Head moving rapidly now

[kmmp]

By the way, no vets in my area work on chickens! Being that it is Sunday and tomorrow is a holiday, I doubt I could find one in the area who would deal with my birds anyway....most of the vets I call say they can euthanize them and that is all.

 

[threehorses]

As I said before - it's spring evaluation time. Did you check them over for parasites, etc? Are the chickens getting into sheep droppings? Do you have one area where you store these? It's warmer now - so maybe there are fly maggots there that they're getting into? Did you check their weight? Did you mention your worming schedule?

You either have a worm issue or something bacterial going through your flocks most likely. It needs to be handled immediately. The worming will depend on when you wormed last and the weights. However, having just lost birds and now having issues with the others, you might risk losing some. It's a darned if you do and darned if you don't situation.

If your worming is completely up to date and the birds are of good weight and the droppings aren't at all frothy when fresh, I'd definitely treat for enteritis. Also remember, your birds passing diarrhea will thus be dehydrated. You'll want to make sure they're getting plenty of water and possibly electrolytes.

Yellow droppings in a flock are a serious thing. Note, they are also a sign of typhoid/salmonella/pullorum and cholera. Are your birds from tested stock? Or this could also be something like clamydiosis, or spirochetes, or (if sulfurous) blackhead. But in any case, you know that this kills. I'm thinking colibaccillosis, or E. coli. It's a coliform bacteria, often associated with exposure to feces. Do you have well water, unchlorinated water sources, a pond that perhaps the sheep droppings are running off into, puddles from recent rains, etc?

Most cases of enteritis respond apparently to Terramycin. You can get this readily at the feedstore. While you're giving any ____mycin drug, you won't want to give any added calcium or milk products. That means your follow up with probiotics needs to wait until after the treatment is done as will use of apple cider vinegar. Also keep the terramycin in a light-preventing container (like white, etc) not a clear one. Give as directed to your poultry as the sole source of water for the number of days prescribed - not one day less or you'll get resistant bacteria and have a major problem. Then for the same number of days you treated (in your case, twice the number of days) I'd give probiotics every other day. If you treat for 7 days, give probiotics every other day for 14 days. Until you find the source of infection, you'll want to build up the guts to help them do their own fighting.

Please also note the information in Glenda's post about what helps fight E. coli. I see no harm in giving vitamin E during treatment, and then continuing it with the probiotics after treatment.

In the mean time, take a good walk around the property and try to solve the 'why'. Sometimes things can pop up that we dont' realize are happening. Also realize that you could have infection in your sheep if this goes untreated. Poop runoff carries bacteria, and it's the rainy season.

I truly hope this helps.

 

[kmmp]

Thanks so much, I have a couple of hens now passing watery stool and they just stand in one spot. One stands in the sun, very still and closes her eyes. Tonight I will put them in with the others who are showing symptoms. I am giving Terramycin and electrolytes, started them this morning. Worming is about 3 weeks late but I put wormer (Eprinex) on them this morning.

The sick roo is not eating or drinking, the one hen in with him is drinking and pecking at the ground. I took a walk around the property and cannot see anything different. The only thing is that I flushed my pool last weekend and I put algaecide in it. I flushed at night after the chickens were in there coop and I have done this before, many many times. I did not see anything but crows around the area where the water pooled, then it was absorbed. Now I am wondering if they got some of the algaecide in their systems. Why would it take a week or more for symptoms to show up though? The sheep and chickens always hang out together, always have, I don't ever see the chickens eating sheep poo and, like I said, they have all been together since the beginning...so, it is possible, but the sheep have not been sick, they are wormed regularly and have not been sick except for one having wool maggots. We sheared her at night, no chickens around and the maggots died of exposure overnight.

I am stumped, but, with chickens, it could be anything. I am at a loss but hope they recover. Right now I am trying to protect the broodies who are setting about 15 eggs.

 

[seminolewind]

I feel so bad that you are going thru this.

Another thought. I would throw their food out. You never know, recently in the news horses have died from supplement, and last year from feed with a toxin in it. If they're hungry, give them some bread or people food till you can get new feed

 

[sammi]

sounds like something poisonous or toxic to me..
coming on pretty quick and killing fast..
inability to walk..other symptoms you posted..(neuro related)
do a good check of area..any stagnant water, anything dead or rotten, poisonous plants also.
have any lawn/garden chemicals been sprayed or dusted?
motor oils?

do you have a crop tube?
might be a good idea to check the crops/mouth for odd color and or odor.

any way you can keep them confined?
could be something with sheep..droppings, something..

here's a link to antibiotics..bacitracin treats e-coli..(if terramycin doesn't do the job)
sulfadimethoxine treats cocci and e-coli
click meds for more info..

definitely get some vits and electrolytes asap.

fingers crossed.