I'm losing chickens one by one

Oh I'm glad they loved their Glop! You can do that daily for a while, then just do it weekly or so.

As for the new deaths, it could be the same causative agent or something they picked up differently in the pen. Wet is very harmful to chickens, so you have to just pen them up from it and try to find ways to dry the mud as the mildew and molds in the soil can cause them to have fungus and mildew in their respiratory systems which will kill them with or without symptoms that you catch.

On the second lesion, it might be just a staph infection of the skin which is indeed very painful. I would definitely at least treat all of them topically. I wonder if you're able to get silvadene?

I really need to find more definitive answers about the breast blisters, so I'll ask Glenda, and check out some books I have here now thanks to her.

The chick droppings you're describing could have been coccidiosis. They don't sound like what people usually think of, but again there are more kinds than just one. Or they could have been a different bacterial issue. Or even brooder issues, or again a weak line.

I really would consider contacting a state ag college guy to find out who you could take a chicken that is ill to if you catch one at that state. Then take it in and 'sacrifice it' to the greater good of the rest of the flock for testing for what's causing the death.

I wouldn't cull the flock, myself, although there are many of that school who do and it makes the flock healthier. But I think that before you ever consider that, you should correct all the coop issues and make sure you have a quarantine pen or two. And test your birds first. If it's not one of the disease biggies, it might just be something environmental that is fixable. I think you'd have more peace of mind knowing rather than just culling.

And thanks for the chicken guru thing.
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Does this mean I have to grow a beard and sit at the top of a mountain with a chicken on my shoulder? LOL Don't worry, I make mistakes, even now, and still have losses. So it's all part of learning. Use it to learn and make astronger flock.
 
Well, I gotta jump in here about culling a flock. Nathalie and Glenda are way more experienced than I am, but I've been doing a lot of reading, and have about decided that culling a flock is not likely to be an option for me. These diseases are just so prevalent. You could cull a bunch of birds and have the same thing, or another disease, crop up with the next batch. PurpleChicken culled his/her flock recently, and I believe then decided this may have been too extreme an approach (read up, don't take my word here.)

Almost two years ago, way before I found BYC, I noticed a couple of my birds had crusted eyes for a month or so. This resolved on its own, and I have seen no further problems, and have added chicks since. Does my flock carry one of the respiratory illnesses? Maybe. Do I, or would I, sell birds or hatching eggs? No. Should I worry, or do something? Perhaps, but I don't plan on it.
 
Personally I don't bulk-cull. But I respect those that do for vertical transmission reasons or who are neither attached to their birds nor plan to sell them. People who raise show birds will often cull and for good reason - to prevent infecting a room full of someone else's babies.

And personally I don't individually cull. Sometimes that's bitten me in the tush.

But in ALL cases where culling is even remotely considered, you MUST test. Must, must, must. Unless you're of the school that feels that any sick bird is a detriment to the whole flock and you're breeding for hardiness. That is a valid method of husbandry and a wise one. It's just one that some folks can't do.

If you can't do it, be responsible with what you keep alive. Know the gamble, like any poultry flock, is that you could lose them all. ANY poultry flock risks this. Even the big commercial guys with loads of money invested.

Personally I felt that too many people took the wrong message from PurpleChicken's post. They forgot that he DID test before making his decision and that the disease, tested and verified as present in his flock, was vertically transmitted and that didn't fit in with his goal.

But "tested" is the most important part.

As for my flock, I've had both cases. I had some birds that likely had infectious coryza (they had the mouth mucus and all the other symptoms including smell). I didn't cull. They lived with Tylan treatment. They later died of the disease. They didn't take any other birds with them, but I was lucky they didn't.

Then I've had birds with mareks, active optical form, and they lived ages and only two were effected.

So really - each individual flock, that flock's goals, will differ. The point is to know what you're getting into and be accountable for it to your own flock thereafter, and to others' flocks most of all. Whether or not you cull.
 
Thanks guys. I really appreciate it and I don't think a long beard or mountaintop are necessary. haha Maybe just some rhythmnic chanting. haha

I'll do the glop thing. Conditions are good in their new coop, so I'll just change their bedding and make them even better. I'll treat the rooster with blisters topically and watch him; and just see what happens. I'd really rather not cull (and thanks for the words of wisdom on this) because it's a waste of the animals. They don't seem to be suffering and to take them out kills my investment and kills them for maybe no reason. I'll see if I can have a healthy flock for the next 6 or 7 weeks and when they start laying I'll be back to see if you think their eggs will be ok to eat.
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Or, I'll let you know if we've continued to have deaths.

Again thanks so much for your time. I was already upset that we were going to eat our three roosters because they are so much fun. They are always up front when I go in and will eat out of my hand, but I know 3 is too many for my flock unless I can house them seperately. Here's to hoping we can fix this.
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Thanks
MIchelle
 
Just wanted to update that it's been 9 days since the loss of my 2nd barred rock and I have had no new deaths.
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I'm feeding glop every couple of days. Unless I'm imagining things they seem healthier. All the birds have shiny feathers except the little red hen. All their combs seem to be getting some pigment except the little red whose remains kinda whitish. One of my smallest black chickens seems to be catching up to the others. I can't see my big red roosters "blister" but I haven't picked him up to check. I haven't really wanted to stress them and have kinda been having a hands off policy for the most part. My little crippled chicken is still hanging in there and he and the little red hen are still vibrant and hang in there. I'll keep you posted if anything else happens, but for now I'm hopeful that I'll have a healthy flock of laying hens here in about 6 weeks. One more question, if you read this, would the eggs be safe to eat if the chickens had marek's or cocci? My father-in-law is still wanting to cull to be on the safe side, but I hate to lost the birds for no real good reason.
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Thanks again

Michelle
 
That's really good news!!!

Yes, the eggs are still safe to eat if they have Mareks as it doesn't at all pass through to the egg. Coccidiosis, you wouldn't want to if it's active - you'd want to treat the coccidiosis. Just like any diarrheal illness.

I'm glad to hear that you feel you're seeing signs of increased health and vigor in your birds. That's what good bacteria do. They increase the actual use of the nutrients in the feed, make you get more nutrition out of the feed you're already feeding, and it really does make a difference. Now you've seen it with your own eyes.
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I love it.

Please do keep us updated!
 
Well, I lost another one.
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On the 20th I went in and another hen was dead. No signs of injury at all. The day before they were all active and healthy. I'm going to cull the roosters. I'm not going to eat them, just in case. We can't keep them, as there are too many (I think 5, but definitely 3). I wouldn't want to give them to anybody, because I have no idea what's going on.
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Just wanted to give you guys the update. I'm down to 14 with the roosters. I stopped the glop, and now I'm just torn as to whether I can even get more chicks if these don't make it. I'm looking into a testing place to see if I can bring them a live one and have them sacrifice it for the wellness of the rest; or see if I can get them a dead one quick enough. I'm disappointed because I really thought I was seeing a healthier flock.

Thanks again
Michelle
 
I'm very sorry to hear you lost another one.
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YOu might just sacrifice one of those roosters since you're going to cull anyway.

Do you need help finding a testing center?
 
Absolutely, if you know where I can look. I saw a place across the street from out local health department that said something about animal diagnostic center, but I'm not sure. Also, University of Florida in Gainesville about an hour away has the only Vet School in Florida so they may have something.

Thanks
Michelle
 
First, here's an article you might find interesting for future purposes.

http://www.hcfair.net/Livestock/Poultry Clinic/NATIONAL POULTRY IMPROVEMENT PLAN.pdf
The contact listed is your state NPIP rep.


Your UF contact:
Gary D. Butcher, DVM, PhD
Professor, Extension - Avian Diseases
Large Animal Clinical Sciences
PO Box 100136
2015 SW 16 Ave
Gainesville, FL 32608-0125
(352) 392-2212 ext. 5695
Fax: (352) 392-3029
email: [email protected]

And here are extension offices in the different counties:
http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/

If that doesn't work, here's a list of certified avian vets for Florida:
Florida

Deerfield Beach, FL - Daryl Nick Backos (Backos Bird Clinic) - 954-427-0777
Jacksonville, FL - Rhoda Stevenson (Exotic Bird Hosp Inc) - 904-268-0204
Jupiter, FL - April Romagnano (Animal Health Clinic) - 561-799-7717
Lake Worth, FL - Greg John Harrison (The Bird Hosp PA) - 561-964-2121
Loxahatchee, FL - Susan L. Clubb (Rain Forest Clinic for Birds) - 561-795-4878
Lutz, FL - Suzanne Victoria Topor (Livingston Animal & Avian Hosp) - 813-979-1955
Monticello, FL - Kitty Remington
Myakka City, FL - Michael Bonda - 941-359-3800
Orange Park, FL - Michelle Curtis Velasco (Fleming Island Pet & Bird Clinic) - 904-264-7387
Palm Harbor, FL - Joel D. Murphy (An/Bird Med Ctr of Palm Harbor) - 727-784-0558
Port Richey, FL - Susan Sattler-Augustin - 727-863-2435
Tampa, FL - Teresa L. Lightfoot (FL Vet Specialists) - 813-933-8944 - http://www.exoticseminars.com
Wesley Chapel, FL - Margaret Anne Wissman - 813-973-3044 - http://www.exoticpetvet.net
 

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