HELP!!!! What Happened to her?!?!

[littlecreekfarm]

Hi! I have a blue andalusian hen that is just over a year old. This morning I found her dead, she has been looking sick for a few weeks...her comb was either a pale red, red or had some purple in it, her feathers weren't as soft as they used to be they are pretty course and a little broken up and her coat had lost some color, her feet look ok, she recently has had a change in behavior. We know at least one of our hens had visible signs of roundworms, we wormed them with wazine and 12 days later treated them with Ivomec Eprinex. She was avian flu tested.


Please, Please, Please if you have any suggestions let me know!!! Do I need to worry about my other chickens???

Thanks!!!

 

[DTRM30]

Have you checked them for mites ? A large mite population can cause a hen to die very quickly from blood loss. There are to basic varieites that are problems. One lives on the chicken all the time, and the other only comes out of the bedding at night to feed on them. Blood loss/ lack of circulation will show up as discolorations in her comb. There are also some respritory illnesses as well that would cause comb discoloration. But, I would start with checking for mites first.

a good web site on mites / lice

http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8162.pdf

 

[littlecreekfarm]

Well one of my hens(not the one that died) has a lot of feather loss on her back is that a sign?? Also I thought ivomec eprinex is supposed to kill mites and lice? Thanks for the reply!!

 

[DTRM30]

The feather loss could be - it could also be a dominant hen picking them, or a bad habbit as well (have had all happen). Along with the typical mites usually found - there is also a feather mite - that attacks the folicles of the feather shafts (I think) - but I know they do cause feather loss. Mites also may infect one bird more than another. A bird that sits in the nest longer such as a broody - will have a bigger problem with them, or a bird that doesn't dust bathe as well as she should ...

The Ivomec should kill them, but I can say from experience that I had a mite infestation that took me a few months to get under control - I used both Ivomec and dust - the little buggers just wouldn't die. I ended up having to treat with the ivomec twice as well as I think it was 3 or 4 treatments of the dust - it was a real pain.

You need to treat not only the bird, but the coop as well. Removing the bedding every 7 days and treating for at least 2 treatments - in my case if was more. If you don't treat the coop - the mites living in the bedding will just re-infest the birds.

If you are fairly certain that it wasn't mites, for me, my next step would be to look into respriatory illness - since you mentioned the discoloration in her comb. A purplish comb is definately a circulatory problem (lack of oxygen) - a pale comb could be a few things - one being going/gone broody.

Take a close look at the others - other than the feather loss to see if there are any other clues -

It could have been just a one time thing that you will never know what happend or why.

 

[littlecreekfarm]

Ok thanks!!! I will check my hens out this evening. I cleaned out the henhouse today and dusted it. I will keep cleaning it and dusting it....I hope it's not too late. I will research some respitory illnesses. I hope this was a one time thing. Thanks so much!!!!!

 

[Mama duck 8]

Its possible she could have had an egg stuck in side of her .. I had a hen like that, she was about to die, she was looking like yours and I took her to the poultry doc. and it was an egg stuck inside of her.. They took the egg out and she survived.. Im sorry your hen died

 

[littlecreekfarm]

Quote:
Yes I thought maybe that could have been the reason.....but I don't if this has anything to do with it but when I found her dead there was also a white egg on the ground about 3-4 feet away........who knows....We may never know

Thanks, she was a great hen, very sweet, and frisky, but she was pretty, her name was Stormy, she was a very nice hen.

 

[chickens are great 12]

I'm sorry about Stormy

she is better now, resting in peace. Hopefully all your chickens will be fine!

 

[littlecreekfarm]

Thank you everyone for your information and kind words!!!!! I really appreciate it!!!!