need help out of ideas

[bturbo87]

ok first im going to start with the fact that i know with raising chickens i am to expect losses. that being said i think that 1 a month is a little high of a ratio, and im out of ideas on whats wrong. The poor things just seem to wither away and die, and theyre so good at hiding it, that i never realize something is wrong until they stop running for treats, and when i got to get them its never the same symptoms and there is nothing on them. no thigh meat, no breast meat, just bones and feathers. all breeds have been equally affected, marans, EE's, silkies, its not descrimpitory(not that i would expect it to be). The first few has respitory infections, they were isolated treated with tylan 50, while i treated the whole flock with durmycin10, just to knock out anything that hadnt developed yet. everyone would respond well, except for the ones on tylan. they would perk up and make a complete turn around while being treated, then as soon as treatment was done, they would be dead the next morning. they have all been wormed, twice in the last 4 months. the last one was leg mites, and before i could cover her legs the second time she too was dead with no meat on her at all... Im out of ideas on whats going on, am i just having bad luck, i dont know, so im handing it over to the BYC experts for some advice.

thanks

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
This page has diagnosis charts at the bottom. It might be helpful. I'm sorry for your losses and I don't know what else to tell you.

 

[fiberart57]

If one of your chickens has mites, it's likely they all have them - it's just a matter of where they are in the stages of progression.

You also might watch for cocci - loose bloody stools. Antibiotics won't help with cocci.

You might try some nutritional support in the form of more protein like scrambled eggs, canned salmon, dry cat food, meat; pretty much anything with more than 20% protein. Also, it's a good idea to give low fat or fat free plain yogurt to anything after it's been on antibiotics to put the flora back in their systems.

Do they have grit available? Even though mine range around the yard, I have grit for them just in case. I have seen them eat it. It's especially important to have it available if the ground is covered with snow.

You could also take one of the dead chickens to your state agricultural office; often they will do a necropsy for low cost or free.

Good luck and sorry about your troubles.