Egg production down....I fear the worse. Need help from the pros!

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I would HIGHLY recommend that you order some Denagard (antibiotic) and get them started on it right away. It has been proven to be the most effective treatment for MG and CRD which is what it sounds like.

You can also use it once a month as a preventative.

 

[chickengrl]

Three cedars,
I have Denagard on the way to my house. Does it cure CRD/MG to the point that the birds would no longer be carriers and therefore new chicks could be brought into that group? I am currently wrestling with the problem and hopeful to find a way that we will not have to cull our whole flock. Not an easy decision and it would be terribly hard on myself and DH. Thanks for the help,

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

MG is everywhere. I don't know that getting rid of the flock would do the trick. It's in the ground, although it is highly susceptible to bacteriostats and is easily killed. There are more...and less...virulent strains.

I had a silkie rooster that I finally had to euthanize because I could NOT get him over it...even with huge doses of Denagard. None of the other birds got it from him and he was certainly in close proximity.

The treatment dose is 16 cc (about 1/2 oz) per gallon of water. The preventative dose is half that amount. I give it to our whole flock for the first week of every month. Warning...it makes the water bitter and some of them don't like it. I add a bit of karo syrup to it to sweeten it up some and that seems to cut the bitterness.

If this was my flock this is exactly what I would do:

1. start them all on treatment Denagard and keep them on it for 10 days. You will probably be amazed at how fast the symptoms go away.
2. Add the following to your layer crumbles:
One ten pound bag of calf manna (Tractor Supply)
One 5 pound bag of BOSS (black oiled sunflower seeds) (wild bird section of Tractor Supply)
One 10 pound bag of shelled seed/nut mixture (wild bird section of Tractor Supply)
Mix these bags together and add 2 cups of this mixture to every gallon of layer crumbles. This will increase the protein, fat, oils and vitamins in their diet.
3. Keep their coop as clean as you can and after you have finished the 10 days of Denagard, completely clean the coop, spray it down with bleach solution and put in fresh shavings


Best of luck with them...you didn't do anything wrong...this crap just happens sometimes!!

 

[purpletree23]

Good morning Hannamant.....BYC'ers are remarkable people. About 2 years ago one of my hens was attacked by our neighbors dog and when her tail was pulled off so was a considerable amount of flesh. No matter how much pressure I applied and blood stop I used she just kept bleeding. When I saw her back bone I knew there was nothing I could do. I wrapped her in many layers of towels, brought her to the computer with me and turned to my friends at BYC. I explained what happened and they were there for me. I said it was my fault and they said that accidents happen no matter how careful we are...for 20 minutes so many people said how sorry they were, shared their stories and some prayed with me and some cried. Almost everyone had been through it in one way or another and I didn't feel so alone. I was sobbing and rocking her and she went to sleep.

I thanked my friends and sat on the porch with her for a while and then buried her.

We are here and we do care and we all had to learn. Pretty soon you will be passing your knowledge to others.


My question earlier about bedding....you aren't using anything with cedar in it are you? Cedar will irritate their respiratory systems and will cause sneezing/coughing. Just straight kiln dried wood chips.


A rooster (I don't think) won't make a difference on how fast the pecking order gets reestablished. I have 14 hens and no rooster and my pecking order always seems to be changing depending on who is molting, who gets broody, who got buzzed by a hawk etc.

 

[Hanamat Farms]

I'm using regular white pine shavings. I change them out every 2 weeks or as needed due to outside conditions. I continuously sweep down walls and clear dust build-up as well so I'm confident that I'm providing them with clean and suitable housing. After monitoring them yesterday and today, things seem to be getting better. There are only 3 that are presenting with a cough/sneeze and I see alot of chasing and nipping. None of my girls have any open or gaping wounds, or even a mark for that matter. I inspected about half a dozen of them for mites as well and they were all clean. I think you may have been right when you said that they probably aren't even sick but rather still stressed about new additions/new home. Thanks again Justine. Have a great weekend!

 

[chickengrl]

Just keep a close eye on them. Our problem started very subtly with just a sneeze here and there. A hen seemed a little off and not eating well, etc. We also thought that it must not be anything. Unfortunately, it was the beginning of a very nasty illness that has killed 4 birds including my favorite rooster. He was awesome! In one day he went from happy, healthy, normal rooster to dead in 24 hours. I hope you are correct and it is all nothing. IMHO, i would go ahead and order some Denagard to just have on hand. By the time we realized ours were so sick, it was too late to get it. Hopefully, it's just normal getting settled in stuff and that bottle will sit on your shelf gathering dust for a very long time.

 

[purpletree23]

My pleasure Hanamat! For a newbie you're doing everything right. Have a great weekend also.