a sick chicken I hold their back up to my ear and listen for any rattling when they breath, if I hear rattling I start treatment. I check for mites/lice,check poops and then go from there with diagnosis. Sorry for your loss
Best of luck with your flock

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

thank you, she was a sweetie! No sinus drainage that I saw. And yes open mouth breathing either from that or the high temps we have had. I listened to the others last night and couldn't detect anything. If it is infectious what do I do for treatment?? Another thing, they have been rooting around in my tomato plants and garden non stop, and their faces are caked with dirt afterwards. Could it have been a result of that??(sorry maybe an amateur question)

 

[BigECarter]

I wish I had answers for you - then maybe I'd be keeping my chickens alive too. I have one, Donny, who has been gasping for around 10 days. And a pullet that was doing a little bit of mouth breathing but no gasping and seemed to have a full crop every time I checked. I found her so weak she couldn't stand, and she died two days later. I was surprised at how skinny she was. My roo has also lost a lot of weight. He doesn't seem to eat unless we feed him - we mix warm water into his crumbles and feed him 3-4 times a day.

So my advice - check their breasts along with their crops. My best guess is aspergillosis, which is not contagious. I tried treating with Oxine but didn't see an improvement - may have been too late to help. At this point, just trying to keep my roo eating enough to stay alive while his immune system deals with whatever is going on.

Good luck!

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

Oh I am so sorry to hear of your troubles!! We dont realize how much we invest until these situations come up. Its tough! I am thankful that our 1 & 3 yr old boys dont realize.one is missing BC they looove their chickies. I will have to research your.diagnosis and see what I can do to prevent it. I hope your roo pulls through!! Where do you find the medication for this?? Keep me updated on what goes on with him!!