Help with diagnosis

[Catonb]

We have a flock of 14 hens and there were two roosters, one we gave to a local farmer because he was being super mean to my girls and then started getting sassy with me. Shortly after we got rid of him, Fred, our other rooster became withdrawn from the group and one day I came home and found him just sitting in the outside coop unable to walk and noticed he had blood up on his head. I picked him up to give him a little boost but he went right back down. I separated him from everyone else and the next day found him dead. I thought he may have been bullied by the girls, but not quite sure. Five days later, one of my very active, but large hens, Basil, is acting a bit odd...not jumping off the roost in the morning when I come out to open coop for food and water, she was kind of quiet for a day or two, and then today I noticed she was just sitting on coop floor and eyes were kind of drowsy. I separated her and now I'm thinking I may find her dead in the morning. I keep a very clean coop. We have had decreased egg laying, but the weather was really cold for a while (they stayed inside for 5 days), Fred died, we got rid of Rex AND my husband decided to bring in four more to the group...which caused a little stress, but they seem to all be ok now. So, there are so many variables, I don't know what it could be....Help...I can't bear to lose any more chickens!!!

 

[Michael Apple]

A weak or sick bird can be preyed upon by the rest of the flock. With such vague information on your hen, it could be a multitude of things. What do the droppings look like? Is the crop swollen? Can the bird walk? Is the bird eating and drinking currently? If so, what are you feeding the bird?

Before introducing new birds into the flock, you should keep the new ones separate for at least a month to insure they are healthy and disease free. Then when they are ready, you can put them in the coop with the rest at night to avoid stress. Just be sure to watch them interact the next morning when you let them out together.

 

[Catonb]

Thank you Michael. She did die. There were a lot of variables, and I have to say my hen house is very noisy today...it's been rather quiet. After talking to the farmer down the road, he told me that the light Braham's aren't very winter hearty. I kept them inside over the past couple of weeks because it was so so cold here, but she could have caught pneumonia and died from that.
Thanks again for your quick response!

 

[Harry Rooster]

Just wanted to say, so sorry about your hen and rooster. That's very sad, and it is always painful to loose any of them, in my experience Hope all the rest of them do fine.

 

[Catonb]

Thank you. Yes, we have a sweet little cemetery close to our coop with wind chimes and all. They are just like our kids, own little sassy personalities and all!

 

[Catonb]

Help with new chick hatched yesterday... She has a big bump on her bum and it's bloody.. She is eating and drinking though... Last one to hatch

 

[Reurra]

So sorry for your loss.

They may have eaten something that made them sick. I just put down my dear roo a few weeks ago with similar symptoms, though he did not die directly, I put him down because of lack of improvment. Im pretty sure it was something he ate, none of the other girls got sick.

Lets hope this next generation will be strong and healthy for you!