Hi! Name is Wendy - NEED HELP with Chicken diet - Chickens DYING! PLEASE!!!

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wbrr2009

wbrr2009

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6 Years
Aug 22, 2013
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Hello! My name is Wendy. I have several chickens all around 5-6 months old. One of my chickens, Penny, died last night. I was wondering if one of you maybe knew about some of the symptoms? I went outside to check on all of them and Penny was laying down. I went into the coop and usually if I come within a foot or so from her, she will run a little but look back to see if I have food in my hand and come back, but this time, she didn't do anything - she just kept laying there, with her head propped up a little bit. So I picked her up and noticed there was a few drops of clear red liquid on her feathers, near her rear (watery blood). I also noticed clear liquid, maybe water, was also dripping slowly out of her beak.

I read up online that maybe she had an egg stuck, so I put her lower half in warm water and rubbed her belly from front to back. I put her in a towel, wrapped her up so she wouldn't get cold. About 10-15 minutes later, she instantly woke up, had a seizure, clucked once, and passed away in my arms. I was thinking it was eternal bleeding maybe? I don't know.

Anyhow, now another one is laying down - NOT as bad as the one who died, but I think it might happen again. This one today has it's beak open and tongue it moving fast.

I have been reading on this site from a lot of people that you are not to feed your chickens scratch everyday - So I was thinking, maybe it's their diet causing this??? I fed them started feed when they were babies and then changed to normal feed about 3-4 months ago. I also occasionally give them cantelope and peaches. They all (7 now) live in a large enough coop.

MY QUESTION IS - WHAT IS THE BEST DIET FOR CHICKENS IN A COOP (WATER AND FOOD WISE)?

I have heard of Scratch?? Layer?? Pellets?? Electrolytes in water? ACV?? Olive Oil?? Oil of Oregeno??

Please help - THANKS!!
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It sounds as if they have Cocci, and you need to get some Corrid and Treat all of your birds quickly. Is the second bird bleeding from the vent also.

By way of normal food mine are fed Layer pellets, I sometimes will mix in a bit of starter grower to give a bit of protein boost. I give scratch to them daily 3/4 gallon or so just to give them something to do in the run until i get home to let them out.
 
wbrr2009 said:
Hello! My name is Wendy. I have several chickens all around 5-6 months old. One of my chickens, Penny, died last night. I was wondering if one of you maybe knew about some of the symptoms? I went outside to check on all of them and Penny was laying down. I went into the coop and usually if I come within a foot or so from her, she will run a little but look back to see if I have food in my hand and come back, but this time, she didn't do anything - she just kept laying there, with her head propped up a little bit. So I picked her up and noticed there was a few drops of clear red liquid on her feathers, near her rear (watery blood). I also noticed clear liquid, maybe water, was also dripping slowly out of her beak.

I read up online that maybe she had an egg stuck, so I put her lower half in warm water and rubbed her belly from front to back. I put her in a towel, wrapped her up so she wouldn't get cold. About 10-15 minutes later, she instantly woke up, had a seizure, clucked once, and passed away in my arms. I was thinking it was eternal bleeding maybe? I don't know.

Anyhow, now another one is laying down - NOT as bad as the one who died, but I think it might happen again. This one today has it's beak open and tongue it moving fast.

I have been reading on this site from a lot of people that you are not to feed your chickens scratch everyday - So I was thinking, maybe it's their diet causing this??? I fed them started feed when they were babies and then changed to normal feed about 3-4 months ago. I also occasionally give them cantelope and peaches. They all (7 now) live in a large enough coop.

MY QUESTION IS - WHAT IS THE BEST DIET FOR CHICKENS IN A COOP (WATER AND FOOD WISE)?

I have heard of Scratch?? Layer?? Pellets?? Electrolytes in water? ACV?? Olive Oil?? Oil of Oregeno??

Please help - THANKS!!
hu.gif
Click to expand...
Its almost sounds as if she was poisoned, or had some sort of sharp thing pierce the inside of her digestive tract. Do you have any sharp metal pieces lying around, and have you used any rat/mice poison lately? I find it unlikely that two chickens would be having the same problem if it were just a punctured gut, so I think that poisoning is the more likely of the two.

It sounds as if you are feeding your hens well. Chickens should be fed starter or starter/grower feed until they begin laying, and then should be fed layer feed for the rest of their lives. Scratch is a treat made up of whole grains. Chickens love it, but it shouldn't be fed as a main diet. ACV and electrolytes are both good additives to put in the water, as they help support a healthy immune system. Probiotics are good, too.

I'm sorry that I can't offer more advice; only un-proven ideas.
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I hope that someone who has experienced this problem replies soon, and that your chickens are okay!
 
layer feed - pellets?

Also, if they are not laying yet, is it good to get them started on it?
 
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I'm wondering if they encountered any poison, maybe mice or rat bait, or chemicals used on weeds etc. Has their feed gotten wet at some point? Moldy food will kill them fast.

If they eat rats or mice that have been poisoned it could affect them. Please post in detail on "emergencies, diseases, injuries, cures," sub forum. More experienced people monitor that site and usually can give much better advice.
 
wbrr2009 said:
layer feed - pellets?

Also, if they are not laying yet, is it good to get them started on it?
Click to expand...
Layer feed does come in a pelleted form, but pellets is not another name for layer feed. Pelleted just refers to feed that has been compressed into bite-sized, tube-shaped pieces. Don't feed layer feed until your pullets start laying, or at least until they are 18 weeks of age.
 
Thank you everyone!! I truly appreciate your help! My second one who started sitting yesterday is now standing, but still in the coop.

I put some antibiotics and electrolytes in her food. I hate using antibiotics, but fingers crossed, it looks like it's working.

I will give a fresh batch daily for about a week. I hope this helps!!! :)

-Wendy
 

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