Found my hen dead this morning, help me figure out why, please

[marshmallowpeeps]

Hi
This morning one of my ISA browns was dead. Nothing got her, she was just dead, stiff, laying on her back with feet straight out and head turned to one side. She had a bit of dried blood oon her beak that looked like it had come out of her mouth. I got her and her "sisters", 9 others, fully grown and laying about a month ago. I was told they are 2 yrs old, but who knows. They also seem to be molting as well, losing feathers and not laying.

Now here's where it gets tricky. When I brought them home I noticed that a few of them were sneezing/coughing ( I can't tell what they're doing really) and a few of them have runny poop, their butt feathers are all dirty looking. So anyway I tried to cure it by giving them vinegar and garlic in their water for 3 wks, which helped a bit but didn't get rid of it. I am about to get new chicks, so we decided to go ahead and give them antibiotic to get them healthy before the chicks get here. Tried that for a wk, again only very slight improvement among the group. Yesterday was the last day of antibiotic.

Now one is dead. I think it's the one I called Dumb Cluck. She was always the last one out of the coop in the morniong, the last one to come for treats, and the other day there was one who just wouldn't come in out of the rain. I think that was also her.

Any ideas? I am wondering what it was that killed her so I can know what to do with the others. Thanks very much!!!

 

[marshmallowpeeps]

Bump!

 

[CoopCrazy]

I would definintly bne worried about disease... Keep your babies away from them til 30 days after you stop seeing signs of illness.. Have you had a stoll sample for worms.?? Its fairly cheap..

 

[Wynette]

What sort of feed are they on? What are their living conditions (i.e., what type of excercise to they get, what sort of bedding do you use)? What antibiotic did you use, and what dosage?

 

[marshmallowpeeps]

Thanks so much for the replies-
They live in a wooden coop 4x8, with straw bedding. They have an outdoor fenced in run 20x20. However as I said, I have only had them for a month, and they were having these symptoms before I got them, I suppose, since I noticed it the day we got them home.
At their previous home they were free ranging, and live with a very mixed flock of all kinds of chickens, even a couple of pigeons.

I went to the feed store a few days after I got them and described the symptoms to the guy, he said give them the antibiotic. We just wanted to try natural methods first. The antibiotic is Sulmet brand Sulfamethazine Sodium 12.5% Drinking Water Solution. We gave them 2Tbs per gallon of water, as directed on the bottle.

what do you think?

 

[marshmallowpeeps]

Sorry I forgot to add, they eat regular layer mash, with fentrell poultry nutribalance, and calcium, also vegetable scraps that are OK on the treat list . But again, only for the last month.

 

[mrsgibber]

I had a bad experience with sick pullets a short while back. They displayed the same symptoms...runny poo, bad cough (not sneeze), shaking head, bloody discharge from the mouth. A few other birds from the flock these came from died as well. It turned out to be ILT. You can look back at some of my posts to see what went on. There is a vaccine you can give your birds. If they aren't displaying symptoms yet it is supposed to help but they will all still be carriers and any new bird that comes in with catch it and become ill as well.

You can also read up on it at http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/83/infectious-laryngotracheitis-ilt


You can get the vacine from www.firststatevetsupply.com if in fact that is what you have going on. Peter Brown aka the chicken doctor was a tremendous help to me when I went through this.

 

[Wynette]

If this were my flock, I'd switch out the straw bedding for pine shavings. Especially since you've got a respiratory issue. Molds can easily lurk within the shafts of straw, and it's not the driest bedding. You need to keep them as dry as possible.

When you say "calcium" do you mean supplementing them free-choice oyster shell? If so, that's good. I'd also suggest free-choice grit, even though they probably get what they need from the run. Better safe than sorry. But that wouldn't cause respiratory issues.

Are they ALL sneezing, or just a few? I would most DEFINITELY separate the ones that are showing symptoms so they don't infect the others. Sulmet is not for respiratory use. I get so annoyed when I hear about feed store people giving advice when they don't know what they are talking about!

You will get VERY MIXED opinions on treating for respiratory issues. Many folks believe you should cull them. However, I believe that if this is simply a backyard flock to provide you and your family with fresh eggs, and you DO NOT intend to sell hatching eggs, treatment is okay. You need to understand going in, though, that any that pull through will be carriers of the disease from then on; thus, any new birds you introduce will be exposed and possibly catch it. Which is why some folks say to cull. This being said, if you should decide to treat, the antibioitics of choice for respiratory are Tylan water soluble, Tylan 50 injectible, Gallimycin, or Auremycin.

If it's ILT, look around closely...you will see tiny splatters of blood in the coop, on the walls, etc.

I wish you the VERY BEST OF LUCK with this situation; it's sad that someone sold you birds that were infected with something; I'm very sorry about that.

 

[auskittle]

same thing happend to a few of our silkie/showgirls awhile back.
I think it was from mushrooms.

 

[mrsgibber]

Quote:
That's right, I should have mentioned that you will find blood stains splattered about. It was on the coop walls and even on my other birds backs/feathers from being near a bird who coughed.

If it is ILT then antibiotics will only treat some of the symptoms but not cure the disease. If they survive ILT they are carriers for life and you can keep them and safely eat the eggs. You just couldn't bring in any new birds.

I chose to bring all five pullets back to the seller then I ordered Oxine to disinfect my coop once a week for four weeks...every nook and crany soaked in the disinfectant. I tore out the lino floor and threw away all bedding, feeders, waterers...anything that came in contact with the sick birds.

While that was going on I took in six baby chicks and raised them in a makeshift brooder in my basement. By the time they were ready to go outside my coop had been thoroghly disinfected and ready for the new guys. Everyone is happy and healthy now.

Best of luck to you and your flock. Hope all turns out well.