Entire flock Sick - I FEEL HOPELESS!!! Swollen Faces - Yellow patches - Lethargy

[MaggieRose2001]

I have been searching the web and this site and can’t seem to find a diagnosis. It started out with a move to a new house and barn. We cleaned and disinfected the barn and moved everyone in. At first everyone was doing great. Then one month in everyone stopped laying. Not just slowed down - but entirely. I didn’t know what was going on. Eventually I thought maybe parasites so I dewormed. No improvement and since then only gotten worse.

SYMPTOMS

MAYBE MITES
I see them shaking their heads and scratching at their heads with their feet and some also have raised scales on their legs. So I have been treating for that - coconut oil on face, Vicks on legs, garlic and essential oil spray under wings & on neck and oil gland. (Although, I have never actually seen any mites - on them or me or in the coop).

FLAKY SKIN / FUNGUS
However, when I picked them up to treat them - I noticed about 1/2 of them had flaking yellowish skin on their face. Like they got sunburned and were peeling. 1 hen has yellow patches on her skin and my rooster has it in his wattles and comb as well as face. I’m thinking fungus? Is the peeling flaking skin related to the yellow? Is this related to the mites?

ON DEATHS DOOR
Also, I have 1 hen that is REALLY SICK and I have no idea what’s wrong with her. Her face was swollen (it has gone down) she doesn’t move and when she tries her MUSCLES QUAKE (like after you’ve done 100 squats). Now 2 more hens have SWOLLEN EYES. 3 other hens are slightly ill - hunched and not moving around much. 1 has BUMBLEFOOT and another couple are limping. Is this all related or am I dealing with multiple issues? I can’t find anything on the web with these symptoms.

There is NO respiratory anything, NO Oozing or puss or discharge from noses or eyes or mouths, NO thrush, NO grey pupils, NO purple combs

I’m at a total loss. I’m feeling hopeless and I really hope someone can help.

Thanks for your feedback. Pictures are of the rooster. His face is what the hens face looks like.

The other picture is flaking skin on chickens face.

Tomorrow I will get picture of swollen faces.

 

[Kiki]

You have another post mentioning a limping bird. If the one who is on death's door passes please think about refrigeratoring the body and getting it to your state lab (you can overnight the body in the mail) for a necropsy.



https://extension.umaine.edu/veterinarylab/tests-pricing/

 

[Sydney65]

I never considered that. From what I know it was just a family living here and they had animals. But they didn’t do well and gave up and sold the farm. I don’t know about chemicals - I do know I found evidence of the previous owners burning plastic so I know they weren’t environmentally friendly.

How would check their environment?

The guy who started this site has a book called "chicken health for dummies"
In the section Recognizing Sources of Poisonings in Your Backyard, he points out Botulism, from contaminated food/water,pointing out that chickens are most frequently poisoned by eating dead flock mates or the fly larvae that have been feasting carcasses. It's commonly found in soil, thrives in warm, wet environments w/rotting vegetation, spoiled food, or decomposing carcasses. It's the most potent toxin known; only tiny doses are needed to paralyze the nervous system and kill an affected bird. Sick chickens will usually be sitting on the ground, hunched over, unable to stand or hold their heads up. It causes floppy paralysis of the legs, wings, and neck, Chickens are often found dead, with no signs of a struggle.
I quit stocking up on bags of food after I had a bag of startena go rancid INSIDE.
Household poisons, special mention re stuff used for lice & mites, only use products labeled for use on chickens follow label directions precisely.
Insecticides, rat poison, antifreeze, fertilizer, and mothballs can poison poultry.
shotgun pellets, fishing weights, batteries, paint chips, and contaminated dirt. Lead poisoning in poultry is a human health concern, because significant amounts of lead can be found in the meat and eggs of lead-exposed chickens. Chickens suffering from lead poisoning become thin and weak and may have nervous system signs, such as lack of coordination, limping, or paralysis. A veterinarian or diagnostic laboratory can diagnose lead poisoning by taking a blood test or by measuring lead in organ tissue.remove loose metal objects and sources of peeling paint. The foundations of old buildings aren’t good foraging ground for chickens, because lead paint scrapings accumulated over the years may have contaminated the soil.
mycotoxin is a toxic substance produced naturally by a fungus (mold). Some fungi like to grow on grain and other feed ingredients but may not be visible as obvious mold growth. Scientists have discovered hundreds of mycotoxins, and many of them make chickens sick when they eat contaminated grains or processed feed. You can notice a wide range of signs in poultry poisoned by mycotoxins, including decreased appetite and egg production, poor growth and feathering, and crusty sores on the skin, beak, toes, or inside of the mouth. Mycotoxins can also cause sudden death of poultry. Diagnosing mycotoxin poisoning is a challenge because the signs mimic so many other diseases, and because only specialized laboratories perform testing for mycotoxins in feed. You may suspect mycotoxin poisoning when you notice that an onset of a problem coincides with feeding a new batch or type of feed. Store feed for no more than 2 months,avoid moldy food, periodixally scrub feeders.
Don’t use shatterproof versions of heat-lamp bulbs to keep chickens warm. PTFE coating on the bulb is what makes it shatterproof. Chicks have died from exposure to gas emitted by this bulb.

 

[NanaK]

Here is a thread from 2013 with photos and information that may be helpful.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/roosters-comb-is-sick.817109/

 

[Kiki]

Thank you. I’ll probably do that. I was thinking of trying to do it myself - but I don’t know how. I have been able to better look at that bird (Clementine). She has a very swollen belly. I thought maybe egg bound but I don’t think so - I treated for that and no egg also I think she would have died by now - it’s been a week. So then I thought water belly, but when I tried to drain it there was nothing but air. I also found a hard lump upon further inspection. So I think maybe a tumor? Anyway - since I can’t figure out what’s wrong and she is clearly suffering. I am going to put her down today. I will definitely look into mailing her. Thank you.

Did you ever end up changing how you feed your flock?
Sounds like a necropsy will well be worth the money spent.
This one bird is probably laying internally by the sound of her belly. That can be caused by overweightness alone. Which is caused by the way you were feeding.

Marek's disease is a possibility too.


Get a necropsy. It takes all the guessing and what ifs off the table.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

So sorry! That's terrible & even worse when you can't figure out a reason or cause. I'd say get to an avian vet with poultry experience, not just a parrot vet, but I know that's easier said than done. I have no vets that can help me with poultry, so I have to scour this site and the web looking for info whenever I need help.

I've had 1 Rooster with similar symptoms, swollen head, something going on with his comb, lethargic, etc. but...know that many illnesses mimic eachother & share symptoms. In my case, not one of my other chickens or roosters have had it.

I didn't know whether it was bacterial, exposure to some chemical the previous owner used or fungal. I still don't know exactly what it was!

I treated my boy for mites, bacterial & fungal, both oral meds & topical creams. I figured these remedies cant hurt him, so might as well try. I also separated him from the others, set him up in a large cage. I added vitamins to his diet, grinding up the vitamins & rolling live mealworms in it. It took 6 months of TLC but he did recover.

At one point I thought it was over for him, he lost weight & could barely stand up, & when I took him outside he walked like he was drunk. I increased his vitamin D & moved his enclosure to allow for more sunshine, as well as shade. That winter he was in a climate controlled area, no colder than 50 degrees.

Antibiotics that address bacterial may or may not help. I was limited to what I could get...penicillin, doxycycline, metronidazole or enrofloxin. So I tried each, not all at the same time. Then probiotics after each treatment.

His comb looked really bad for a few months, I tried every remedy I could find. The best seemed to be topically applied, & I rotated these, cleaning 1st, then applying.

I don't know if this will help you, but I hope you find out what is going on. If there's a place you could take stool sample or have them get a blood sample, it may give info to lead you in the right direction. Best of luck!

 

[MaggieRose2001]

You have another post mentioning a limping bird. If the one who is on death's door passes please think about refrigeratoring the body and getting it to your state lab (you can overnight the body in the mail) for a necropsy.



https://extension.umaine.edu/veterinarylab/tests-pricing/

Thank you. I’ll probably do that. I was thinking of trying to do it myself - but I don’t know how. I have been able to better look at that bird (Clementine). She has a very swollen belly. I thought maybe egg bound but I don’t think so - I treated for that and no egg also I think she would have died by now - it’s been a week. So then I thought water belly, but when I tried to drain it there was nothing but air. I also found a hard lump upon further inspection. So I think maybe a tumor? Anyway - since I can’t figure out what’s wrong and she is clearly suffering. I am going to put her down today. I will definitely look into mailing her. Thank you.

 

[FunClucks]

I never considered that. From what I know it was just a family living here and they had animals. But they didn’t do well and gave up and sold the farm. I don’t know about chemicals - I do know I found evidence of the previous owners burning plastic so I know they weren’t environmentally friendly.

How would check their environment?

I don't know, I haven't had to do it myself. But some combination of soil testing and forage testing should give you clues. If you have a county extension office, or a state dept of agriculture, they may be able to point you in the right direction. You'd be looking for soil testing and foliage testing for agricultural chemical or other chemical exposure, I'd think. I know it can be done - I am regularly around an environmental cleanup site that was heavily polluted. You'd never know it to look at the vegetation and animals and soil, which look perfectly fine, but they and the groundwater are all heavily loaded up on heavy metals and toxic compounds. It's a very bad idea to eat a number of animals/shellfish/fish in this area, or to disturb the fields they are trying to test/reclaim, or to dig anywhere without permission. I don't even eat the wild berries.

Sorry your chickens are ill. Hope you figure it out!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Faavus is a fingus that can affect the face, comb, and wattles. It is usually white and chaulky, and can spread to feathered areas. Treatment for favis is an anti fungal cream such as miconazole (Monistat) or clotrimazole (Lotrimin.) The generics are usually less expensive.

 

[Sydney65]

Hi. Thanks for a reply. I have been putting coconut oil (because it’s antibacterial) and a Vassaline like salve in their face - Vicks on their legs. I thought of favas but isn’t it ringworm? Does it cause feather loss at the neck? Mine don’t have that. Also, this isn’t chalky - it’s more moist and yellow.

Also - any thoughts on the chickens with swollen eyes or the chicken that can’t stand or walk? Thanks again for the help.

No respiratory symptoms? Sneezing, coughing, drainage,trouble breathing?