Help! My chicken stopped eating and has had a fever since 4/23 - a week ago Saturday!

[amyduck]

I had 3 chickens die in all. I believe 2 from suffocation and 1 from blood loss. Nug Nug and Downy were Golden Laced Sebright hen over BB Red OEGB roo. They were miracle babies. They came from eggs that had been in the fridge for up to a week. And they came from the first 5 eggs that pullet laid. The only eggs she laid before she died. I figure Blondie was an easter egger. I thought that before you ever said anything about blue eggs. Just confirms my suspicions.

Wow, that's really sad! What a way to go... Interesting about your miracle babies and interesting about the bantam roo... Blondie was on the small side and I always wondered if she might have some banty in her and/or if she was just bullied by the other chickens when it came to feeding...

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

Wow, that's really sad! What a way to go... Interesting about your miracle babies and interesting about the bantam roo... Blondie was on the small side and I always wondered if she might have some banty in her and/or if she was just bullied by the other chickens when it came to feeding...

Either way sounds like a decent possibility. Here is Nug and Downy. And their Mom and Dad. Blondie was more bkack then Nug and Downy. Though Nug and Downy wre only about 3 months old.

 

[amyduck]

Either way sounds like a decent possibility. Here is Nug and Downy. And their Mom and Dad. Blondie was more bkack then Nug and Downy. Though Nug and Downy wre only about 3 months old.

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What beautiful chickens! I sure wish we could keep roosters! I'm now down to one hen, poor thing! But I don't want to get more until I find out if this one had Mareks... I also have to fix up the big coop, since it's been out of commission for some time.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

What beautiful chickens! I sure wish we could keep roosters! I'm now down to one hen, poor thing! But I don't want to get more until I find out if this one had Mareks... I also have to fix up the big coop, since it's been out of commission for some time.

Now only one is left. Chipmunk, the rooster. Nug Nug, Downy, and Nugget are all dead. I guess Sebrights just arent my thing. Im sure your one chicken is spoiled to infinity and beyond!

 

[amyduck]

Now only one is left. Chipmunk, the rooster. Nug Nug, Downy, and Nugget are all dead. I guess Sebrights just arent my thing. Im sure your one chicken is spoiled to infinity and beyond!

(oops, thought I'd posted this on Saturday) So no other chickens at all? I hope not... My Penny is getting spoiled, but she also seems sort of lost without another chicken... I think she keeps looking for Blondie. She also keeps coming up to me to put her on my lap... she'd become a bit of
a snuggle bug... now a little more. Too bad we can't get Penny to meet Chipmunk!

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

(oops, thought I'd posted this on Saturday) So no other chickens at all? I hope not... My Penny is getting spoiled, but she also seems sort of lost without another chicken... I think she keeps looking for Blondie. She also keeps coming up to me to put her on my lap... she'd become a bit of
a snuggle bug... now a little more. Too bad we can't get Penny to meet Chipmunk!

No! Just out of that cross. I still have one hen in with him and another coop with 4 cochin bantams. Poor Penny. I hate that for you and her.

 

[amyduck]

I received the preliminary results of Blondie's necropsy.
See below for the full report, but essentially:
1. Heart: Severe diffuse cardiomyopathy 2. Kidneys: Severe bilateral renomegaly

What's especially interesting is that an enlarged kidney was causing sciatica! That's why she couldn't walk for almost 2 years!

Whether caused by Marek's or something else, I never considered what the actual underlying physical cause might be... but the enlarged kidneys pressing on her sciatic nerve makes sense.

What's frustrating about the report, is that it doesn't give any clue as to what would have caused her fever... I read something that a fever can cause cardiomyopathy, so I wonder if that happened recently, because she always had a very red comb.

In addition, on a second page I also asked why she stopped laying about 1.5 years ago, and he didn't address that... oh well.

If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know.

It will be interesting to see if she's had Marek's for the last 2.5 years.. it sort of sounds like it...