Need help figuring out what to do and what order to do it in....chickens dying!

[Urban Rustic]

So, last year, we got our chicks in the spring, had one get stepped on at around 8 weeks old and was never "right" after that. Very small, not gaining well, seemed lame from then on out, never roosted, etc. i finally put her down in the fall.

No problems until the first week of April of this year. Went out after a bad storm and found a hen (just barely a year old) dead with no signs of any issues. Good weight, perfectly "fine and healthy" the night before, etc. Just.....dead. We assumed something happened during the storm, because we have a very open and well ventilated coop. Maybe blown off the roost or something? Odd, but seemed like "one of those things".

Then, during the second week of June, unexpectedly lost a hen (14 months old). I had been out 30 minutes earlier, everyone was in the fenced in yard, munching, healthy, happy....went out 30 minutes later to find chickens roosting on the stairs because they didn't want to walk past a dead chicken to enter the run. A big, "healthy" girl was just.....dead. Still warm, but obviously very dead. Nothing appeared wrong at all. Thought that was very weird, have been worried since, but there were no signs of anything to know what to do about it.

Now, we have another chicken, same breed as the first chicken, same kinds of symptoms as the first chicken....weight loss, listless, stumbling that has now progressed to flat refusal to walk, not roosting for 2-3 days, white, watery diarrhea. Her comb has been paler than the rest for months and months, but has otherwise always seemed ok, so again....thought it was something just with her....but I'm now expecting to find her dead when we return home tonight. :-( No respiratory symptoms noticed. We did have an old dog die of respiratory symptoms, but she has had issues since Jan. and we are pretty sure she died as a result of cancer. None of the other animals (including 2 other dogs) have had any issues.

I wormed with SafeGuard following the death of the 3rd chicken, 2 rounds 10 days apart. This chicken has gotten much worse since then.

I think I saw red mites last night, but that is the first time I have ever seen anything like that....even with checking at night...and so I'm not entirely sure.

I has been really hot, really humid, and really rainy here for weeks and weeks. The joke is "it rained twice this year, once for 35 days and once for 45 days." They are mostly in an enclosed run. Coop is very open (like I said). Run area is 150 sq ft and coop is 32 sq ft for 7 birds currently. Waterer and feeder are hanging and inside the coop. The run is covered with a deck, but definitely still gets water. Mud has been a problem, but has been pretty well fixed with 4-6 inches of wood chips and mulch, which we try to turn, move and rake or mix at least a couple of times a month, if not every week. They dig and mix it on their own a lot as well, though, so.....?

Ugh....I hate this and I'm really frustrated as there are SOOOOOO many possibilities!

 

[Urban Rustic]

Another question, can I do treatments simultaneously? Thanks!

 

[esther5]

hi
i have sent the link to my earlier post as i am dealing with this. if you think you saw red mite you probably did. if you have not treated your chicken house regularly you almost certainly have an infestation. it took me 8 deaths to find out because i was looking at the symptoms and not ticking most of the boxes. i was also looking too early....at dusk. you need to go in the dark and look with a torch.


i was riddled yesterday. all chickens have now had frontline under each wing...one drop. then i smeared the roosting poles with vasaline round the ends as a barrier. it will trap at least some of the blighters on their way to lunch.

by now i was covered. since some people report their homes become infested i advise you come in after and strip off at once, wash clothes and shower.

next morning i got my steam cleaner out and jet steamed all the cracks. there was nothing to show for my efforts but tonight i have a few mites not millions swarming over every surface.

i also have an spray for the chicken shed and used that at dusk tonight. i re greased the ends of the poles.

i understand the breeding cycle is 7 days so it is recommended to re treat the coop after 4 days.

i think a steam cleaner is a great idea. it is quick and healthier. it has done a great job here.

i also have diatom powder which i will use over the floor of the coop. it can also be dusted on the chooks.

i am so so sad it took me so long to work out why mine were dying. i lost some beautiful friendly birds.
i hope this helps to establish whether mites are the problem and if so to destroy them swiftly....

 

[Urban Rustic]

What is diatom powder? Diatomaceous Earth? I have checked at night, well after dark, several times. This was the first time I have seen them and I saw one....I think. LOL I'm planning to treat for them regardless. I haven't "treated" for them....but we used DE all the time until recently when I ran out....

Also....how safe is Sevin?

 

[esther5]

yes diatom is the same as DE. the steaming worked very well, vasaline on your roosting poles will let you see if there is a problem. DE can be used alongside sprays for the coop and whatever else you treat your bird with.

 

[Urban Rustic]

I don't have a steamer....what else can I use? I have read that DE is only good for prevention, not for eradication. I'm wondering, if I use enough of it, will it make a difference?

Would you treat for Cocci along with this?

 

[Judy]

Sevin is the standard treatment for eradication. DE won't cure an infestation, it is true; if I hunted, I could find a thread about birds who died who were infested and treated only with DE. Also, if you do use it, be sure you wear a mask. It is highly irritating to respiratory tracts, both yours and the chickens'. See here: http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

When I read your first post, I immediately thought of this thread, written by one of our most long term and knowledgeable members:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...try-often-mistaken-for-crd-mycoplasmosis/0_20

 

[Urban Rustic]

Thanks! There aren't any breathing issues though, at all.....can they have this and NOT have breathing issues?

 

[Urban Rustic]

In that thread, it talks about "white poops or urates stuck on the vent feathers". This bird and one other has that. It says it is a sign of Avian Tuberculosis.....anything else?