I lost the first member of my flock and want to prevent further deaths

[Stuck in the Suberbs]

Hi, I'm brand new to the blog. I have a small flock of 4 hens, now three. Earlier this morning I found Beatrice, my Americauna, stretched out under the coop. I had noticed her lack of appetite and energy over the last couple of days. I spread some food out right in front of her and later brought her some tasty favorites like apple and cantaloupe seeds which did tempt her a bit. She seemed listless and spent a lot of time just standing in one place. Her egg production has always been poor and since the time she was a chick her stools have been runnier than the other gals. I don't know if she was sick for a long time because of those reasons. I looked but did not notice mucus or any lesions. From what I've read hear I'm afraid she may have had a disease. (Although, I am relieved to know that sometimes chickens just died suddenly.)

My coop has a wooden floor and my run is just the bare ground with scattered wood shavings and grass clippings. How do I go about cleaning/disinfecting it? I usually just rake out the poop and spread a new layer of clippings each week. I'm worried about the other chickens being exposed to her droppings or pecking around where I found her still form. What is the best way to thoroughly clean? Also, should I bathe them? How would I go about doing that? Is there some kind of powdered disinfectant I can spread around?

Thanks so much for you help and experience!

 

[LynneP]

You should clean out the coop. Your hen may have had 'egg gland infection' ( infection of the uterus). With luck the cleaning will be enough, and if you run into this with another hen in the future, one option is 'Super Booster' (antibiotics with vitamins) and segregation. Of course, consulting a vet would be optimum. I , too, had one hen like that and got to the treatment too late in the scheme of things and lost her. But even if you do, the antiobiotics help to prevent coop contamination. Very sorry, hon...

Cleaning- go down to ground level, bury the bedding mixed with a product such as 'Stable Boy' , 'Stall Dri' or ground limestone ( NOT lime). Sprinkle the ground with it too especially around the edges. Replace the bedding and if you can get some, put about 2 cups per week of food-grade diatomaceous earth on the bedding and in nests to keep the top very dry, preventing cocci- and many other moisture-spread contagion.

 

[Tater n Beans]

We use a product called ODO-Ban. It is a disinfectant and deodorizer that, according to the data sheet, is bio-degradable. For our general weekly cleaning we mix up a diluted bucket and scrub everything down then hose it thoroughly. I would not recommend dousing your run as it will kill all of the beneficial microbes along with any thing harmful in the soil. If you are suspecting something really bad, go ahead and douse the run, but I wouldn't let your other birds out in the run until you have rinsed and let the run dry a few times. Odo-ban is available pretty much every where now (Wal-mart, homedepot, ect...) in the cleanser isle. it runs about $7 a gallon and will last a long time. Heres the MSDS for it

Best of luck
Tater

 

[Stuck in the Suberbs]

Thanks LynnP and Tater! I'll search around for those products. Any suggestions on bathing the girls? I see posts where people mention occasional baths but is there more to it than that?

 

[Adopted Chickenman]

Sorry to hear about the passing of one of your girls. I was always told not to feed chickens any apple seeds because they contain a slight poison that can harm them. Don't know if this is true or not, but I have never feed any to my girls. Good luck in the future and happy hatchings

 

[fldiver97]

Sorry about your girl! I don't think bathing is needed at this point. Unless you see mites or other external parasites on the others I think coop cleaning, cleaning all the feed and water containers and close observation are key, make sure the rest of your flock eats/drinks/poops and acts 'normal'. If you have problems with external parasites you can dust them or add foodgrade DE to their dustbath. If you notice anything abnormal in any other chick you may have to resort to medications, aggressive treatment in surroundings etc. I hope some of the more experienced chicken keepers will respond, they have more knowledge than I do. Hope this was an isolated incident and the rest of your flock is healthy!!!!