- 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!
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!