Hen died after being limp for one day?!?!

[Eggcessive]

Chickens can get Mareks at any age, but it is more common in the first year of age. It can take 3 or more weeks to cause symptoms in a chicken that has been exposed. We cannot guess what she has though. If a chicken dies, it is best to get a necropsy if you want to pinpoint a cause. Some illnesses can be identified with some certainty with a do it yourself necropsy at home. If done right after death, coccidiosis may be seen before the intestines become darkened and grey. Take pictures of organs (liver, intestines, and as many other organs as you can.) post pictures here.

 

[EricEdwards]

It is honestly looking like cocci more than Mareaks. Here neck was fine, eyes fine, and her crop was fine. The ONLY symstom she had of that were legs. Her wings were also fine. It’s looking more like cocci/injury/egg bound. If the cocci meds are given to the flock, is it guarantied out of there systems? And can we give it preventative?

 

[EricEdwards]

Is it possible it is just a fluke?

 

[Eggcessive]

Why don’t you get some Corid at your feed store, just in case, and start the others on a 5 day treatment, to ease your mind? Dosage is 2 tsp of Corid liquid, or 1 1/2 tsp of Corid powder per gallon of fresh water each day, for 5 days. Do not mix anything else in the water. With a necropsy done by your state vet, you usually can get a diagnosis. Many diseases can look alike. Hopefully, no one else will become ill.

 

[Eggcessive]

 

[EricEdwards]

I THINK WE FOUND OUT WHAT IT IS! We had put out rat poison about a week or so before, this morning we found multiple mice all around dead. We had a lot of wind and rain, so we believe she got into some of the poison we had out under the coop for the mice. I definitely think it is Botulism. All the symptoms match up. She has weak, but could move her legs, she died suddenly, and had no there symptoms of the other two other than weakness in legs. Thank you for your help!

 

[lilmillefleur]

I THINK WE FOUND OUT WHAT IT IS! We had put out rat poison about a week or so before, this morning we found multiple mice all around dead. We had a lot of wind and rain, so we believe she got into some of the poison we had out under the coop for the mice. I definitely think it is Botulism. All the symptoms match up. She has weak, but could move her legs, she died suddenly, and had no there symptoms of the other two other than weakness in legs. Thank you for your help!

That's awesome that you found the problem. I'm glad it's not something viral. So sorry for your loss regardless.

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad you found a,cause. I would make sure that I used a secure bait station such as the one below for rats, and think about putting it where chickens cannot get to it. It is pretty hard to keep mice and rats out of chicken feed spills. We had good luck using Just One Bite baits when we had a problem. Bromodialone is the chemical, and there are other brands that use it. It is a bit safer to use in case an animal eats a dead mouse.

 

[Eggcessive]