First the poultry, now the rats are sick

[User635240]

My flock has had some losses recently, likely due to avian metapneumovirus and/or botulism (as per lab tests from a local friend experiencing the same). The symptoms were paralysis, eye and nose discharge. We each lost a dozen or so waterfowl and poultry. I thought it was cleaned up but now all my layers have it. I suspect it is airborne or from the dander, as the meat birds and the shy hens who are on the floor of the coop got it first. Today I noticed a young rat in the barn moving slowly, and did not run away when I called my dog to dispatch it. What could this be?

 

[Loving my girls]

Oh hell,
Are there any diseases that work for hens and rats ? Anyone ?
Other than that, I don’t mean to panic you but to me it sounds like some kind of poison.
What do you clean the floor of the coop with ?
Do you use any poisons around your land ?Or around the coops ?
Do you use any weed/rodent killers ?
Do they free range outside your home area ?
I would stop your dog from eating the rats too.
I don’t know where you are but has there been any spraying on verges near you or planes spraying stuff. Our friend lost a cat that was sleeping Ona verge when it was sprayed with weed killer.
You don’t say where you are but bugs ? we have tiger mosquitoes here that spread dengue fever and zika virus and even yellow fever amongst others
If you find a dead rat I would take it to the vet to be analysed too.
Please keep us updated

 

[Kiki]

My flock has had some losses recently, likely due to avian metapneumovirus (as per lab test from a local friend experiencing the same). The symptoms were paralysis, eye and nose discharge. We each lost a dozen or so waterfowl and poultry. I thought it was cleaned up but now all my layers have it. I suspect it is airborne or from the dander, as the meat birds and the shy hens who are on the floor of the coop got it first. Today I noticed a young rat in the barn moving slowly, and did not run away when I called my dog to dispatch it. What could this be?

Your friend has testing done on dead birds and not you?
Can you send one of your dead birds in to the same lab?

 

[Kiki]

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/avian-metapneumovirus/avian-metapneumovirus

Prevention and Treatment of Avian Metapneumovirus​

• Vaccination (live or inactivated) and improved biosecurity

 

[User635240]

Your friend has testing done on dead birds and not you?
Can you send one of your dead birds in to the same lab?

I could.. I guess I'm concerned about cost. I'll look into it this morning.

 

[User635240]

Oh hell,
Are there any diseases that work for hens and rats ? Anyone ?
Other than that, I don’t mean to panic you but to me it sounds like some kind of poison.
What do you clean the floor of the coop with ?
Do you use any poisons around your land ?Or around the coops ?
Do you use any weed/rodent killers ?
Do they free range outside your home area ?
I would stop your dog from eating the rats too.
I don’t know where you are but has there been any spraying on verges near you or planes spraying stuff. Our friend lost a cat that was sleeping Ona verge when it was sprayed with weed killer.
You don’t say where you are but bugs ? we have tiger mosquitoes here that spread dengue fever and zika virus and even yellow fever amongst others
If you find a dead rat I would take it to the vet to be analysed too.
Please keep us updated

Yes they have been spraying us regularly.. I thought it was just heavy metals.
I was using rat poison last year but stopped after a hen died from ingestion.
There is some sort of avian flu going around this area (PA/OH), it's all over Facebook. I am just concerned now about the rat. Apparently they can carry and transmit avian metapneumovirus but I didn't know it makes them sick.

 

[Loving my girls]

Thinking outside the box, have you checked your feed ?

I’m thinking what’s the common denominator? Hens eat the feed and rats eat the feed, maybe.

Try changing it completely perhaps there is a fungal issue just an idea

 

[User635240]

Well, my colleague in the next county over is having the same problems with her poultry and we buy feed from different Mills. But I have noticed a lot of little mouse droppings in the feed lately. I will try buying from a different mill this week.
Could it be something in the dander from the coop floor? I raked out a couple of cubic yards of straw and debris from the coop maybe 3 days ago, the hens scratched through it, and yesterday is when it was obvious the hens got sick (again).

Thinking outside the box, have you checked your feed ?

I’m thinking what’s the common denominator? Hens eat the feed and rats eat the feed, maybe.

Try changing it completely perhaps there is a fungal issue just an idea

 

[Loving my girls]

Well, my colleague in the next county over is having the same problems with her poultry and we buy feed from different Mills. But I have noticed a lot of little mouse droppings in the feed lately. I will try buying from a different mill this week.
Could it be something in the dander from the coop floor? I raked out a couple of cubic yards of straw and debris from the coop maybe 3 days ago, the hens scratched through it, and yesterday is when it was obvious the hens got sick (again).

Possibly and I would change it just incase, but didn’t you say your neighbour has the same problem? Does she get her straw from the same place ?

 

[User635240]

Possibly and I would change it just incase, but didn’t you say your neighbour has the same problem? Does she get her straw from the same place ?

No she lives 40 miles from me. The only thing we have in common is that we both brought home Hoover's hatchery poultry (meat birds) from Family Farm and Home.