Hens stopped laying and sick chicks

[alex_s]

Here's our very odd situation...

Roughly two months ago, we bought two new week old chicks. At the same time we changed the brand of layers pellets for both our year old hens.

Within the last months our two hens have stopped laying. They occasionally produce full size yolks with very soft shells or lay very small deformed eggs in strange locations around the garden (picture attached)

One of the chicks also got very sick (trouble moving & breathing) and had to be put to sleep by the vet. The other is also very sneezy & wheezy but seems generally fine in herself.

We've been giving the three remaining chickens apple cider vinegar and this week a course of colodial silver.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what might be happening? Could the laying and sick chicks be related?

Any help or advice would be VERY much appreciated as it's causing us quite concern.

 

[tamelroy]

I am no expert, but what are you using for the bedding for the chicks? w/ them it could be respertory.

the others could be lack of calcium. do they get oyster shell? What kind of feed do they eat?

 

[alex_s]

yes, we give them oyster shells, gm free layers pellets, kitchen scraps and whatever they scratch from around the garden. I'm pretty sure the bedding is ok too as we've been using the same supply for the past year which is kept dry and regularly cleaned.

 

[aveca]

Im kind of suprised that your vet didnt take the bird for autopsy or at least take blood samples , stool samples ect from your farm to determine what was going on. It would help in deciding in treatment for whole flock.

Remember the salmonella tainted eggs just recalled? the feed they were using was supposedly the blame these large conglomorates sell thier produce out to tractor supply feeds ect...So im trying to find out if any of the feeds we are using are tainted right now.. It would be nice if FDA or somone would post a notice that these feeds were determined safe to use, or not safe to use or something..lots of thier products wound up out in public feeds.. Till then they just keep selling it like nothing is wrong and it is.

The brits eliminated sallmonella from thier feed supply with a simple vaccine to birds who make eggs for public sale..they have not had an outbreak since..but our upper FDA or whoever makes those decisions decided we didnt need that.

In some states you can take a bird to cooperative extension and they will test it duwe to public safety

 

[kjd_aag_sad]

Thanks Aveca for the little tidbit of info...I have a post cuz my 6 week old all died and my 9 week olds are getting sick...We just got a new bag of feed on Sunday and I lost my first bird Thursday, I was wondering about the feed...Now my husband and I are really wondering about the feed....I get my food from the farm fleet

 

[alex_s]

Sad news... Over the past few days one of the older hens began to swell around the rear and this morning she had prolapsed. We took her to the vet and she's been put to sleep.

We're waiting on advice from the specialist in regards to preventing any further damage to our dwindling flock but any further input on the situation is still very much appreciated.

 

[MotherJean]

I would be immediately suspicious of the feed, too. Seems more than a coincidence. This is the sort of thing one might expect of hens that aren't getting layer feed with calcium and oyster shell. Look at the label on the feed bag again. Are you sure that those are layer pellets? The folks at the feed store made that mistake with me one time. I ordered layer. The kid brought the 50# sack out on a dolly and tossed it into the trunk of my car and closed the lid. Wasn't until I got home and started to unload it that I noticed it was Grower feed, not Layena. BTW chicks should not eat layer feed. The added calcium is harmful for them. It can calcify their kidneys and kill them.

 

[alex_s]

yes it does seem like a coincidence but it is definitely layers pellets (Wyners brand) which we supplement with oyster shell mix. Also, the chicks are on separate chick crumb.

It's all such a mystery and driving us crazy!