My chickens are dying. :(

[andreya]

Last night I lost my second chicken. I found her dead in the yard with no visible signs of injury but stuff coming out of her mouth. Two weeks ago I lost my rooster, except I had to have him put down. One night when I went to lock them up and he wasn't in his coop. I found him crumpled up in the corner of the yard moving his beak against the ground. I thought he had a heat stroke, but found out later from our kid that when she let him out in the morning that his neck was crooked. He couldn't stand and his neck was bent and his head was cocked to the side. I got him to eat and drink that night and checked on him a few times but he was the same. The next day I took him to the vet who didn't know what was wrong with him but said that it could be a vitamin deficiency. She gave him a b-12 shot and some fluids and I took him home. By the next morning he was worse and was mostly laying on his face, so I had him put down.

I brought home four chickens in March and three more about a month and a half ago. It wasn't until after I brought home the new ones that they started dying - but... it has only been my original ones who have died. The woman I got the three new ones from said she hasn't had any sick chickens and those three have so far been fine. I am at a loss as to what to do. I have never had chickens before. This last hen that just died seemed fine yesterday morning and was clucking at me, she was the most vocal of the chickens. The rooster seemed fine the day before he got sick. It's like one minute they are fine and the next they are dead/dying.

Any suggestions/advice is welcome.

 

[chickydee64]

Last night I lost my second chicken. I found her dead in the yard with no visible signs of injury but stuff coming out of her mouth. Two weeks ago I lost my rooster, except I had to have him put down. One night when I went to lock them up and he wasn't in his coop. I found him crumpled up in the corner of the yard moving his beak against the ground. I thought he had a heat stroke, but found out later from our kid that when she let him out in the morning that his neck was crooked. He couldn't stand and his neck was bent and his head was cocked to the side. I got him to eat and drink that night and checked on him a few times but he was the same. The next day I took him to the vet who didn't know what was wrong with him but said that it could be a vitamin deficiency. She gave him a b-12 shot and some fluids and I took him home. By the next morning he was worse and was mostly laying on his face, so I had him put down.

I brought home four chickens in March and three more about a month and a half ago. It wasn't until after I brought home the new ones that they started dying - but... it has only been my original ones who have died. The woman I got the three new ones from said she hasn't had any sick chickens and those three have so far been fine. I am at a loss as to what to do. I have never had chickens before. This last hen that just died seemed fine yesterday morning and was clucking at me, she was the most vocal of the chickens. The rooster seemed fine the day before he got sick. It's like one minute they are fine and the next they are dead/dying.

Any suggestions/advice is welcome.

Are they eating something poison...............A plant, berries, ???????????

 

[andreya]

They only have access to their coop and a part of the yard with a few weeds. There are no berries or any poisonous plants that I'm aware of.

 

[Chickety Charcoal]

Could this be Marek's disease? From what I understand, chickens can be carriers but not be sick with it (i.e. the immunization). Once they have contact with the disease, they have it for life. Maybe the new ones that are brought home carried it to your home flock?

The bent neck is what makes me think it was Mareks.

 

[andreya]

I have no idea. My vet couldn't do the testing and both times I was unable to get them to the university here that does, as it isn't close to my house. I've had everyone on medication for the last few weeks and so far haven't lost any more but I worry every day that I will.

 

[chippysmom327]

Could it possibly be Newcastle Disease?

 

[Fancychooklady]

As your vet said, it could be a deficiency. If it is wry neck he would have needed more than just b12 . I would get some polyvisol and vitamin E caps for the first aid box, just in case .

 

[andreya]

Thank you! I will do that. I've been treating them with Duramycin and so far it has been two weeks and no one has been sick or died.

 

[andreya]

I have lost all four of my original chickens. I got a preliminary report back on the necropsy of one of them and the doctor said she thinks that it could be Merek's. The last chicken that I had to have euthanized displayed what I have read to be a classic Merek symptom, the splayed legs, one pointing front and one pointing backwards. Her recommendation is to buy vaccinated birds in the future but I am at a loss as to what to do about my other three. The three I have left came from a feed store. They were not vaccinated and are currently about 6 months old. Are they too old to vaccinate? They don't seem to be showing any signs of illness at this point, but the other ones didn't until shortly before they died.

 

[Chickety Charcoal]

So sorry to hear this. I do not know if the remaining 6 month-old chickens are too old for the vaccination. From what I understand of the disease, if they have had contact with the other birds, their water, food or scratching ground, then they already have had exposure to Mareks and the vacc will do no good.

Perhaps someone with more experience with the disease can chime in.