Lack of ventilation

[Leonard1]

Stupid me built a coop that was too airtight so my 7 chickens are swelling with ascites. What will happen to them now? A few lack coordination. I don’t know what to do?

 

[All4Eggz]

Pictures of the coop? Pictures of the effected chickens?

@aart @3KillerBs @EggSighted4Life

 

[aart]

Stupid me built a coop that was too airtight so my 7 chickens are swelling with ascites. What will happen to them now? A few lack coordination. I don’t know what to do?

@Leonard1 how do you correlate the ascites with lack of ventilation?
Need more info....along with pics of coop and birds as asked above.
How old are birds, in months?
What all and how exactly are you feeding?

Welcome to BYC..... sorry for your troubles, I hope we can help.
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[MasterofNone]

As a new chickener, I was curious to learn about ascites in chickens and found this info page from Hoover Hatchery. Maybe it can help you?

https://newsfromthecoop.hoovershatchery.com/preventing-ascites-in-meat-birds/

 

[Leonard1]

Thank you so much for caring about my predicament. They are four years old Buff Orpington laying hens and have bright combs. Im reading that chickens are high respiratory animals and can’t live in high altitudes. In my over attempt to keep them warm this winter I believe They lacked proper ventilation that resulted in heart and kidney failure and I am devastated! One hen has water belly with slight improvement. I feed them Blue Seal home fresh extra egg pellets. Were on Martha’s Vineyard in south east Massachusetts.

 

[Leonard1]

As a new chickener, I was curious to learn about ascites in chickens and found this info page from Hoover Hatchery. Maybe it can help you?

https://newsfromthecoop.hoovershatchery.com/preventing-ascites-in-meat-birds/

You are wonderful and thanks so much for your help.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. I'm so sorry that your birds are suffering health problems. I can't help with the ascites, but I can help you understand the ventilation and, if you post photos of the coop, help you figure out where and how to add the necessary vents.

Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing so if you put your general location into your profile it will always be there so people can give better-targeted advice.

First thing, the basic rule of thumb is 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 per adult, standard-sized hen.

Second, you need to create airFLOW -- moving warm, moist, ammonia-laden air out and allowing clean, fresh air to replace it.

Third, you need to keep drafts -- that is, breezes strong enough to ruffle the birds' feathers, from blowing directly on the roosts. This is best accomplished by putting the permanent vents up above the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roosts.

I presume that on Martha's Vineyard you have a lot of strong storms blowing rain sideways with both Tropical Storms and Nor'easters creating winds from any direction, right? So anything you do will have to be well-protected from blowing rain. That can be challenging, but it is possible, so once you post some photos of your coop I can be more specific.

 

[LaFleche]

At already 4 years old, they might have accumulated a fat pad over winter (easily mistaken for ascites) with plenty feed and little activity.
How many eggs do you get daily?

Eta: With the main ingredient being listed as ground corn, older hens can easily get fat over winter.

 

[Leonard1]

Thanks for your reply, 6-8 a day from 10 hens.