I lost Chloe today...

[CarriBrown]

About a month and a half ago, I lost Molly, who I got with Chloe. Molly's necropsy said that she didn't have enough calcium which didn't make any sense to me.
Last night, Chloe was showing the same symptoms but not quite as bad, so I kind of poo poo'd it. I figured, Hey, they get laymash and free range on stuff in the backyard. Her diet is fine.
I came home today and Chloe was gone. I am taking her tomorrow for a necropsy and I called the breeder I got her from, who was sort of defensive... Even though I just wanted to give her an FYI.
Anyway, I'll let you guys know what the results are... I'm changing their diet (again) per Mary (Quiltymare) who, IMHO, knows a lot. She helped me today on the phone while I was at the feed store...
Sorry to vent... I'm just so torn about this. I don't know what the heck this is all about... I've always had healthy animals and I'm sort of shocked that I've had another death.

At least I'm not bawling like I was when I lost Molly...
RIP my little Chloe...

 

[speckledhen]

That's awful! I'm so sorry. Something's up with both of them showing the same symptoms. Glad Mary's helping you.

 

[justusnak]

Awwww, I am so sorry to hear of your loss.

I hope you can figure out what went wrong in the feed department...and make proper corrections. She was a beautifull hen.

 

[bayouchica]

What a pretty girl, so sorry for your loss.

Take care, Miriam

 

[CarriBrown]

Thank you, everyone. Your kind words really mean a lot to me.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

So sorry for your loss. Do you mind sharing the "signs" that both of them exibited before the died?

 

[CarriBrown]

Quote:
Well, the most noticable sign was that they couldn't really stand. Both of them were lathargic but still eating and drinking. I remember picking Molly up and putting her back down and she just fell over. The necropsy said her bones were like cardboard.
Now, they are on laymash, whatever they pick out of the backyard, and whatever is in the fridge (tomatoes, lettuce, etc). That makes me pretty leery of the "lack of calcium" thing... Both of them were of laying age but hadn't laid an egg yet.
I had to catch Chloe last night because the rest went to roost but she was still outside. I put her in the run and she fell over like Molly did, but unlike Molly, she got back up and wandered off. That's why I sort of shrugged it off, plus I thought to myself that I cut out all scratch so how could the same thing happen again?
Ignorance on my part, maybe... which makes me sad.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Not being a vet I have no idea, but I feed my girls basically the same thing you are.... layer pellets and whatever they pickup around the yard, and treats (bread, veggies, etc.). My girl's egg shells are pretty darn thick which, from what I understand, is a result of a good calcium supply.

I wonder if there is something wrong with them that's not allowing their system to digest / absorb the calcium?

 

[4H kids and mom]

Both of them were of laying age but hadn't laid an egg yet.

I know alot more about domestic birds than chickens, but can a chicken get egg bound? I know with parrots the symptoms sound just exactly like what you described with your hens. I used to breed smaller parrots and lost a female cockatiel who became egg bound. She was weak and lethargic, but would still eat and drink. She was actually a ravinous eater. I took her to a vet who told me she was egg bound (eggs were formed but stuck. Sometimes happens with first time layers) and tried to remove the egg. It broke and she bled out due to the lacerations. I put all my breeders on a heavier dose of calcium grit and cuttle bone and never had the problem again....ever. Im not sure if a chicken can become egg bound, but I dont see why not, especially with a first time layer?


An added note: I did a little research and found that hens do and can become egg bound, and the symptoms seem to be the same as you listed. Here are a few sites you may want to look at for more info. Hope I helped a little so tis doesnt happen to you in the future.

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/~cus1fb/fowl/eggbound.html
http://www.poultryhelp.com/eggbound.html
http://www.kindplanet.org/chickencare.html (towards the bottom of the page)


Good luck.​

 

[CarriBrown]

Nope, they weren't egg bound. I'm wondering the same thing about the not absorbing calcium... I was told that vitamins A and D will help them with that. I guess PetSmart has something for parakeets that is good for chickens.