Losing a bird every other day...any help appreciated

[gottsegnet]

Should I just put the flock on tetracycline, just in case?

 

[Jenski]

Hmmmm, do you have anything stored in the garage that might affect the birds? Gas cans? Paint thinner? Bug sprays?

???

 

[Jenski]

My own opinion is that I don't begin treatment for anything unless I am pretty sure what I am dealing with.


Have you introduced new birds lately?

What is the avg. age of the birds? 6+ months? Younger?

Have you changed feed/brands lately? Could they have had access to compost piles/moldy food/etc.??

 

[gottsegnet]

The birds in the garage don't have access to anything because they are penned. I've lost 3 there. The others are free ranged but I don't know of any hazards.

We got five new birds (3 ducks and 2 chicks) about 2 months ago. They were quarantined 3 weeks before being introduced (the ducks got loose and decided they belonged with the geese and we just left it). The remaining chick is still separated. We lost one of them, but it was runty and not developing so it wasn't a surprise.

They are not on the same feed.

One was 18 months. One was about three months. The others were all between and 5 and 6 months.

 

[gottsegnet]

I think I am going to try the tetracycline. The only disease I can find that with external symptoms described as "nonspecific" and "high number of deaths" is treated with it.

So maybe it will help.

I can live without the eggs for awhile.

And they just started laying again after our heat wave.

 

[gottsegnet]

We just went out and weighed all the birds in the flock. Most are fine, but a couple are underweight. Wondering if we could have a parasite issue. They're all eating, and I haven't seen an increase in feed consumption but that's all sort of hard to guage when they eat as a flock.

Looking for a wormer that isn't too nasty since we're not sure what's going on, but it's probably about time to treat them anyway. With the coyotes and everything we've got running around, it would almost be surprising if they didn't pick something up eventually.

Suggestions? The vet and feed store don't have anything. Going to call a couple other vets and order something online if I can't find anything to just pick up.

 

[gottsegnet]

Can you tell I'm just trying to do something?

I just started thinking though that the only birds that haven't had any unexpected deaths are the broilers who have never been on the ground to scratch. They've been on litter in the garage their entire lives. Everyone else has had at least some access to the ground outside. And normally I'd expect the broilers to be the first to catch something. They really don't like summer.

 

[chkn]

I was wondering about this flip-over disease that comes on rather sudden:

http://www.millerhatcheries.com/Information/Diseases/flip_over_disease.htm

They say they don't know what causes it other than they think it's metabolic.

I'm wondering if it could be partly the heat and them needing some electrolytes.

 

[gottsegnet]

Interesting, but it says it affects rapidly gaining broilers. Our broilers are the only ones not having any problems.

The hen actually died in the nest box, as if she were laying an egg at the time.

 

[gottsegnet]

OK, didn't think this was relevant, but all but one of the birds died on its back. The one we watched died on its side, rolling over as it died.

Reading around, this is apparently a rare position for a bird to die in. Some heart issues, flip over disease and asphyxiation are indicated. Flip over doesn't make sense, I don't think, since these are primarily older birds and aren't fast growing, nor are they broilers. Asphyxiation might make sense if one got hold of something, but I can't imagine that many would, especially those that were confined at the time of death, though my husband's co-worker said he had a similar issue and it turned out to be a snake. Heart issue? They aren't all the same breed, but most came from the same batch at the same feed store. Except the hen who died in the nest box and the little chick that was runty and deformed from the beginning.

Unless it is some combination of external stressors putting pressure on the heart? I don't know. Why would a chicken have a heart attack while just sitting there?