Help! Chicken dying, head and neck swollen

[WildCHILD400]

So sorry for your loss even tho it can be hard to give her up for medical examination it may benefit you in the long run Incase other birds get it you know what to do and what it is. What it's caused by, how to prevent it, and if it transmittable to humans. Swelling in a lump may be because of a bite. Best of luck!

WildCHILD400

 

[TwinkleCake]

Update necropsy results: got the results today and spoke to the leading vet of the pathology institute: No Avian Flu. No Newcastle disease. They also checked for "common bacterial diseases" he told me - nothing.
The hen they examined happened to be egg bound (that was her first egg after hatching chicks and it seems it got stuck - but she never showed classic signs of it, just died suddenly).
And that doesn't explain why 5 of my chickens died within two weeks and the 6th one is about to die. When I reminded them of that, they were a bit worried and said they didn't have an explanation and offered to do a necropsy on my next chicken that dies for free.
The next candidate is my second roo, the one with the blueish shriveled comb in the pictures I posted earlier this week. Poor boy, he's been getting worse and is now so weak that he almost can't stand or walk any more. Actually I'm not sure if he's partially paralyzed or just extremely weak. Tried to give him some soaked bread and water right to his beak, he took only one bite.
It's evening now here and I think he won't make it through the night. Very touching thing - he has somehow managed to limp up to his one hen who is broody on eggs and he's now snuggled up against her (they have been living so close that she's anyway been exposed to whatever it is). He's never slept in the broody corner before - obviously doesn't want to be alone in his last night.

Uhh. This just makes me want to cry. I'm so sorry you're going through this.

 

[Justso]

Very sad to hear about all of this, thanks for sharing your story and I hope it will help someone else in the future. I'll stay tuned to your results.

 

[rebrascora]

Can you ask the lab if they checked for Marek's Disease? Whilst I appreciate that many of the symptoms you are seeing are not the norm, it is a disease that can exhibit in many different and very varied ways and you mention paralysis now with the cockerel. How old were the birds that have died/showing symptoms..... if mostly juvenile or under a year, then that is another tick in the Marek's check list.

I definitely don't think it is down to the styrofoam or anything you have given them as treats. My chickens found a sheet of plasterboard that was backed with Styrofoam (my chickens free range) and had it half eaten off the board before I caught them, with no ill effects. You have taken care in washing the melon rind but I really don't think the trace amounts on the skin of it would have caused them such dramatic illness/death even if you had not washed them.

I know how heart creaking it is to lose birds and you must feel so helpless not knowing what it is so that you can try to prevent it. I hope your cockerel makes a miraculous recovery (I have seen this happen on occasion with my own Marek's birds) but if not, that his impending demise can be of benefit to the rest of the flock by proving some answers via his necropsy.

Hoping that whatever it is soon runs it's course and this traumatic period is soon over or you find some way to treat it.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Petra Pancake]

Thanks @rebrascora. The birds that died were not really young, the hens were 2.5, 1.5, and 1.5 years old, one was 9 months old, the other roo that died already was also 1.5 years old. I've got 5 young chicks that were next to dying chickens and they are still alive and well, now 6-8 weeks old. The lab didn't check for Marek's diesase.
The rooster that is severely ill now is about 2 years old.
By the way, he didn't die yet - he's clinging to life and putting up a fight - didn't believe my eyes in the morning and then again when I came back from work in the afternoon. But he sits on the ground, almost doesn't move and doesn't eat or drink. I tried to give him a bit of hard boiled egg - he didn't try it, at least not while I was watching. I really hope he recovers - so far, he's lasted longest of all my birds that got ill. He's a very gentle and polite little Bantam roo - I had originally planned to give him more hens to breed with - hope he pulls through.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Try to get some water into him if you can.

 

[ilovmychicks]

She just died in my arms

 

[Petra Pancake]

@ilovmychicks, sorry for your loss . Who was she and what happened?

 

[Gramma Chick]

Trying to post some pictures,? Does that look like Newcastle disease?
View attachment 1078610
SO Sorry ..
Could be
Look in and outside the coop for snake signs ?
Symptoms are
As the disease develops affected birds may show some of the following signs:

• respiratory distress such as gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, gurgling, rattling.
• nervous signs characterised by tremors and paralysis and twisting of the neck.
• unusually watery faeces (diarrhoea) that are yellowish-green in colour.
• depression.

Heres is another source
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poult...virus-infections/newcastle-disease-in-poultry

 

[ilovmychicks]

She's gone.... thank you everyone