Need Help Asap

[FF]

Hello. I went to feed my chickens today and found 2 dead chickens and 1 very far along alive one. I though she was dead. Absolutely no movement whatsoever. I checked her heart beat and there was a beat and she was cold. she moved her beak ever so slightly and opened her eyes. So I brought her home and put her under a lamp, gave her some mushed up laying pellets with water mixed, regular pellets. Got a medicine syringe and got some of the water/pellet mix and gave it to her. She wasn't interested. So I ran and got some regular water. As week as she was that little limp body about killed me for that water. I just don't understand. I have a 5 gallon bucket that is constantly full that has those nipple drinkers on it. 4 of them. I have 48 chickens. All of them drunk. So I gave the limp chicken her water and she is ok I guess. I have a heat lamp on her and hope and pray she makes it. She is one of my favorite momma hens. What do I do? I got her in a trade and the otehr ones that died were also traded ones. They all have plenty of food and water. NO blood or peck marks that I can see. I am stumped.

Second. I have an Ameracauna hen that her beak is literally rotting. It is black and has yellow discharge. She was fine yesterday but the day before she was kind of in a corner by herself. Didn't think nothing about it. I picked her up today because she was doing kind of by her self and had her little mouth open.I tryed to give her some water but she wasn't interested. I kind of wiped her beak off.She then cleaned it her self. Then she just kind of ran off. Medicine? Shot? vitamin?

My whole flock acts like they are starving for water. But yet I keep water over there. If I pour it like a pan dish they will ran as fast as those little legs can move and drink every single last drop of water. But those nipples work just fine. My whole flock is fine. Fatter than normal literally and beautiful shiny feathers, normal "waste" clean and the coop itself smells good but No eggs and they are 31 weeks old. Production Reds, White Leghorns, Ameracaunas and Black Australorps. They are very very clean chickens. I can not stand a naughsty stinking chicken coop with naughsty chickens. I don't understand. Please help me in getting these sick ones better and help to keep the rest of my flock from getting sick. Thank you all so very much for reading this!!! Dusty

 

[dawg53]

I'd get rid of the nipples and put water in pans for them...give it a try, you have nothing to lose, but your chickens.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Have you added any new chickens recently to your flock?.Coccidiois is a common disease.Severe Dehydration is one sign .Do you have ANY rat or mice poision in the area?Thirst will also follow ingestion of poision's. I'm no expert by any mean's but here is a site on the Cocci.Gosh sure hope your bird's get better.

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex4616?opendocument

 

[perolane]

Maybe the new chickens didn't know how to use the nipples???? If they're so thirsty then apparently they aren't getting water. Put some water pans in just in case.

Can't help you on the beak issue, but I'm sure someone will come along with an answer soon. Good luck!

 

[bburn]

I don't know about the illness but I do have the nipple waterers. All my chickens use it but if I fill the other water place in the coop they all run and drink. I do it once a day just in case. After all how would I know if it was no longer working....well, until too late.

I wonder if the others are keeping them from drinking?

 

[jaimslee4u]

I agree with getting rid of the nipples until you can know for sure that is not the case. Perhaps you can add some Pedialyte into thier water for a day or so to help get hydration back.

 

[FF]

Hello and thank you all very much for the replys so far. And diesel girl, thank you for the link and it doesn't look like cocci. thank goodness. I though about that myself but wasn't sure. Thank you again!

And I got these chickens almost a month ago so they drank but I believe like you all said the others were keeping them from drinking. I always threw some pellets to teh new ones because they were always outside when i fed and they did eat that. Water I never really though if they were going in. I was just trying to be nice to the newer ones to get them to just eat with the 6 of them instead of hustling around with the other 44 chickens. And I will try the watering pans. I just don't know why my chickens are like they are. I just don't know. Like I said I try and keep it as clean as I possibley can. So hopefully its not from cleanliness.

And jaimslee4u, where can I get that pedialyte?

I have spent alot of time and money on these chickens trying to give them a happy life and healthy. I would hate for them just to die when it was my fault for them dying. Right now its just that 1 chicken with the infection but I am just afraid that it will spread.


THANK YOU ALL so much for helping me. I really do appreciate it!

 

[jaimslee4u]

Pedialyte is actually something that is used for children when they are sick and have a hard time keeping down fluids. It has electrolytes in it to help re-hydrate and get the balance back. You can get it at just about any drug store or grocery store in the baby section. Probably best to get unflavored and mix it in with water. I have used it with my sick chickens before and I swear by it! Since chickens can go down hill fast without hydration it really helps them restore the balance.

 

[FF]

Quote:

I am sorry. I can't believe I did that. I'm sorry. I was thinking of a grain that you put in the water. I wasn't thinking of the childrens drink. I am sorry. I just wasn't thinking. I will most certainly try that tomorrow. Now would you also happen to know the ratio? If you don't thats ok. You have helped me enough. i will try and wing it by the drinking direction. Thank you. Dusty

 

[dawg53]

The Ameracauna hen with the rotting beak and yellow discharge could possibly be canker. Type "canker" in the search box and I suggest you read up on it and see if it's similar to what your hen has. I havnt dealt with it, sorry.