Need advice/help for sick, dying flock

[alladnar]

Hello all I've been poking around the internet for help but there is so much info I'm having a hard time sorting through it.

I've had a small flock of ten black sex link hens for a bit over three years and have never had any serious health problems. Several day ago I noticed one bird laying/sitting around not acting right. Most of the others seemed ok. A day later I noticed her in the run standing next to the waterer and would hardly move. Her crop appeared very full and when I tried to move her, what appeared to be water spilled from her beak. The next day I found her dead in the corner of the run.

I noticed a couple hens last night that were sleeping in the nesting boxes as opposed to the roost and there were no eggs yesterday. Now the whole flock is acting like the hen I lost. Very lethargic, standing or sitting around, odd colored and foul smelling diarrhea, and very full crops. I don't want to lose any more birds but am not sure what the problem is or what to do for them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sourland]

sorry for the circumstances. Can you post your general location, and would you take a sick bird to a diagnostic station for necropsy ? @casportpony - can you help with a lab once we find the OP's general location ?

 

[centrarchid]

Immediately change existing feed for a bag of chick feed. Through old stuff out. Then begin what is suggested already.

 

[alladnar]

sorry for the circumstances. Can you post your general location, and would you take a sick bird to a diagnostic station for necropsy ? @casportpony - can you help with a lab once we find the OP's general location ?

Located in central Indiana.

 

[alladnar]

Immediately change existing feed for a bag of chick feed. Through old stuff out. Then begin what is suggested already.

Is there a reason for throwing old feed out?

 

[centrarchid]

Is there a reason for throwing old feed out?

It may be bad. If correct, you will see a raid recovery, maybe faster than you can test for other issues.

 

[alladnar]

It may be bad. If correct, you will see a raid recovery, maybe faster than you can test for other issues.

I did open a new bag of feed several days ago. I also thought they might have eaten something bad in the yard because they hadn't been out of the run for a while until a several days ago.

 

[centrarchid]

New bag bad?

 

[alladnar]

New bag bad?

Does that happen?

 

[centrarchid]

Does that happen?

It can. Several times fur me.