First ever loss of hen

[mdibaugh]

today we came home and found our Columbian Wyandotte dead in the run. No evidence of predators, no blood. noticed last couple of days while she was out free ranging she would lay under the picnic table and lay down for a moment here and there but nothing that I would call abnormal but I'm a newbie. She was aprox 10 months old.i havenoticed that the roo we have has been mounting all the hens and there backs are free of feathers in a small areas but im assuming this is normal. Yesterday she was free ranging normal with the others. is there anything I can give them as a precautionary measure.Eveyone else seems to be acting normally. Could our roo have killed her. The only thing that I have given them over the past few days that was abnormal was a half of stack of saltine crackers and some cantaloupe. Impacted crop maybe? I guess there are to many posibilities. Just curious on the possible precautionary measures. Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[xxIsabellaxx]

I would Just Keep an eye on you flock, and if you notice any strange behavior in one of you chickens isolate them.

 

[crtrlovr]

Check them VERY well for mites (use a magnifying glass, and go out to the coop at night with a flashlight and check near the vent and under the wings. Mites or lice can cause anemia and death due to malnutrition, and the chicken can look perfectly normal -- right up until they time they die.

I had checked the bedding and the roosts and wasn't seeing any mites, so I assumed there were none out there. I lost a beautiful hen, so I cleaned all the bedding and checked everyone again. Didn't see a thing. I happened to go out there one night to make sure everyone was tucked in, I happened to be at eye level with my buff orpington roo. As the light flashed across his backside, tiny little red mites went scurrying back into his feathers. He was TEEMING with mites. I treated the whole bunch with Eprinex pour-on which kills internal and external parasites. As soon as the weather clears and it stops raining, the whole chicken house is going to be emptied, cleaned, sprayed with poultry protector, and everything in it is going to be treated before it's put back. The mites will hide in the crevices and cracks, come out at night and chow down on the host animal, then go back into the wood during the day. Now I know why some people love the plastic / polymer houses for their chickens -- they're less likely to harbor mites.

 

[jaimslee4u]

Were you able to feel her abdomen at all to see if she had any stuck eggs?

 

[Judy]

I'd say the most likely cause was an egg laying problem, something like internal laying or egg bound. But I agree, you need to check thoroughly for lice/mites if you do not routinely treat with Sevin or pyrethrin/permethrin. You might also consider worming them if you have not; Valbazen would be my choice for 10 month olds.

 

[NHchicks]

crtrlovr, That is an amazing story! As soon as the weather gets tolerable, I'm heading out at night with a flashlight to check their butts. I had never heard that they come out at night and will actually scamper from light. Did you have to move the rooster's tailfeathers to see the mites? I think my rooster sleeps with his tail feathers down.

How do you use Eprinex pour-on?
How do you use Sevrin?
How do you worm them?

I'm sure there must be threads on this. I'll look.

Also, is there any way to prevent mites, in addition to treatment?

 

[mdibaugh]

Can mites be a problem in winter. Still cold here in michigan. Still well below freezing at night low 40's in day. Seven dust? the same you buy in a garden center? What is a good brand of poultry protector that they would carry at TSC. thanks for the advice guys!

 

[crtrlovr]

Mites can be a problem ANY time of year, but they do seem to be somewhat worse in the winter, possibly because the chickens tend to spend a little more time in the coop / house. In the warmer months they also dusbathe more, which helps keep the mites off too. A friend of mine dumps a cup of Sevin dust in each of their favorite "spas" ( dust bath holes), and they get their treatment as they dustbathe.

To use the Eprinex pour on for cattle (many things used on poultry are off-label; there haven't been as many products developed specifically for poultry as there have been for other animals) use 1/2 cc. for large fowl / standard size, and 1/4 cc. for Silkies and other bantam breeds.

 

[NHchicks]

crtrlovr, When you say use 1/2 cc., how do you use it? Did I see somewhere that you squirt it on their backs? Or what? I don't even know how much 1/2 cc. is, but I assume there must be a dropper included? Isn't there a dewormer you can just add to their water supply?

And is treatment for mites as easy as just giving them a dust bath area filled with DE? That's it?

 

[mdibaugh]

I have seen the post about DE before. What is DE?l