Emaciated chickens

[shbouton]

Good morning all,

Sssssoooo, after surviving a dog attack, then a raccoon attack that decimated our flock, we installed electric fencing around our Fort Knox coop and that seems to have been working against predators for the last couple of months, but we now have another problem. Over the last couple of weeks, I have lost one chicken a week. One was dead in the pen and after thorough examination, did not appear to have any mites or bugs. Same with the one this week although I did notice she was lethargic and her comb had turned pale overnight. She was fine the day before. I brought her inside last night to baby her and she had passed away this morning. The only sign that something was amiss is that that they were both emaciated. I felt so bad. We feed them everyday with organic chicken layer from Tractor Supply (there is always some leftover at the end of the day that I scatter in the pen in the evening) and then several times a week, I throw some scratch in there and some kale, yogurt, tomatoes, grapes, etc... whatever I have on hand. They do not, however, free range because of all of the predators in our area. Could it be worms or am I not seeing something? I have never wormed them. I got them in April of 2019 so they are not very old. This is the one that passed away last night if it helps anyone with clues. Please help and thank you!

 

[Meg-in-MT]

I'm sorry to hear about your chickens. How many chickens do you have and how many feeding stations? Have you noticed anyone getting picked on or run off the feed? I think it'd be worth it to get a fecal float. Have you checked the others to see what condition they are in?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Can you save her body, keep it cool but not frozen, and send it to your state vet for a necropsy overnight today? If you contact them they may email a shipping label for UPS or Fedex overnight. Here is a list of state poultry vets (scroll down for your state) to call soon:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[shbouton]

I'm sorry to hear about your chickens. How many chickens do you have and how many feeding stations? Have you noticed anyone getting picked on or run off the feed? I think it'd be worth it to get a fecal float. Have you checked the others to see what condition they are in?

Thank you!

I had 12 chickens, now down to 10, and I have one of those big red chicken feeders. I did mix in 4 bantams a couple of weeks ago because I lost 13 of those to a dog attack at night (inside what we thought was a bullet proof coop but I wan't accounting for a 95 pound husky and a 50 pound lab mix) but the two pens/coops were not far from each other. They were only separated because I had two roosters. It was an adjustment but they all get along fine and it was the full size chickens that died, not the banties. As far as a fecal float, we have no vets around here that are too familiar with treating chickens although I have taken a couple in the past to a vet that said they did. The chickens were "tested" and the "guess" was cancer for one even though she was only a couple of years old and the other one had been attacked by a dog and she was paralyzed and that diagnosis was probable neurological injury. I nursed her another month in the house before she passed away. I did free range them at one time (not this batch) as we have an acre and they did seem to have a problem with pasty butt all the time, which these do not. I have not checked any of the others besides the banties but I suppose I need to do that. They are not keeping each other away from the feeder, they have access to it all day and I supplement by scattering scraps (kale, grapes, yogurt etc...) and scratch.

 

[shbouton]

Sorry for your loss. Can you save her body, keep it cool but not frozen, and send it to your state vet for a necropsy overnight today? If you contact them they may email a shipping label for UPS or Fedex overnight. Here is a list of state poultry vets (scroll down for your state) to call soon:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Thank you so much, what a great resource!!! Oh no, I had her in my garage all morning and then my husband came home at lunch and buried her and now we have a major thunderstorm.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Thank you!

I had 12 chickens, now down to 10, and I have one of those big red chicken feeders. I did mix in 4 bantams a couple of weeks ago because I lost 13 of those to a dog attack at night (inside what we thought was a bullet proof coop but I wan't accounting for a 95 pound husky and a 50 pound lab mix) but the two pens/coops were not far from each other. They were only separated because I had two roosters. It was an adjustment but they all get along fine and it was the full size chickens that died, not the banties. As far as a fecal float, we have no vets around here that are too familiar with treating chickens although I have taken a couple in the past to a vet that said they did. The chickens were "tested" and the "guess" was cancer for one even though she was only a couple of years old and the other one had been attacked by a dog and she was paralyzed and that diagnosis was probable neurological injury. I nursed her another month in the house before she passed away. I did free range them at one time (not this batch) as we have an acre and they did seem to have a problem with pasty butt all the time, which these do not. I have not checked any of the others besides the banties but I suppose I need to do that. They are not keeping each other away from the feeder, they have access to it all day and I supplement by scattering scraps (kale, grapes, yogurt etc...) and scratch.

I'm not sure if I'm reading that right. Are you saying that the bantams were separate from the others? If not, were they quarantined before you added them to your existing flock? Generally, even if a vet doesn't treat chickens, they can still do a fecal to check for worms. It would be worth looking in to. In what kind of quantity are the scraps being given?

 

[shbouton]

Thank you so much, what a great resource!!! Oh no, I had her in my garage all morning and then my husband came home at lunch and buried her and now we have a major thunderstorm.

I have contacted them. I am going to dig her up have her shipped overnight. Thanks again!

 

[shbouton]

I'm not sure if I'm reading that right. Are you saying that the bantams were separate from the others? If not, were they quarantined before you added them to your existing flock? Generally, even if a vet doesn't treat chickens, they can still do a fecal to check for worms. It would be worth looking in to. In what kind of quantity are the scraps being given?

Yes, they were separated, in different pens, in effect being quarantined. They were within a stone's throw of each other in the same yard for almost a year. Sorry I didn't make that clear. And I've had the two that I took to the vet in the past tested for parasites and they both tested negative so I'm not thinking it's that. As far as the scraps, maybe two to three times a week, a handful of scratch, maybe a little more if it's cold and some kale, some grapes, some tomatoes, yogurt, oatmeal etc... Nothing excessive...

I don't know if you saw the other response but I called the state lab and am going to send her off and have her tested.

Thank you so much for your help as well! This website is invaluable!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Do you have grit available to them? If you are feeding scratch, they will need grit to grind it up.
I keep a baby pig feeder of grit and a feeder of oyster shell hanging on the side of the nest boxes so they can help themselves. And they will pick through the grit for 15 minutes to find that one piece of grit that is "just right", lol.

Also, if you are scattering the extra feed in the run every evening, you are inviting raccoons and skunks to come around and start causing problems. If youare scattering it in the closed up coop, you are probably OK.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Yes, they were separated, in different pens, in effect being quarantined. They were within a stone's throw of each other in the same yard for almost a year. Sorry I didn't make that clear. And I've had the two that I took to the vet in the past tested for parasites and they both tested negative so I'm not thinking it's that. As far as the scraps, maybe two to three times a week, a handful of scratch, maybe a little more if it's cold and some kale, some grapes, some tomatoes, yogurt, oatmeal etc... Nothing excessive...

I don't know if you saw the other response but I called the state lab and am going to send her off and have her tested.

Thank you so much for your help as well! This website is invaluable!

Oh, good! I hope you share your results here!