Help please

[CarolyneT]

My chicken has just died; a few months ago she started laying white eggs instead of brown, then they were thin shelled and occasionally soft shelled. I put calcium in the water, but it didn't help. She then stopped laying altogether, but was still happy and healthy. Just before Christmas all her chest and leg feathers disappeared; there were no feathers laying around, so I don't know if she ate them herself. She came out of the coop when it wasn't too cold or wet, and I was giving her water with electrolytes, vitamin d, scrambled egg and cottage cheese. She also ate pellets. Then yesterday morning I found her near to death in her coop. She couldn't move or open her eyes, so my husband helped her on her way. She was only 9 months old. She was a copper black. My other chickens seem okay. Any idea what was wrong with her please?

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

No Darling I have no idea but wil be watching to see what other experts may say. I would have done the same as you did. You gave it a valiant effort. I'm sure she appreciated you loving help.

 

[CarolyneT]

thank you; I am gutted :-(

 

[Stewarts]

Not a clue however, I feed my laying hens layer food with free choice oyster shell. Not calcium in water, too easy to over-do that. An overdose of calcium causes kidney failure in chickens. The feather thing suggests to me a lack of vitamins. I put SuperBoost in their water, 1/4 tsp to 1 gallon of water every 24 hours for at least 4 to 5 days, whenever I notice a bird out of sorts. Its a mix of vitamins, minerals and a general antibiotic. If you are giving this don't eat any eggs you collect - I cook and give the eggs as wild bird feed. I feed commercial layer food plus a dozen hard boiled and crumbled eggs every now and again as a treat along with plenty of lettuce and other greens during the winter. Cracked or rolled corn is a 'heat' food for laying hens and the flock benefits from it as well.

Laying hens need the following to lay - layer food, cracked or rolled corn, free choice oyster shell, water. I also give a little rolled barley OR oats. The thin shell means she wasn't getting the calcium she needed.

Vitamin E has to be given with Selenium, otherwise the Vit E is not absorbed. Poly Vi Sol with Selenium is something to consider. Don't give Selenium on its own, too much is toxic to chickens.

Monitor your other birds to see if they show these symptoms as well. I'd muck out the coop and clean it just in case its a bug in the coop.

 

[CarolyneT]

All my birds everyday have good quality layers pellets, fresh cooked veg, with mash and oyster grit and corn. They have mineral and vitamins in the water some days and apple cider vinegar other days and the calcium was poultry calcium.They also occasionally have rolled oats, dried meal worms, scrambled egg,salad leaves, fresh corn on the cob and black sunflower seeds. I only used the calcium once a week, and stopped using it a couple of months ago. I clean the poo out of the coops everyday, and clean the coops and the runs every week and put sanitiser in the runs. The feeders, troughs and water containers are cleaned regularly too.The chickens also have free run of the garden for 4/5 hours a day in the winter and all day in the summer. I also cleaned and sanitised the coop after her death. I actually do not know what more I could do to keep my chickens happy and healthy :-(

 

[Stewarts]

Hmmm, silly but I wonder if you are not doing too much cleaning. I wonder if I'm unique because I muck out my coop once a month, when it gets smelly but don't sanitize. I have a tarped hutch attached to my coop so my birds don't set a claw in the snow, ever, but have a 12x8, heavily strawed area to romp in and I've never had a sick bird or one die on me. You are doing all the right things, same as I do...

Its bizarre that she'd suddenly lay white eggs after laying brown. The only thing I can think of is a toxin that she came into contact with because your other birds are fine and it just affected her. I don't allow my birds out into the snow or anywhere there is greenery in the winter because you never know what kind of innocent looking plant could be toxic to chickens. I'd keep them in out of the garden just in case there is something there that caused this. Have you tried Cayenne Pepper in the water? It prevents certain serious illnesses. It doesn't mix well in water so I leave it sit on the water where the birds can take a beakful. It doesn't affect the taste of their eggs either. 1/2 tsp. Beyond that, its just a guess as to what could have happened. I have found that, even though its been a harsh winter here on Prince Edward Island, Canada, we still have bugs! Certain bugs have been known to be dangerous to animals and birds - long shot I know. Unless you do an autopsy and testing, you may never know.