Help! Chicken dying, head and neck swollen

[Chickenlover2017]

i am so sorry for your loss

 

[Wickedchicken6]

@Wyorp Rock , @rebrascora , thanks. No, he hasn't got any discharge from his eyes or nostrils and all my other chickens, dead or alive, also don't/didn't have any discharge at all. I looked very closely. And no strange poop either. Thinking about it how the disease got spread to the other side of the house, it must have been something like dust on my sleeves. The aviary is too small to walk in, I only put my arms in for refilling food and water and cleaning. To my best knowledge there are no special Middle Eastern chicken diseases. I also spoke on the phone to two veterinarians and they both suspected Newcastle disease or AI. I'll read up on black head. The roo in the picture is a Japanese Bantam.

This is very hard reading that this is still ongoing. I agree too on calling about the necropsy results. Are either Newcastle or AI diseases that are reportable in your area?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

AI (Avian Influenza) is reportable worldwide. There is a chance it can infect pets, other animals, wild birds and people. All this depends on a lot of factors, but it's the one no one wants to ever think about.

In US, Newcastle is reportable, so we can only assume that it is in Israel. Most "reportables" are worldwide.

 

[Petra Pancake]

Yes, AI and Newcastle are reportable here and in both cases the veterinary authority can enforce culling of the whole flock and impose a quarantine on all other poultry within a radius of a few miles.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I believe I asked that question before I really thought that through. I'm not as familiar with the reportable diseases, they're not discussed as much on here. I was aware that Newcastle was reportable...but in hindsight...of course that makes sense that AI is reportable as well.

I'm holding out hope that your situation is not as severe as a reportable disease.

 

[Petra Pancake]

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.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

That's so sweet and sad. Your poor rooster.

So nothing from the necropsy? Will you send him to be examined?
That's a lot of extra run around but not knowing is terrible too.

I'm glad it didn't come back as AI or Newcastle. Hopefully it stays that way.

 

[Petra Pancake]

Thank you. Yes, I'm planning to take him and have a necropsy done on him as well. The vet from the institute I spoke to today asked me if the chickens could have eaten poison somehow, given the fact that they're dying and the examined hen had no contagious disease. I've been trying to think and think, but I couldn't find anything outright poisonous. Some of my chickens ate styrofoam a few weeks ago, but some that died had not eaten any and some who ate it are still alive. I gave them in recent weeks a few times watermelon slices with the rind (after washing the rind to remove chemicals) - could there have been pesticides left on the rind despite the washing? They also got pasta left overs with a bit of sauce - but would that kill off a whole flock? And the baby chicks ate all the same things that the adults did and they're fine so far...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry you didn't get any answers.

Sending the rooster will be hard, but hopefully they will be able to figure this out.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Thank you. Yes, I'm planning to take him and have a necropsy done on him as well. The vet from the institute I spoke to today asked me if the chickens could have eaten poison somehow, given the fact that they're dying and the examined hen had no contagious disease. I've been trying to think and think, but I couldn't find anything outright poisonous. Some of my chickens ate styrofoam a few weeks ago, but some that died had not eaten any and some who ate it are still alive. I gave them in recent weeks a few times watermelon slices with the rind (after washing the rind to remove chemicals) - could there have been pesticides left on the rind despite the washing? They also got pasta left overs with a bit of sauce - but would that kill off a whole flock? And the baby chicks ate all the same things that the adults did and they're fine so far...

With the exception of the pasta...my birds have eaten the same things. They did quite a number on one of my styrofoam headstones for Halloween before I caught them at it and took it away. I always give them what's left after we eat most of the watermelon slices. I do the same as you...I wash the outside of the watermelon as well. If that helps to ease your thoughts. I've worried about the stryrofoam eating. I just caught a hen eating one of my damaged mirror balls. But so far it hasn't affected them negatively.