FOUND 'LUCY' ONE OF MY CHICKENS DEAD TODAY - ANYONE KNOW THESE SYMPTOMS ?

[marianne7]

Lucy one of my girls was dead in the coop when I came home this afternoon, she hasn't been well for a few weeks now, we gave her antibiotics and tonics....she would pick up for a couple of days, then seemed to be ill again....we continued, but I noticed every days (nearly every day) there was an egg in the nest and the shell was soft....I think it may have been Lucy...also her poo was always like water..where ever she slept in the coop was always soaking wet in the morning....I read somewhere (on one of the posts ) that Chickens have some sort of sickness....that affected them when they lay ed eggs... I cant remember much about it now, but wondered if anyone has heard of these symptoms...what could it be..?

 

[speckledhen]

She may have had egg yolk peritonitis or any number of things wrong. These threads may be helpful to you:



https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=362422

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=195347

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...lks-update-rip-beautiful-reba/50#post_8068877

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ences-on-egg-reproduction-production-necropsy

 

[marianne7]

She may have had egg yolk peritonitis or any number of things wrong. These threads may be helpful to you:



https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=362422

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=195347

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...lks-update-rip-beautiful-reba/50#post_8068877

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ences-on-egg-reproduction-production-necropsy

That's the sickness I read about on one of the threads....egg yolk peritonitis...the symptoms (who ever it was posted) were exactly the same as Lucy's symptoms....is this curable or do they die of this....(thanks for the threads will definitely look they up) thanks for your response too

 

[speckledhen]

Curable depends on two things: if you caught the infection at the very beginning and dosed her with heavy penicillin (injections in the breast muscle) and if there isn't also internal laying happening at the same time. That is incurable and there is really no way to know from the outside of the hen if that is happening for certain. I've lost many hens to a combination of the two things.

The problem is that EYP is chronic. It can happen again and usually does. Internal laying cannot be cured, only a complete hysterectomy performed by a vet who knows what he's doing to keep her from ever laying again.

 

[marianne7]

Thank you 'Speckledhen' you have been really helpful, just wondered if I should have continued with the anitbiotics....perhaps she may be still here now....buy hey...we will never know now...but thanks for your advice and help.

 

[speckledhen]

The EYP takes a very strong dose of penicillin to knock it out and the weak ones like Terramycin/Duramycin are not going to fix it. Even the penicillin is a shot in the dark since you can never be sure if it's really EYP, internal laying, ovarian cancer or a combination. Sometimes, it's just something you cannot fix no matter what measures you take. Poor hens go through so much to pop out that egg.

But, as I mentioned, it's a chronic/recurring condition and very common in the hatchery stock. My breeder quality birds are much less prone to it-seems they are made of better genetic stuff.