help my chickens are dieing one by one

[traybo]

i just bought about 20 hens and got them home.. i noticed that one had one diearreha and was sickly acting so i isolated her, she died within a a day, then i noticed another one, she was standing with wings down and acting drunk, i tried to put her on the roost and she almost fell off, i asolated her she was dead by morning, i moved them all closer to me in little storage building i have that i turned into a chicken coop for my pullets , today another one is acting sick and weak and drunk acting , top heavy .. i havent noticed any other symptoms, my son said he notices a few acting like they was gasping for air every now and then i havent noticed it only what ive mentioned. i just wormed them tonite, and ive got them on duramycin... any suggestions? please tell me i dont wan to loose my whole flock. they are in molt and are not laying but i havent had them that long .... plz help me

 

[traybo]

i need to add theat the one that had diarreha it was white and bad!!!!!!! but i dont notice the others having it.

 

[leadwolf1]

What I would do for now is a search on white diarrhea. Other than that, you are doing all you can. I hope someone else with more experience can chime in with more information.

 

[traybo]

thank you so much...

 

[traybo]

well another one is sick and dieing, she is nothing but bones, i noticed that her legs look swollen and she just hangs her head down, i try to nudge her and she just falls over... what in the world is going on here with my poor chickens.. i just bought them and they are dieing left and right... plz any one outhtere do you have any advice? ive never seen noting like this, i bought some last year that had coraza but i dont have them inthe same location and house... but these chickens don thave what the last ones did.. I have such bad luck with buying chickens i guess i should just give up and just buy my eggs off others... i feed my hens good layers and there in a nice hen house draft free and free range , i dont understand why i keep getting sick chickens!!!

 

[Karhog]

Could be Cocci or Myco?
When you say gasping for air- are they wheezing or coughing?
Personally if you have lost a few already I would suggest whatever it is sounds contagious and will need vets intervention.
Perhaps take one sick one to the vet as I would think they may all need to be treated with anti biotics.
Mine are also all ill ( I only have three) They are all on Baytril and I will also be treating with Coxoid when it arrives .
Good Luck!

 

[leadwolf1]

I'm trying to find the disease that I saw that white diarrhea is the symptom...also, have you tried calling the people you got them from???
I'll let you know if I find something!

 

[leadwolf1]

Here is what I found. If it were me, I would take one of the birds in for necropsy. It is the only way to find out what is going on...I really hope this isn't it but the symptoms, etc fit...plus, with the stress of moving, it would make the birds more likely to show symptoms....

Pullorum disease is an acute or chronic infectious, bacterial disease affecting primarily chickens and turkeys, but most domestic and wild fowl can be infected.
The cause is a bacterium named Salmonella pullorum. This organism is primarily egg transmitted, but transmission may occur by other means such as:

• Infected hen to egg, egg to chick, or chick to chick in incubator, chick box, brooder, or house. Survivors become infected breeders (cycle begins again),
• Mechanical transmission (carried around on clothes, shoes or equipment),
• Carrier birds (apparently healthy birds shed the disease organisms),
• Contaminated premises (from previous outbreaks).

Disease organisms may enter the bird through the respiratory (as in the incubator) or digestive systems. Most outbreaks of acute pullorum disease in chickens or turkeys result from infection while in the hatchery.
Pullorum disease is highly fatal to young chicks or poults, but mature birds are more resistant. Young birds may die soon after hatching without exhibiting any observable signs. Most acute outbreaks occur in birds that are under three weeks of age. Mortality in such outbreaks may approach ninety percent if untreated. Survivors are usually stunted and unthrifty. Infection in young birds may be indicated by droopiness, ruffled feathers, a chilled appearance with birds huddling near a source of heat, labored breathing, and presence of a white diarrhea with a "pasted-down" appearance around the vent. The white diarrhea symptom instigated the term "bacillary white diarrhea" that was commonly associated with this disease at one time. Gross lesions may be lacking in some adult birds.
Diagnosis in young birds is made by isolating the causative organism in the laboratory. In older birds, blood testing may indicate an infection but a positive diagnosis depends upon isolation and identification of the organism by laboratory procedures.
Complete eradication is the only sound way to prevent pullorum disease. All hatchery supply flocks should be tested and only pullorum-free flocks used as a source of hatching eggs. Purchase chicks or poults from hatcheries that are officially recognized as "Pullorum Clean" by National Poultry Improvement Plan representatives in your state.
Treatment primarily is a salvage operation and does not prevent birds from becoming carriers. Consequently, do not keep recovered flocks for egg production. Among the drugs used to treat pullorum disease are furazolidone, gentamycin sulfate, and sulfa drugs (sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine, and sulfamerazine

 

[traybo]

i dont see them gasping for air my son did a few times but its been awhile, the ones that gets sick just stands with feathers hanging done droopy head and is off balance when you try to move them, cant stand on the roost.. ive never seen any thing like it, and the rest look ok but who knows what tomorrow holds.. fine one day and then sick the next and dead the next..... i wonder if mites could do this.. ive treated for both inside and out paraisite.. giving them duramycin ..i guess time will tell.. thanks for all the suggestions..

 

[siathedragon]

i hope this is how you write messages . i heard of this before whit my own chickens as far as i know there are 4 diseases this could be but it should help feeding the chickens yogurt ,but still keep an eye on them. i had to chickens whit this one of them died the athor recovered completely, he was a rooster and hes chomp was completely blue we took him indors in 2 days i think and fed him yogurt , and gave him warm . the one who died was a liitle chick. remember yogurt !. i hope we are talking abuet the same disease so i can help