MULTIPLE ISSUES!!

[Kmcschoolee]

I have had chickens for about 2 years now and I am starting to get frustrated. I feel like I deal with one sickness after another. I have chickens laying soft eggs and have for a long time. I have tried several types of layer feed. They are all types and ages. I put oyster shell in their food and offer it free on the side. Sometimes they free range and sometimes they are locked up. I cannot figure out what is going on. I have another on right now that is not eating and is droopy. She is 2 and a half leghorn. She her crop is not full or hard, it is empty. She will drink and the end of her comb is dark purple blue. She is not breathing funny or like she has a resp. illness. I have given her a couple antibiotics over the last few days and she is acting a little better but not great. Finally I have a 6 month old swedish 55. that has a huge crop. It is not real hard so I wonder if she is stopped up farther down. I have tried docusate sodium, Fed her olive oil and given her nystatin powder and monistat. She layed an egg yesterday so I know its not that. I wormed her yesterday with ivermectin on her neck. I have never vomited a chicken before and it scares me a little. I do not know what else to do to try to break whatever is going on free and get things moving. Like I said I feel like its one thing after another with these chickens. I am about ready to give up. PLEASE HELP. ESPECIALLY WITH THE CROP ISSUE

 

[Eggcessive]

Did you get your chickens from other people or did they come as chicks from the feed store or hatchery. A lot of problems come from getting started chickens from others. They may have been exposed early to respiratory disease that could have affected their oviduct in laying and even kidneys. Some of the hybrid layers that we buy tend to have more reproductive problems. Reproductive issues (internal laying or infection,) ascites (water belly,) and worms can lead to crop problems from the pressure inside the abdomen. @azygous has a good article on how to recognize crop problems. Make sure that your hens have access to granite poultry grit. I have found once one gets a crop issue, it is usually from another problem, and most have not recovered.

 

[Kmcschoolee]

Did you get your chickens from other people or did they come as chicks from the feed store or hatchery. A lot of problems come from getting started chickens from others. They may have been exposed early to respiratory disease that could have affected their oviduct in laying and even kidneys. Some of the hybrid layers that we buy tend to have more reproductive problems. Reproductive issues (internal laying or infection,) ascites (water belly,) and worms can lead to crop problems from the pressure inside the abdomen. @azygous has a good article on how to recognize crop problems. Make sure that your hens have access to granite poultry grit. I have found once one gets a crop issue, it is usually from another problem, and most have not recovered.

The leghorns I got from another person 2 years ago. The 55 that is having crop issues now is from an breeder. He a geneticist and has a huge operation. Its whiting farms. He bred the whiting true blue breed. I have some sex links that I got from yet another person who breeds them. They have all layed soft or thin shelled eggs sometimes. I mix grit in with their feed. The one with the crop issue has a huge crop but its soft. I have been giving yeast medication to help with the yeast but I cant feel anything hard so I assume its something lower down. But she layed yesterday so I know its not egg bound.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Re: The hen with a purple comb, check for parasites. I see you wormed so give them all a thorough check for mites. check the coop, under roost, etc, nest boxes.

 

[Kmcschoolee]

ok. I havent seen any when I am giving her meds or anything but I will check. Wouldnt the ivermectin on her neck work for that.

 

[azygous]

Reading your initial post leads me to believe you are throwing as much as you can of every treatment you can think of at your flock in order to come up with a magical fix. It's not the best approach. For one reason, there may be interactions between and among these treatments that could aggravate rather then help.

Mixing grit and oyster shell into the food is counterproductive. Searching for grit on the ground is a basic instinct. Mixing it into food may risk not getting an adequate amount or too much. Same goes for the oyster shell as hens absorb it at different rates. Also, oyster shell is water soluble and mixing it into food, if it is wet, will dissolve the shell bits and cause it to run through a hen's system without absorbing much. Oyster shell does the most good by allowing the hen to select as much as and as often as she needs it.

I suspect you have some sort of avian virus at work in your flock. I have one in my flock, and even if it doesn't outright kill a chicken, it can cause secondary issues as it affects the immune system. Obtaining chickens from so many private sources has set up your flock for such a virus to be imported. These viruses are extremely common. Using private sources greatly increases the chance of a virus. I got the virus in my flock by simply starting my flock with two adult hens adopted from a neighbor.

Here is my article on crop issues and how to treat them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

I suggest you stop all medications, offer grit and oyster shell free choice, wait a period, reassess the health issues, and start over by addressing them on an individual basis. We can help with this. And most important, locate your state animal testing lab and get a necropsy on the next chicken that dies in order to find out if there is an avian virus behind most of these health issues.

 

[Kmcschoolee]

Reading your initial post leads me to believe you are throwing as much as you can of every treatment you can think of at your flock in order to come up with a magical fix. It's not the best approach. For one reason, there may be interactions between and among these treatments that could aggravate rather then help.

Mixing grit and oyster shell into the food is counterproductive. Searching for grit on the ground is a basic instinct. Mixing it into food may risk not getting an adequate amount or too much. Same goes for the oyster shell as hens absorb it at different rates. Also, oyster shell is water soluble and mixing it into food, if it is wet, will dissolve the shell bits and cause it to run through a hen's system without absorbing much. Oyster shell does the most good by allowing the hen to select as much as and as often as she needs it.

I suspect you have some sort of avian virus at work in your flock. I have one in my flock, and even if it doesn't outright kill a chicken, it can cause secondary issues as it affects the immune system. Obtaining chickens from so many private sources has set up your flock for such a virus to be imported. These viruses are extremely common. Using private sources greatly increases the chance of a virus. I got the virus in my flock by simply starting my flock with two adult hens adopted from a neighbor.

Here is my article on crop issues and how to treat them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

I suggest you stop all medications, offer grit and oyster shell free choice, wait a period, reassess the health issues, and start over by addressing them on an individual basis. We can help with this. And most important, locate your state animal testing lab and get a necropsy on the next chicken that dies in order to find out if there is an avian virus behind most of these health issues.

Is there any way to alleviate the virus? I am only treating crop issues in the one with the huge crop and giving the antibiotics to the one with the purple comb. Im not giving antibiotics to the one with the crop or vice versa. So the one with the huge crop what would you suggest. I have put her in a cage with grit she can eat because I did not want her to eat food right now. It is the size of a softball but not hard. Should I just put her out with the other chickens and stop eveything for her? I think she has something blocking her. also do I throw the calcium on the ground like the grit? or put it in a bowl? I am at the point that I just feel like giving up.

 

[Kmcschoolee]

Is there any way to alleviate the virus? I am only treating crop issues in the one with the huge crop and giving the antibiotics to the one with the purple comb. Im not giving antibiotics to the one with the crop or vice versa. So the one with the huge crop what would you suggest. I have put her in a cage with grit she can eat because I did not want her to eat food right now. It is the size of a softball.

 

[azygous]

Please read my article on crop issues I linked to. It will help you figure out which disorder she has and how to properly treat it. It may turn out you have identified it correctly and are already treating it correctly.

The oyster shell should be placed in a container in the run in a convenient place and kept dry at all times. I have my oyster shell in three different places in tin cans screwed to the sides of the run.

As far as the chicken on antibiotics, what is it you are hoping to treat? What have you been using? What strength? For how long for each med? Some antibiotics are useless against some bacteria and a waste of time and money if not chosen correctly. They also have some restrictions as far as calcium interaction so it's important to consider if you are using one of those.

Viruses have no cures. We can only treat symptoms. But it's very wise to identify what virus is in your flock, if any, so you know what it is you're dealing with. Judging from all the health issues, a necropsy on the next chicken that dies or is close to death is a good idea.

 

[Kmcschoolee]

Please read my article on crop issues I linked to. It will help you figure out which disorder she has and how to properly treat it. It may turn out you have identified it correctly and are already treating it correctly.

The oyster shell should be placed in a container in the run in a convenient place and kept dry at all times. I have my oyster shell in three different places in tin cans screwed to the sides of the run.

As far as the chicken on antibiotics, what is it you are hoping to treat? What have you been using? What strength? For how long for each med? Some antibiotics are useless against some bacteria and a waste of time and money if not chosen correctly. They also have some restrictions as far as calcium interaction so it's important to consider if you are using one of those.

Viruses have no cures. We can only treat symptoms. But it's very wise to identify what virus is in your flock, if any, so you know what it is you're dealing with. Judging from all the health issues, a necropsy on the next chicken that dies or is close to death is a good idea.

I was wondering if there is a disinfectant I can use in and around the coop to help. I will look at the article for crop. thank you