Loosing my flock

[Pollitamia]

I'm left with 2 chicks out of my original flock of 5. Last September, the first one died after getting loose stools and loosing her pep, 2 days later she was gone. The same pattern repeated in November and again yesterday. Reading about this I suspect it is being caused by Clostridium Perfringens , which induces Necrotic Enteritis and death. Further reading indicates that C. Perfringens is ubiquituous in the soil and even normally lives in the intestines of hens, so I don't know what to do next. All 3 Rhode Island hens that died were almost 4 years old. They feed on Green Acres Poultry layer feed plus some table scraps of salads, pasta and other non meat scraps. At this point I don't know what is driving this outbreak, but it looks like is only a matter of time before I loose them all. I can use a little help

 

[Sally PB]

I'm sorry you're having this happen! I'll tag some people who might know how to help.

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous

Any ideas here?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm left with 2 chicks out of my original flock of 5. Last September, the first one died after getting loose stools and loosing her pep, 2 days later she was gone. The same pattern repeated in November and again yesterday. Reading about this I suspect it is being caused by Clostridium Perfringens , which induces Necrotic Enteritis and death. Further reading indicates that C. Perfringens is ubiquituous in the soil and even normally lives in the intestines of hens, so I don't know what to do next. All 3 Rhode Island hens that died were almost 4 years old. They feed on Green Acres Poultry layer feed plus some table scraps of salads, pasta and other non meat scraps. At this point I don't know what is driving this outbreak, but it looks like is only a matter of time before I loose them all. I can use a little help

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry that you are having trouble.

Where are you located in the world?
Having a necropsy/testing from your state lab is a good idea or if you have a vet that can perform a fecal test that may be helpful.

Can you tell us more about the symptoms you see and possibly some photos of the hens and poop?
Older birds may also be suffering from reproductive issues which allow other conditions to take hold.

If you feel that enteritis is part of the problem, then you could try treating with Corid (Amprolium) along with an antibiotic like Amoxicillin to see if that makes a difference.

Corid can be found in the cattle section of TSC while Amoxicillin usually has to be ordered online. Amoxicillin dose is 57mg per pound of weight given orally twice a day for 7-10 days.
https://fishmoxfishflex.com/collect...-equivalent-aqua-amoxicillin-250-mg-100-count

Dose for Liquid Corid is 2 teaspoons per gallon of water or Powdered Corid is 1 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. Give for 5-7 days as the only source of drinking water.
Don't add anything else to the water except for Corid.

 

[Eggcessive]

You have received very good advice on treatment from @Wyorp Rock . The medicines might have a different name if you are not in the US. It is helpful to add your location to your profile page. If you lose another bird, a necropsy would be the best way to find out a cause of death.

 

[Pollitamia]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry that you are having trouble.

Where are you located in the world?
Having a necropsy/testing from your state lab is a good idea or if you have a vet that can perform a fecal test that may be helpful.

Can you tell us more about the symptoms you see and possibly some photos of the hens and poop?
Older birds may also be suffering from reproductive issues which allow other conditions to take hold.

If you feel that enteritis is part of the problem, then you could try treating with Corid (Amprolium) along with an antibiotic like Amoxicillin to see if that makes a difference.

Corid can be found in the cattle section of TSC while Amoxicillin usually has to be ordered online. Amoxicillin dose is 57mg per pound of weight given orally twice a day for 7-10 days.
https://fishmoxfishflex.com/collect...-equivalent-aqua-amoxicillin-250-mg-100-count

Dose for Liquid Corid is 2 teaspoons per gallon of water or Powdered Corid is 1 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. Give for 5-7 days as the only source of drinking water.
Don't add anything else to the water except for Corid.

I'm in Ontario, Canada cold weather, but the hen house is insulated and heated. All 3 of them started with low activity, standing in a corner with their tails down. Initially I thought it was worms, I saw movement in the feces of the second one that died and I treated her and the other 3 with Ivermectin topically. This caused remission of the symptoms for about 4 days, after which the symptoms returned and ended up killing the chick. About a month later, the third one, Chicca, fell ill with the same symptoms, she also had puffy feathers the first day. I gave Chicca an injection of Bacitracin and she got better for a couple days, in fact she was doing so good I did not inject her anymore, thinking that I had overreacted. The third day, she was sick again and this time the injection did not induce any improvement, I brought her into my basement, where she died the following day. The last 2 chicks are doing OK, normal behaviour, eating and drinking. I checked on the canadian TSC website and they don't have the Corid liquid, only found a feed that contains Amprol, (amprolium?) intended for turkeys, with a lot of protein. I may have some amoxicillin in my cabinet, will look for it. I just want to be ready in case the last one of the older chicks in the flock, Ginger, falls ill with the same, which I'm dreading. There's also Crackers, a younger chick that is doing pretty good.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Glad that the others are doing o.k.
Since you are in Canada, you may need to ask your vet for medications.

 

[azygous]

It's possible it's coccidiosis that's killing your chickens. I assume they are full grown and not really chicks. They can carry coccidia in the intestines and not get sick until the coccidia decide to complete their life cycle. Then they feed on the intestinal lining, and the symptoms are similar to C. perfringens and just as deadly, although it may not kill as quickly.

Try to get some Amprol and treat all your remaining chickens with the coccidiostat. The second any begin showing any symptoms of being ill, start the amoxicillin, although a sulfa antibiotic would be more effective on necrotic enteritis. You really should get a vet's assistance with these meds.

 

[Pollitamia]

Glad that the others are doing o.k.
Since you are in Canada, you may need to ask your vet for medications.

Yeah I know, open your wallet to industry protection. How sad

 

[Pollitamia]

It's possible it's coccidiosis that's killing your chickens. I assume they are full grown and not really chicks. They can carry coccidia in the intestines and not get sick until the coccidia decide to complete their life cycle. Then they feed on the intestinal lining, and the symptoms are similar to C. perfringens and just as deadly, although it may not kill as quickly.

Try to get some Amprol and treat all your remaining chickens with the coccidiostat. The second any begin showing any symptoms of being ill, start the amoxicillin, although a sulfa antibiotic would be more effective on necrotic enteritis. You really should get a vet's assistance with these meds.

They were fully grown, would have been 4 years old this spring. Only one of the original flock remains alive. Amprol is available at the local TSC, but a look into the formula shows a relatively high content of protein, which may exacerbate GI issues, as I have seen in other posts, correct me if I'm wrong. I'll look into getting Bactrim from a local vet

 

[Eggcessive]

You have to get amprollium from a vet office in Canada. They will sell it to you to treat for coccidiosis.