Hens passing away

[Kimorris207]

Hello all,
I have been raising laying hens for 6-7years now and several times have run into the same fatal scenario. I feel like this is not the result of something I am doing wrong or not doing that I should be but am simply seeking some advice or someone who has encountered the same problem more than once. Over the course of about 4 -5 years I have lost about 5 hens in the same way. I will notice that she is puffed up, moving very slowly and keeping to herself. Also, I've noticed she will typically sleep alone in a corner, putting herself to bed much earlier than the rest of the flock. Once I've witnessed the weakness I move the hen to a separate coop that I keep for raising babies as well as isolating hurt/weak hens. 9 times out of 10 I have found the hen deceased by the morning. There was one instance where it was about 2-3 days after isolating that she passed away. However I have 100% death rate once the hen portrays these signs. It's just a matter of how many hours. There doesn't seem to be any blockage and no obvious wounds. I know hens pass away "naturally" but I feel like I have experienced this much more than my fellow chicken handlers. This has happened to hens from several different flocks, different circumstances, different times of the year. My girls are very well taken care of, they have plenty of space to live, clean water daily, fresh fruits and vegetables as well as their daily grain. Any feed back is more than welcomed. I currently have a girl in the ICU and am hoping I can turn things around but don't know if there is any more I can do for her. Thank you kindly!

 

[Sapphire Sebright]

I don't have much experience with chicken ailments, so I don't have much to say, but have you checked the vent for an egg? Or, depending on the age and breed of the hen, she may be having reproductive tract issues.
I don't know, really and I hope that someone with more experience and knowledge can give you some more specific information. Good luck with your hens.

 

[Eggcessive]

Honestly, I think many of us have gone through similar losses with the same symptoms. Have your chickens ever suffered from sneezing and respiratory infection that has spread through the flock. Infectious bronchitis is a virus that can affect the chickens reproductive tract and kidneys. My flock had this once, and I have lost auite a few to salpingitis, internal laying, cancer, and ascites. Of course, those can be common in all hens after the age of two. Some people like to believe that high production hens and hatchery chickens live shorter lives and have more reproductive issues. But I have had heritage breeds and hatchery chickens, and have lost some of each to those problems early in life. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Kimorris207]

I have no known issues through the flock. This seems to come out of nowhere at all different times regardless of the breed, season, where they came from, etc. I started with just 3 hens and now have 19. I've seen and experienced a lot in this department so I feel like this is natural but then I come across those people who have been raising chickens almost as long as I have who have never lost a hen from anything other than a predator attack so it just made me wonder. Thank you for you response, very much appreciated!

 

[Kiki]

What exactly do you feed your flock?

 

[Kimorris207]

What exactly do you feed your flock?

Layer pellets and fresh kitchen scraps. Kitchen scraps as in salad clippings, crumbs etc. Nothing "old" or rotten, no meat, no dairy, no bananas, onions, raw potatoes...

 

[Kiki]

Layer pellets and fresh kitchen scraps. Kitchen scraps as in salad clippings, crumbs etc. Nothing "old" or rotten, no meat, no dairy, no bananas, onions, raw potatoes...

How often do you feed scraps?
The first thing that came to my mind was fatty liver disease.

Are you aware that you can get a necropsy done at your state lab to get an answer?

 

[Kimorris207]

I feed scraps just about every day however, it's only a small Tupperware(sandwich size) once a day between all of them (19 currently). So on a regular basis I'd say they get a few bites each of whatever it may be. Usually just fruit and veggie clippings but some times bread crust, Cheerios, french fries etc may be included.. not often though . Thank you for the feedback. I was not aware of that. I'm going to look into it.

 

[Kiki]

I feed scraps just about every day however, it's only a small Tupperware(sandwich size) once a day between all of them (19 currently). So on a regular basis I'd say they get a few bites each of whatever it may be. Usually just fruit and veggie clippings but some times bread crust, Cheerios, french fries etc may be included.. not often though . Thank you for the feedback. I was not aware of that. I'm going to look into it.

I stop all scraps immediately.