Help! Slowly losing pullets to unknown illness :-(

kgilles

In the Brooder
7 Years
Apr 9, 2012
10
0
22
We have, in the past year of keeping our backyard flock, lost three adult pullets. The first was an Ameraucana and I believe her illness was due to a massive worm infestation. I have since been worming regularly and haven't seen any additional evidence of worms in or around my flock. So, I think her illness/death was an isolated incident and my fault as a novice backyard chicken keeper...live and learn :-/

Several months later, our nearly 1 year old barred rock began laying soft shelled eggs and then stopped laying completely. She had tried to go broody and then appeared to go through a partial molt....so I figured the lack of egg production was due to the broodiness/molt. However, she lost weight, started acting lethargic, and then started pooing green diarrhea. This all happened probably over the course of a month. When I first saw the green poo and noticed her behavior change, I put her in a hospital crate and started trying to hand feed/water her, I wormed, gave electrolytes/probiotics, and bathed her. She would perk up once in awhile and then decline again...quite the roller coaster...She was so skinny in the end, it was heartbreaking. She finally passed quietly one night. No outward signs of illness, no respiratory distress, no lesions, discharge, etc. The only thing somewhat unique to her was tending to have some poo stuck to her feathers. She had been like that since we got her and it never covered her vent or anything like that...it was just like a dog with a furry butt getting a dingle-berry every once in awhile.

Now it has been a few more months and I'm losing my third pullet...a partridge rock. Was the same age as the barred rock. This is where I get suspicious. We added the barred rock and partridge rock from another backyard flock keeper when they were JUST starting to lay. My others had all been with me for a few months prior to their arrival. So, the PR began to display the same symptoms. She did NOT try to go broody, but she did go through a partial molt. She layer one egg without a shell. Then stopped laying completely. She didn't lay for a few months but acted completely normal. She developed diarrhea a few weeks ago and so I began treatment at that time though her behavior was still normal. Again, outward appearances were fine and deworming didn't expel any worms (I used valbazen and strongid). No improvement though. Then suddenly she was also lethargic and started losing weight...I put her in the hospital crate and got a lot more diligent about her treatment -- hand feeding/watering, dosing with nutridrench, electrolytes and probiotics, dusted with permethrin, etc. She too is on the roller coaster of up and down days. For awhile I was sure I'd wake up and find her dead, then shed go for a day standing and eating/drinking on her own. Even producing a few normal poos between the green diarrhea. Then this morning (after the best day she has had in a long time), I thought she was dead for sure when I checked on her. She's on her side, gurgling a bit, only opens her eyes when I talk to her and barely moves otherwise. I gave her some nutridrench and I'm gonna give her a bath and hand feed/water when my son naps (if she's still alive at that point).

Anybody have ANY idea what this could be? I feel helpless against this slow, steady decline and not sure what else I can do to reverse it. Vets around here won't/don't treat chickens...so I feel like I'm at a dead end. I just really don't want to lose any more. Thanks for any help, in advance!
 
Have you tried antibiotics?
My procedure is (1) quarantine (2) antibiotics (3) worm. This usually works for me. Sometimes, the bird just needs a rest from the other chickens, so I separate. If still showing signs, I treat with general antibiotic in water. If this works, I give same treatment to flock. Then I worm, and if that works, I worm the whole flock.
Chickens get old and pass on. I know this. I had one this week that just got tired and I put her in the hospital and gave her some extra care and then she passed in her sleep. Nothing "wrong" with her, it was her time.
So that is my procedure and I hope it can help you and your birdy out.
 
We have, in the past year of keeping our backyard flock, lost three adult pullets. The first was an Ameraucana and I believe her illness was due to a massive worm infestation. I have since been worming regularly and haven't seen any additional evidence of worms in or around my flock. So, I think her illness/death was an isolated incident and my fault as a novice backyard chicken keeper...live and learn :-/

Several months later, our nearly 1 year old barred rock began laying soft shelled eggs and then stopped laying completely. She had tried to go broody and then appeared to go through a partial molt....so I figured the lack of egg production was due to the broodiness/molt. However, she lost weight, started acting lethargic, and then started pooing green diarrhea. This all happened probably over the course of a month. When I first saw the green poo and noticed her behavior change, I put her in a hospital crate and started trying to hand feed/water her, I wormed, gave electrolytes/probiotics, and bathed her. She would perk up once in awhile and then decline again...quite the roller coaster...She was so skinny in the end, it was heartbreaking. She finally passed quietly one night. No outward signs of illness, no respiratory distress, no lesions, discharge, etc. The only thing somewhat unique to her was tending to have some poo stuck to her feathers. She had been like that since we got her and it never covered her vent or anything like that...it was just like a dog with a furry butt getting a dingle-berry every once in awhile.

Now it has been a few more months and I'm losing my third pullet...a partridge rock. Was the same age as the barred rock. This is where I get suspicious. We added the barred rock and partridge rock from another backyard flock keeper when they were JUST starting to lay. My others had all been with me for a few months prior to their arrival. So, the PR began to display the same symptoms. She did NOT try to go broody, but she did go through a partial molt. She layer one egg without a shell. Then stopped laying completely. She didn't lay for a few months but acted completely normal. She developed diarrhea a few weeks ago and so I began treatment at that time though her behavior was still normal. Again, outward appearances were fine and deworming didn't expel any worms (I used valbazen and strongid). No improvement though. Then suddenly she was also lethargic and started losing weight...I put her in the hospital crate and got a lot more diligent about her treatment -- hand feeding/watering, dosing with nutridrench, electrolytes and probiotics, dusted with permethrin, etc. She too is on the roller coaster of up and down days. For awhile I was sure I'd wake up and find her dead, then shed go for a day standing and eating/drinking on her own. Even producing a few normal poos between the green diarrhea. Then this morning (after the best day she has had in a long time), I thought she was dead for sure when I checked on her. She's on her side, gurgling a bit, only opens her eyes when I talk to her and barely moves otherwise. I gave her some nutridrench and I'm gonna give her a bath and hand feed/water when my son naps (if she's still alive at that point).

Anybody have ANY idea what this could be? I feel helpless against this slow, steady decline and not sure what else I can do to reverse it. Vets around here won't/don't treat chickens...so I feel like I'm at a dead end. I just really don't want to lose any more. Thanks for any help, in advance!
Could be so many different issues. First green poop can indicate not eating(other than eating grass clippings,etc). Soft shelled eggs usually a result of not enough calcium in diet(but some diseases will cause this also). Have you checked them for impacted/sour crop? No other symptoms,discharge from eyes/nostrils,any issues with vent area(vent gleet or prolapsed vent). Have looked up info on Coccidiosis,although the symptoms don't really match,unless they are displaying some of these symptoms runny/watery poop(may or may not contain blood)fluffed feathers,lethargic. Has she been laying eggs,if not could be egg peritonitis(internal laying).
 
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I wonder if they aren't having an internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis issue? I would find out where I could have my next chicken's body necropsied by a state poultry lab to find out exactly what I had going on in my flock. If you don't want to do that or can't afford it, I would do a necropsy myself. I would place the organs out where I could photograph them, and then I would ask for assistance here on BYC for those oldtimer breeders who can recognize problems. The Natural Chicken Keeping thread is a place where you can post--many oldtimers read it and give opinions.
 
Thank you for the responses so far!!

20736:.I have not tried antibiotics. What would you recommend and if/when she starts laying again, how long would I need to trash the eggs?

ten chicks: Our flock free ranges and also have free choice of oyster shell, dumor layer crumbles, and have grit mixed with the crumbles. So, I know the nutrients she needs are offered, she's just not eating them to get what she needs...hence me resorting to making a mash and hand feeding her. As for any other obvious symptoms involving her crop or vent -- nada, zippo, zilch. It's so frustrating. I WISH it was something obvious that I could diagnose. Egg peritonitis may be the culprit...just so hard to tell because neither the barred rock nor the partridge rock now have had distended abdomens. She hasn't been laying for a few months, so I'd think she'd be long gone by now if that were the cause, too.


Eggcessive: Good idea, I suggested to my husband that we do that. Not sure of the expense, but we live relatively close to Purdue University, so I think we may have luck talking to the veterinary school. Otherwise, I might try the necropsy myself. I have a bit of a medical background (mostly trauma training), so I know I can handle the blood and guts...the emotional aspect will be the hardest part for me (especially because I'm 8+ months pregnant). Yikes.

Thanks again for the suggestions. Only other thing I can think of that I left out about my PR (the one that is knocking on death's door), is that she DID poop massively watery stinky gooey poos that ALMOST looked like egg yolks/whites. She passed just a few of those and then went back to the green and white watery poos and the sporadic dense brown poo. I'm at a loss...
 
Update :-(

PR just died in my arms. She was producing bubbles out of her mouth with the gurgles and ultimately suffocated on the fluids I think. She was SO energetic and eating/drinking so well yesterday, I think she may have aspirated something in her exuberance. I'm just glad she doesn't hurt anymore :-( I'll let you all know if I'm able to get a necropsy done and, if so, what the results are.
 
I believe there is a breeder named Ron Patterson who is employed at Purdue. He and his family are very involved with chickens and judging shows. I don't know if he is easily contacted, but he probably could tell you how to have your chicken necropsied. There are many threads here are BYC showing necropsy pictures of egg bound chickens. I'm sorry you lost your chicken.
 
Thanks, again. We are heading to Purdue tomorrow morning to drop her off for the necropsy. $98 -- not too bad. And worth it, if it means saving the rest of my flock in the future or just to settle my mind that I did something wrong...I'll post what the verdict is.
 

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