Last True Ameraucana Hen Sick

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

Thanks Jean. I e-mail Mickey LaTour at Purdue Poultry Extension, since there was no answer on his phone. I met with him last year to see the chicken plucker his department had built. Hopefully, he can help.

I called the first number, and it seems to be a fax?? I just get a high pitched noise.

 

[cottagegarden]

I am really sorry there wasnt a better outcome for your bird. I hope you have the opportunity to pursue the necropsy so you can make a plan for your surviving birds and any replacement flock you would get. We do the best we can, but diseases are out there, wild birds, other chickens, on your shoes from farms and feed stores.and the best protection is education.
I think it is fantastic for your breeder to help you through the problem and help you with new birds.
That puts the "reputable" in reputable breeder.
Be well, and wishes for fast answers and better tomorrows.

 

[pips&peeps]

try 765-494-7440

 

[PoultryPedia]

Perhaps lymphoid leukosis or something related?
It is usually only contagious to chicks up to 5 weeks old, and symptoms don't show up for another 2+. Progression of the disease can vary greatly.
I got a trio I believe had it. All were subdued when I got them. One hen died 2 1/2 weeks later. The cockerel became really listless after a month or two. I quarantined him and then put him down 6 months later when he got an additional disease. I did a novice necropsy on him & didn't spot anything to confirm diagnosis, but I am VERY novice at this.
I still have the other hen more than 2 years later. She perked up after a while. She laid for a few months and then went sterile. I think she's effectually "recovered" from the disease but is still a carrier. I try to keep young birds away from her.
Just my experience with at possible diagnosis.
I'm so sorry for your loss. That's great Jean is trying to help. I know it will be hard starting over, though. I hope you can look forward maybe to the sweetness of having chicks again?

 

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

I talked to Tom Bryan at Purdue. He was very nice and talked with me for at least a half hour. He said I could call him anytime if I had questions about something going on.

I cost $75 for a necropsy plus shipping. I cannot afford that cost right now. Our family is really pincing pennies these days.

Jean, I understand if you do not want to send anymore eggs or chicks to me, since I cannot afford the necropsy. I in no way blame you for the loss of these birds, and I appreciate your help immensely.

 

[jjthink]

Best not to get more birds without knowing what so sadly took all of the others so young - new ones may well meet the same fate. You note the 4 died but that you have also had many other chickens die - that's an awful lot of something going very wrong. I wouldn't expose others. I'm sorry about all of it.
JJ

 

[Wynette]

OH, goodness - I am so sorry for your loss. THis can be so very frustrating, and I've been there, too.

I'm in Michigan, and my state vet charges $150 for a necropsy. It's ridiculous, but it is what it is. I hope you can figure out what's going on. HUGS!!!

 

[Jenski]

Quote:
So sorry about your hen. Since you mentioned you had "many" chickens die, I am wondering about the rest of the flock.

You may or may not feel like answering 50 more questions, but you might consider things like this - -

How many chickens do you keep?
How many died?
How old were they when they died?
What breeds have died?
How large a space do they have to roam?
Are there any potentially hazardous areas where they might have access to toxic plants, chemicals, or other problem-causing items?
Do you feed treats? If so, what and how often?

I guess the questions that interest me the most at this point are ones relating to just how many birds we're talking about. If you have 1000 chickens and even 20 die, percentagewise you're still doing better than the average backyard flock person. I know, I know, casualties are something none of us want to experience, but you see what I'm saying. It is important to discern whether you're looking at individual problems or an outbreak of something, or perhaps even a management issue that can be corrected.

Hope that ramble helps somehow. Please keep us posted, and we will all do our best to help you figure out what's going on.

 

[PoultryPedia]

I'm thinking Utah State University will do a necropsy for ~$60. Their # is 435-797-1895 if you're interested.
FYI: Different labs do more/less involved analysis with a necropsy, so it's worth finding out what each lab checks in one.

 

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

Quote:
I have 14 hens and 1 rooster, 3 male guineas outside in the coop. Inside, I have 1 hen sick with Marek's, but seeming to recover, 2 small roosters (about 6 weeks old). I have 11 chicks in the brooder inside right now.

I have had 9 die between the ages of 6-12 months, and another 7 die that were more than 6 weeks, but less than 3 months.

Breeds that have died were: EEs, NH, Barred Rock, Ameraucana, mutts, Partridge Rock, Light Brahma, Red Star.

They have an enclosed run that is about 240 sq ft, but mostly they free range in the backyard, which is about 1/2 acre, fenced.

Yes, if there are any toxic plants in the backyard, then they have access to them. I don't know which plants are potentially toxic. We have dogs, but they are used to the chickens and generally do okay supervised together. I recently had a problem with one of the hens going into the garage to lay, but have since fixed the hole so they can't get in there anymore (as far as I know), but there would definitely be toxic substances in there such as gasoline, oil, etc.

I usually feed scratch, once a day in winter (about 1 qt worth on the ground), and less often when it is warm. I recently disposed of the remaining scratch after thinking something might be contaminated and have since not gotten anymore yet.

Thank you for trying to help me on this.