Illness in my flock....heartbroken

[OneMartyn]

Two weeks ago Sunday our rooster started acting Lethargic then his comb started turning purple. He died 3 days later. We were heartbroken and thought it was a fluke. This past Sunday one of our hens started acting lethargic and has had a couple seizures. Any ideas on what is affecting our flock? We have had chickens for a little over a year. Last August we had a hen with contract a respiratory infection , treated it with Tylan 50. We had no other Issues till now.

 

[MrsBrooke]

I am so sorry for your loss.

Is it possible they are getting into something toxic or poisonous? Herbicide, pesticide, lead shot, peeling lead paint, metal, rat poison, Styrofoam...?

With this sudden onset, I can only imagine it was brought on by something that changed in their environment.

Is your feed high and dry at all times? Is there any possibility it could be moldy or rancid?

Other than that, purple combs and sudden death are usually indicative of heart or liver failure or some circulatory issue. Sometimes, it can be caused by a bacterial infection they've had their whole life or something hereditary.

Did you happen to perform a necropsy on your rooster? At the risk of sounding clinical, if your hen passes, I would recommend sending her in for a necropsy... You can get information about where to send her from your local vet. They will be able to tell you what caused her death, and at least give you answers to formulate a plan moving forward.

Do you have her isolated? Can you monitor her eating and drinking? How are her poops?

Again, I am very sorry for your troubles.

MrsB

 

[OneMartyn]

Thanks Mrs B

 

[MrsBrooke]

Thanks Mrs B

You're welcome, but try and answer some of the questions in my previous post if you can.

It could help determine what's happening.

MrsB

 

[OneMartyn]

Mrs B.

I checked The feed it appeared to be fine .....but i threw it out and started a new bag. Poison had crossed my mind. We haven't used any herbicide. Did dust the coop a couple weeks ago with Sevin. We don't use rat poison as due to The chickens and our Newfoundlands. Th biggest changes in their environment is that they are free ranging more thanks to spring and Several weeks ago we introduced 2 Barn Cats to the Barn/Coop/Run. Our Wyandotte is still hanging on..but is doing poorly. Her stool is watery yellow in color , but no sign of worms......As we are within city limits we have limited access to a Vet that treats poultry ( our vet that we used for 30 years declined to look at our hen).... We have an appointment Saturday with the only one we have found. If our hen passes hopefully she can have have a necropsy. Our chickens are not livestock ..they have become part of the fabric of our home

Thanks again Mrs B

 

[MrsBrooke]

The only way to know for sure is to take her to the vet for a blood test or see if they will do a fecal float to determine what she's got.

If it's something contagious, you can take steps to prevent it moving through your flock.

MrsB