Need advice, should I medicate these chickens and when can I bring them to my flock?

[307151]

I took in 6 chickens who I thought just simply had mites. They had lice on their body and scaley leg mites, so I treated them with a few drops of ivermectim on their back. One chicken didn't make it, she randomly died but also rarley laid an egg. I treated them again 2 weeks later (also rubbing petroleum jelly on their legs once a week) and another chicken died, she would not stop having diahhrea, she started getting lethargic, pale comb and it went to the side, she also developed an odd eye. She has grey color in the place where the rest of her pupil should have been. Before she died though, it was week 3.5 of them being quarinteened. I accidently left their door open and my teenage rooster invited himself into the flock. He has volenteered himself to be my tester rooster. The thing is, I have no idea if these chickens were vaccinated or medicated for anything. With my chicks, they were vaccinated I think for Maereks from the hatchery factory, I also fed them medicated food for a month I think. So I don't know how to approach the 4 chickens that are left. They appear to be healthy, eating, and I watched two of them poop and their stool was fine and normal. I'm going to clean their butts today to moniter for anymore diahhrea. So, does anyone have any advice to give? I'm giving them carrots today and if I see it in their poop, is that a bad sign? I also do want to do a fecal test, I have a microscope so I could do it

 

[Twistedfeather]

The only disease I know that changes eye color is Mareks. There's probably no harm doing a fecal test and then reporting what you saw.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks disease gets into your environment from a sick bird, and then the dust and dander spreads it everywhere, where it will linger for as much or more than seven years after chickens are removed. Mareks and some other diseases can make carriers of your whole flock. If you insist on keeping these birds and adding them into your flock, then you really should get them tested, or sacrifice one bird by getting a necropsy done by your state vet. Don't ever five away these birds since they may spread disease.

 

[307151]

Update: The chicken who had her eye pecked, I saw her opening it a bit, it doesn't look swollen either.

 

[307151]

Mareks disease gets into your environment from a sick bird, and then the dust and dander spreads it everywhere, where it will linger for as much or more than seven years after chickens are removed. Mareks and some other diseases can make carriers of your whole flock. If you insist on keeping these birds and adding them into your flock, then you really should get them tested, or sacrifice one bird by getting a necropsy done by your state vet. Don't ever five away these birds since they may spread disease.

Well the rooster is in there right now, so what signs could I look for with him? He's been with them for 5 days now I think?

 

[speckledhen]

Medicated feed does nothing for an adult bird and not much for a chick-it's supposed to help only with coccidiosis, but really doesn't much.


I'd leave them in quarantine for at least 6-8 weeks, considering what you've already had happen to them. In your rooster, you'd look for discharge from eyes, ears, nares (nose), sounds like wheezing, coughing, etc. They may just be badly malnourished, which can cause death from internal damage. Or the hens could be crappy hatchery stock suffering from internal laying-I've lost many hens to that before I quit buying from hatchery shipments and started getting better stock.

I have a hen with a weird eye, but it turned out to be an injury as well, very common in pecking order.

Me, I don't ever buy birds, not even chicks. It's always a risk. Even quarantine is not perfect. You can quarantine them for weeks or months and they could still pass on something when they're put into the flock. Heard of it happening in Indiana just recently with a woman who is an NPIP breeder buying a rooster from another NPIP breeder-3 month quarantine, he seemed healthy, put him in, and he gave her entire flock in that one building Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT), and the state, who tested her sick birds, came and culled her entire flock. Apparently, that rooster had either survived a bout of ILT or he was vaccinated, one of the vaccinations that makes the bird a carrier. So, even quarantine was not going to prevent that from happening in her case, sadly.

I hate to always be the bearer of potentially bad news, but you must be aware of all the risks, even if you quarantine. I hope it turns out well and they really are just very malnourished and neglected and will thrive in your care and really have nothing contagious to pass to your flock. Best of luck to you.

 

[307151]

Medicated feed does nothing for an adult bird and not much for a chick-it's supposed to help only with coccidiosis, but really doesn't much.


I'd leave them in quarantine for at least 6-8 weeks, considering what you've already had happen to them. In your rooster, you'd look for discharge from eyes, ears, nares (nose), sounds like wheezing, coughing, etc. They may just be badly malnourished, which can cause death from internal damage. Or the hens could be crappy hatchery stock suffering from internal laying-I've lost many hens to that before I quit buying from hatchery shipments and started getting better stock.

I have a hen with a weird eye, but it turned out to be an injury as well, very common in pecking order.

Me, I don't ever buy birds, not even chicks. It's always a risk. Even quarantine is not perfect. You can quarantine them for weeks or months and they could still pass on something when they're put into the flock. Heard of it happening in Indiana just recently with a woman who is an NPIP breeder buying a rooster from another NPIP breeder-3 month quarantine, he seemed healthy, put him in, and he gave her entire flock in that one building Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT), and the state, who tested her sick birds, came and culled her entire flock. Apparently, that rooster had either survived a bout of ILT or he was vaccinated, one of the vaccinations that makes the bird a carrier. So, even quarantine was not going to prevent that from happening in her case, sadly.

I hate to always be the bearer of potentially bad news, but you must be aware of all the risks, even if you quarantine. I hope it turns out well and they really are just very malnourished and neglected and will thrive in your care and really have nothing contagious to pass to your flock. Best of luck to you.

Well my friend bought her chickens from someone locally, but since we couldn't eat our eggs anymore because of the ivermectim, she tried to drive back to the person's house to buy eggs from her, she said that she didn't see that the person had any chickens in sight... So there's that. The hen who had a weird eye, she died, she was only the one who's diahhrea would not go away. The other one got her eye poked out I'm guessing maybe by the rooster accidently bragged her eye instead of her neck?

 

[Mrs. K]

I am not positive, but I think a couple of years ago, Ridgerunner had a flock like this, and she did bring them back to health, You might PM her, or search her, But she did keep them separate.

Mrs K

 

[speckledhen]

Honestly, though I do not buy birds, not even folks I trust and who I believe to have disease-free flocks, if I did and was in this situation, after all this happening with them, I can only tell you what I would do. I'd cull the rest of them, disinfect everything in sight, heavily lime any ground they touched, let it lay dormant for awhile, then start over with hatching eggs or just-hatched chicks from someone you know to be trustworthy or a hatchery (though I hate the issues hatchery hens have). I find it too much trouble to keep flocks separated with all the stuff you have to do as far as changing shoes, clothes, not using the same rakes, etc. I know some would have the state test a bird, but I do not trust my state, not after my unsatisfactory experience with them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Nope, not me.

The only suggestion I’ll add is to find out how you get a bird tested if another one dies. Contact your county extension agent, the number is in the phone book under county government if you still have a phone book or look it up online. The agent should be able to tell you the cost (if any) of a necropsy, how to store the carcass, and where to take it.