disease carrying

[95yj]

i got to get to school so i'm gonna make this quick. yesterday i gave my chickens baths, it was necesary, i put them outside to dry off. I looked out 15 minutes later and they looked really cold and miserable, alot more than they usualy do after baths. so i put them in cat carrier type cages and brought them into my basement and put them under a heat light. Two hours later i go down and find 1 dead, 1 starting to convulse and the rest on their way out. I immediatly put them in a cage with better ventilation, under alot more light and force fed them all high electrolight solutions, long story short 3 out of seven died. years of breeding down the tube. They've been looking off for weeks, but a sick chicken pretty much looks like a cold chicken and there weren't too many other indicators, I'm not gonna beat myself up too much. Unfortunately across the room in the basement are seven coturnix quail, i wasn't really thinking when i moved the chickens, and i thought they were healthy. I'm pretty sure it was a respiratory disease of some kind that wiped out my chickens, how much risk are my quail in, and what else can i do? I'v moved the chickens into a different room and the ones left are looking pretty perky this morning. I feel like i should have caught this, but anyone who's seen something like this before knows how fast a flock can go from perfectly fine to death bed...

 

[speckledhen]

How cold was it when you "put them outside to dry off"? You live in Mass., so I would imagine it was way too cool to put a wet chicken outside. I blow dry mine on very rare occasions when a bath is necessary. They rarely need bathing; in fact, I dont think I've ever really had to bathe a chicken, just put one in a warm sink of water when she'd have egg issues.

That said, there is not enough information for anyone to say what the issue was.

 

[jjthink]

What Cynthia said.

Plus...This is so sad. What on earth were you thinking putting wet birds out in the cold (and it was cold in Mass

), most especially when they've 'looked off for weeks'? ('weeks' is a hugely long time in chickendom). As far as not beating yourself up too much, I'm afraid for this you should be pretty majorly upset with yourself. I'm sorry, I'm usually nicer, but good grief. I'm channeling the birds here, as sometimes I feel I must. Hopefully at least someone else learns from reading of your experience so their birds don't suffer the same fate and for that, thank you for taking the time to share this experience.

JJ

 

[95yj]

it actualy wasn't that cold, and these are the exact same birds that run around in the freezing rain and sleet in 35* weather during january soaking wet with no problem. maybe you didn't understand me but IT WASN'T THE WASHING. and what was i thinking? i was thinking that i was going to get the oil formerly used to treat scaly leg off there feathers because i thought that may have been the problem, it had matted up and seemed to really be bothering them. perhaps you may be some kind of bird god who never had any issues, but i'm not, they had a respiratory issue. as for looking down for weeks, i may have been exagerating, and its been switching between raining and cold to sunny and warm every few days so it was impossible to tell whether or not they were cold or something else, seeing as neither of you live in new england or know my exact birds or situation maybe you could hold off judgement for a little while. Also blow drying them when they are that ill would simply weaken them, ounce i got them under the heat lights they dried off in 15 minutes. Would you please stop accusing me, i really do love my birds and it was my quick action and experience that any of the chickens are still alive. I really wasn't asking for a diagnosis, i was more wondering about the quail, but if your gonna treat me like some dumb ass amateur, who doesn't know **** and doesn't give a darn about my birds I'm sorry i asked...

Perhaps i did sound a little careless in my former posting, but i had been up till 1 am and was rushing. btw the four remaining birds are doing fantastic, they are looking really perky and have lots of energy, there still under the lights.

 

[jjthink]

Cynthia was honest and very polite. If you want to be mad at somebody be mad at me. I was pretty frank with you, and I'm sorry as I know it wasn't an easy pill to swallow. It's just a very upsetting ending for your birds, and when people seem*** to let themselves off the hook so easily I worry the problem could well repeat and so for the sake of their remaining birds, and truly even for the person themselves, some straight talk might avoid additional tragedy and heartache. Not just for the person posting but for any readers going through similar.

(*** The trouble with the written word of course is that we only have what's on the screen to go by. Your second note clarifies that you care more than was conveyed in the first note)

No one is suggesting you meant any harm, truly not at all, and none of us is 'bird gods', thank you very much as its a lovely thought, but if we're really being honest here you know you don't have to be a 'bird god' to know not to put 'under the weather' (or even healthy) wet birds out in the cold even if you have in times past seen them outside while wet (I have lived in New England, know it well and it was very cold and windy yesterday - my birds were miserable in New Jersey).

You yourself said they had a respiratory issue. Think about when people have an upper respiratory issue - their resistance is down, they get cold easily and they need warmth and quiet and TLC. Same with birds, perhaps even more so. I do honestly feel for you in that it can be downright confounding to diagnose our chicken friends, and there was a time years ago where I really struggled to sort out what was going on (I still feel awful about a sweet roo I lost whose problem I could not figure out, and at that time no one I called had any insights either), and I'm sure it will happen again. But one thing is for sure and that is when birds are 'looking off', it is crucial to provide warmth, great nutrition, quiet and stress free environment, careful monitoring and if at all possible, prompt medical attention. You know that now. And you now know something pretty bad was going on with these birds and I am really sorry for them and for you.

Hopefully the experience will mean brighter days ahead for your remaining birds. As the saying goes, when we know better, we do better. And I do hope your quail will be okay.

Peace, JJ

 

[shay20]

First i want to say i am sorry you lost a few of your birds.
I live in mass as well, and i am sorry but i would have to agree that it had to have been the being wet and putting them outside to dry.

You have to think this way, if they had colds before you gave them a bath, that weakens there immune system so when you put them outside in this cold weather and no where to run but to just sit there that will hurt them bad.

dont forget if they are healthy and running around in the rain dont forget they are (running around) meaning they are warm, but when they get a bath you are actually wetting them more than rain wetting and then they are just standing where ever you put them they are not running around, like they would be if they were free ranging or even fenced in.

I really hope your others pull threw.

 

[chickenzoo]

The affect on your quail would depend on what type of illness your chickens had. Some illnesses only affect certain birds where as others are not specific. Sorry about your chickens, I would post the symptoms to get a better idea of what you are dealing with.