I was hoping some of the more knowledgeable folks at BYC would be able to offer some ideas about what's happening with my flock. To begin, my coop is divided into two sections, a bantam pen and a standard pen. They are separated by mesh screens. On Friday, I went to the coop and found Queenie, a Buff Orpie, laying on the ground. She was alert, but could not stand. On the other side of the pen, Carmen, a Belgian Booted, was on the floor, upside down, and near death. I brought them both into the house for TLC and observation.
Both chickens are adults, around the age of 5 years. They have access to an outside run, but do not range unsupervised. No other people/birds come into contact with them. Both birds had seemed a bit listless prior to this. Carmen had seemed generally 'slower' than usual and kept her tail at a lower angle than normal, but she had been like this for about a month. I had noticed that for the past week or so, Queenie's hackles were a bit ruffled and during the night she began to prefer sleeping on the floor or near the bottom roosts.
Queenie could not stand. She was unable to place any weight on her left leg. It kept sliding forward. However, she kept trying to right herself and would flap frantically in attempts to get up. She had a good appetite, and eagerly took food and water. Her comb was a bit pale and slightly darker near the back, but this may have been due to the cold. Other than the leg, she appeared in good health.
Carmen, as stated before, was near death. She did not want to open her eyes, was unresponsive, etc. I was able to give her some fluids, but expected her to pass during the night. Once during the night, she made excrement which was incredibly smelly, watery, and brown.
The next morning, both were alive, and I was able to get a vet appointment. While I was at work, a family member took them to the vet, who noted that Carmen was underweight and had a large, mushy mass in her crop which he believed was causing a blockage. He did not know what was happening with Queenie, but prescribed Metacam, a painkiller.
That night, Carmen was somewhat more alert, would open her eyes, and made some vocalizations. Queenie was more subdued, but seemed alert. At around 8:00, Queenie puked and began rolling her head back. Her hackles were quite ruffled. She began seizing and died suddenly. Carmen passed away shortly after.
My questions are these: Do these symptoms sound like any known disease, especially in Queenie's case? Her decline was incredibly sudden. Are they related? I have another chicken that might also be 'slowing' a bit, but shows no other symptoms. If it is infectious, what do I do? These birds are like family to me, so 'kill them all and start over' is not an option. Is there any way to diagnose the problem for certain?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Both chickens are adults, around the age of 5 years. They have access to an outside run, but do not range unsupervised. No other people/birds come into contact with them. Both birds had seemed a bit listless prior to this. Carmen had seemed generally 'slower' than usual and kept her tail at a lower angle than normal, but she had been like this for about a month. I had noticed that for the past week or so, Queenie's hackles were a bit ruffled and during the night she began to prefer sleeping on the floor or near the bottom roosts.
Queenie could not stand. She was unable to place any weight on her left leg. It kept sliding forward. However, she kept trying to right herself and would flap frantically in attempts to get up. She had a good appetite, and eagerly took food and water. Her comb was a bit pale and slightly darker near the back, but this may have been due to the cold. Other than the leg, she appeared in good health.
Carmen, as stated before, was near death. She did not want to open her eyes, was unresponsive, etc. I was able to give her some fluids, but expected her to pass during the night. Once during the night, she made excrement which was incredibly smelly, watery, and brown.
The next morning, both were alive, and I was able to get a vet appointment. While I was at work, a family member took them to the vet, who noted that Carmen was underweight and had a large, mushy mass in her crop which he believed was causing a blockage. He did not know what was happening with Queenie, but prescribed Metacam, a painkiller.
That night, Carmen was somewhat more alert, would open her eyes, and made some vocalizations. Queenie was more subdued, but seemed alert. At around 8:00, Queenie puked and began rolling her head back. Her hackles were quite ruffled. She began seizing and died suddenly. Carmen passed away shortly after.
My questions are these: Do these symptoms sound like any known disease, especially in Queenie's case? Her decline was incredibly sudden. Are they related? I have another chicken that might also be 'slowing' a bit, but shows no other symptoms. If it is infectious, what do I do? These birds are like family to me, so 'kill them all and start over' is not an option. Is there any way to diagnose the problem for certain?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I recently loss to of my favorite birds, so i know how it feels. It could be mareks disease. I am no expert, this is just a suggestion of what it could be. I hope its not, this is pretty bad, and could have come from ANYWHERE. It is a lot to explain in a post, so here is a link to a great article about mareks:
