Hi, all. I have been keeping chickens for 12 years and have never seen anything like this. I have a flock of 18 hens.
Many of my chickens are sick, but they all have different symptoms. It started about two weeks ago: diarrhea, wasting, and pale combs in many of them. I dewormed, treated for mites/lice, gave vitamins and electrolytes, switched them to chick starter feed with probiotics. Then I noticed they were eating creeping cumbers that had grown over their run, and I read that they can be a laxative, so I figured that was the problem and immediately removed all of the vines and fruits. That was five days ago, but some of them still have diahrea. Sometimes it is pure clear liquid, sometime green, sometimes undigested food.
One of my hens seems totally fine except she is wasting away. Another one is lethargic sometimes, but still eating and drinking normally. One has diarrhea that often has what looks like teal pebbles. Then today, I noticed that one who is otherwise normal has become uncoordinated and trips every five minutes.
Egg production is at an all time low, but to complicate matters, many of them are molting.
If it's Marek's, would it come on suddenly with all of them like this?
My oldest hens are seven and four years old and they are showing no symptoms. The affected birds are all a little over a year old. Everyone is vaccinated.
Also, they got a coughing illness when they were pullets but recovered. I was guessed that it was viral bronchitis.
Please help.
Many of my chickens are sick, but they all have different symptoms. It started about two weeks ago: diarrhea, wasting, and pale combs in many of them. I dewormed, treated for mites/lice, gave vitamins and electrolytes, switched them to chick starter feed with probiotics. Then I noticed they were eating creeping cumbers that had grown over their run, and I read that they can be a laxative, so I figured that was the problem and immediately removed all of the vines and fruits. That was five days ago, but some of them still have diahrea. Sometimes it is pure clear liquid, sometime green, sometimes undigested food.
One of my hens seems totally fine except she is wasting away. Another one is lethargic sometimes, but still eating and drinking normally. One has diarrhea that often has what looks like teal pebbles. Then today, I noticed that one who is otherwise normal has become uncoordinated and trips every five minutes.
Egg production is at an all time low, but to complicate matters, many of them are molting.
If it's Marek's, would it come on suddenly with all of them like this?
My oldest hens are seven and four years old and they are showing no symptoms. The affected birds are all a little over a year old. Everyone is vaccinated.
Also, they got a coughing illness when they were pullets but recovered. I was guessed that it was viral bronchitis.
Please help.
