Dying chickens

[TerryH]

That's great! A little jealous that you have a chicken biology expert available by phone, it's got to a be of great comfort.
Good move on the refrigeration.
The AI comment is maybe an overreaction to the fact that during the last outbreak they were swabbing commercial and home flocks and if any AI was found...total 'depopulation' and often backtracking to stock sources, all of which is good and bad. Many diseases and harmful organisms can be carried in low enough numbers not to produce any symptoms. Sorry, I always consider the worst case scenario.

lol...no problem. I usually start with the end of life as we know it answer and work my way back from there.

The 6 in the coop still perfectly normal this morning. No sign of anything. #7 still the same.

I'll report back as soon as I know more.

 

[Plaidabilly]

I noticed your post, when I was searching what to do about the fact that I put mulch in our run that had preen in it. It was an old kind of broken down bag of mulch, didn't notice it had preen in it till it was dumped all over the ground. I also have chickens born in April, and my glorious and amazing "Big Buff" died mysteriously 2 mornings ago. He had been absolutely normal the night before, hanging out with us, watching TV. This happened before the mulch debacle. I hate this business of getting so attached and they can just drop dead. I read tons of threads on Wednesday trying to make sense of what happened to him. By the way, I'm in Kansas City, but love NW AR, want to move there eventually.

Here is our coop we've been working on since June.

.
Big Buff, our buddy we lost.

 

[TerryH]

I met with the researchers from the U of A this morning. They swabbed all the chickens in the coop as well as #7. They took poop samples and samples of the wood chips. They also took Aunt Bea for necropsy. They did a very thorough inspection of the birds and the coop and run. I got a call back from Dr.Clark this afternoon. The problem is fungi in the wood chips that I had put in the run. Likely Aspergillus. The Aspergillus fungi was apparently aspirated into the lungs where it began to grow and basically suffocated the bird. The official cause of death for Aunt Bea was fungal pneumonia. Her lungs were full of fungal lesions. #7 had all the typical symptoms of the same. #7 was dead when I got home. Dr.Clark is coming by later to pick her up. He asked me if we would be interested in the U of A using her as a teaching aid. They will do a cosmetic necropsy and preserve her skeleton. She will help teach poultry science students for a long time to come so in some small way #7 will not have died in total vain.

The prognosis for the remaining 6 is good but guarded. All of them are perfectly healthy with everything coming back negative from the swabs. There is no actual test for the fungi but they saw no sign of it in the remaining birds. It is a wait and see now according to Dr.Clark, They were all exposed so they all could be infected. Hopefully we will not loose them all.

 

[Birdydeb]

I am so sorry. I don't even know what to say. Asper is bad mojo...very bad. I actually have a parrot in my flock who survived it but mainly because it had taken hold in her sinuses and not her air sacs. She has been clear of it for four years. Asper can be bad for humans too so PLEASE alert your doctor that you were exposed. Not trying to scare you but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Probably no big deal at all but I would ask his opinion. Did they suggest anything you do for the rest of the flock? If it were me I would support their immune systems all that I could. Possibly Nutri-Drench in their water a few times a week. Just a thought. Asper is such an opportunistic fungus that it is entirely possible they didn't get any at all. As you said, a wait and see. Gosh, my heart hurts for you. i am just gonna say a prayer and believe that you were quick to center on the source and that this will be the end of it. Hugs.

 

[TerryH]

I am so sorry. I don't even know what to say. Asper is bad mojo...very bad. I actually have a parrot in my flock who survived it but mainly because it had taken hold in her sinuses and not her air sacs. She has been clear of it for four years. Asper can be bad for humans too so PLEASE alert your doctor that you were exposed. Not trying to scare you but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Probably no big deal at all but I would ask his opinion. Did they suggest anything you do for the rest of the flock? If it were me I would support their immune systems all that I could. Possibly Nutri-Drench in their water a few times a week. Just a thought. Asper is such an opportunistic fungus that it is entirely possible they didn't get any at all. As you said, a wait and see. Gosh, my heart hurts for you. i am just gonna say a prayer and believe that you were quick to center on the source and that this will be the end of it. Hugs.

Thanks. I have been doing NutriDrench in their water for a couple of days. I'll continue for several more and then on some sort of regular schedule.

 

[Finnie]

I'm so sorry about #7.

 

[TerryH]

Dr. Clark just sent me a text after the necropsy on #7. Aspergillosis in the lungs, air sacs and kidneys. More severe than in Aunt Bea.

RIP Aunt Bea and sweet #7.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am so sorry to for your loss

I've been following this since the beginning. Thank you for sharing the information with us, I'm sure it will be helpful to others.

 

[Birdydeb]

I'm amazed that Asper spread to so many places in a week. Must have something to do with chicken metabolism. I am still just so stunned that this happened and I know you all are. Hugs and prayers.

 

[rita77]

Dr. Clark just sent me a text after the necropsy on #7. Aspergillosis in the lungs, air sacs and kidneys. More severe than in Aunt Bea.

RIP sweet #7.

I'm so sorry for your losses. We get so attached to them so quickly and it's awful when something like this happens. Thank you for sharing your experience. It may help others at some point. I was wondering if you've thought about getting and using VetRx for the rest of your flock? I got some to add to my emergency kit after I learned about it. It's recommended for respiratory problems and may help your flock fight any exposure or prevent full blown illness. I'm new to raising chickens this season but I've been reading and learning as much as I can. Maybe someone that has used VetRx will jump in with their opinion. In my opinion, it's 100% natural so it most certainly can't hurt. I got mine at TSC for about $8. Good luck!