NOW WHAT!!???

[leedyfeathers]

***They don't eat feed when there is something wrong with it.
Well matter of fact my husband got feed from a local feed store that always has horse feed that molds in summer I stopped buying it I was getting their layina pellet food and a few times noticed chunks of broke down feed in corners I didnt think much on it except that I had been getting same brand at tsc and hens eat it fine. I thought maybe the bigger pellets were a turn off. I told hubby not to get feed from that local place any more and it could be a big coincidence but the month I had this bad time is same time I he had got the second bag the one they refused to eat much of during that bad weather.. so I found nutrina wise at tsc they love it I get two scoops every otherday between their free range time.. it may cause diarrhea in the change but I would not think worse. Its layer pellets..16% they even add probiotc powder and vitamins. **with not clumps!

Sometimes the feed is moldy before you even buy it. Many times the chickens will tell you (by not eating it) before you notice. Mold can cause respiratory issues too. If the hay was moldy and they breathed the spores, their breathing may not be right.

***They were eating it I cought them several times. Nobody is caughing wheezing sneezing or gaping..

What is their normal feed? Flock raiser or layer, crumbles or pellet?

**layer pellets Nutrena Nature Wise 16%

Cat food as a supplement may help and yogurt can help restore gut health but if given too often it causes diarrhea.

**I gave it once a day sometimes added egg. 1lb between 13hens

Vitamins are good. How do they get calcium?

***Feed back egg shells, oyster crushed and a layer of lime stone stuff. Its free choice

 

[leedyfeathers]

You have a rooster and missing feathers on the back are signs of rooster wear.  You might have too few hens for your rooster's attentions and so they get too many matings each.  This wears off the feathers.  I'd pen him up separately if you can or get more hens or you will have some bare backed birds all year. 

Another thing I noted from your posts....too many things, too much attention, just TOO much.  Sorry...but from this end it just seems like you are maybe trying a little too much.  This food, that food, this vitamin...it's a scatter shot approach to poultry care and it's just going to drive you crazy if she does start acting differently....what thing caused the change for the better?  For the worse?  You'll never know because you are trying everything you can throw at her.  If she's having neurological symptoms that are recurring or long standing, I doubt if giving yogurt, cat food or vitamins will have any lasting or noticeable effect for her. 

Chickens are pretty simple....clean water, balanced food, fresh air, good light, clean soils underfoot.  I'd stop looking at the poop as there is just too much variation in poops for anyone to tell anything about a chicken by looking at poop.  Even a vet could not tell you anything by simply looking at a pile of poop, so I'm thinking it's not going to happen for you and for anyone here either.  You'll just drive yourself mad looking at all the different kinds of poo...especially if the chickens free range.  They are eating all kinds of neato things out there and it can be entertaining but you won't learn much about their overall health. 

My thoughts are this:  Just keep it simple, don't worry about every strange looking poop and just wait.  It's likely you won't be able to find out why she's acting differently, nor can anyone here, and even your vet will probably not be able to pinpoint it.  You can throw all kinds of medicine at her and never know if it was medicine that worked or just time, which is usually the best medicine and diagnostician of all.  Just time.   If she's eating, drinking, laying, moving around and otherwise acting pretty normal, I'd just wait and see what happens. 

True ive been going nuts trying to keep hens happy and healthy I had chickens. when I was young and we NEVER had this much problems and didnt have such high rates of morality. This is been my second love to horses and its activation to get 30 chickens from a hatchery and within almost a year loose to 13 birds all kinds of different problems.. I have lots of natural stuff im learning about and only have a few things that are not for those times its really bad but herez the deal.. neither way has worked and only thing that could change there is trying to help my bird before zhe gets that sick. However natural is my preference and I. Finding out how to NOT go over board and to keep it simple for as long as it will stay under control but best I have found is keeping my eye out for symptoms and separating so not to get other sick if possible. Worked for a little while untill the last two months.. but like ya said ive got to step back and just breath some.. and I w t but In mean time ill gather more knowledge and hope I can apply so that im less stressed with sick birds.

 

[Beekissed]

That is a high mortality rate, for sure.

 

[leedyfeathers]

That is a high mortality rate, for sure. Could be the source of the stock you have gotten...they could have some pretty faulty genes. Could be the way the chicks were started, so that they didn't develop good antibodies in the first few weeks of life. Could be the breeds and a lack of natural hardiness in the breed.

Separating, quarantining, medicating...all of those things are something most will advise but they really can't do much good if the flock continues to have poor immune systems and that's where I'd start making changes if I had the same issues that you have had. I'd also think seriously about the effectiveness of a yearly culling program...this can help you eliminate many problems within a flock simply by eliminating those birds most likely to develop illness, reproductive issues or parasite infestations. Each year at this time is a good time to look seriously at the flock and cull for certain things that can help you keep and maintain only the healthiest of birds, while removing those that would cause problems later.

Obtaining breeds that have known good hardiness is also key, as is the source of the chicks you buy.

There are changes in coop and habitat that helps improve flock health, such as a cultivated deep litter in the coop and run, increased ventilation, feeding in a feeder or trough instead of on the ground in the coop and run, keeping a little ACV in the water to help keep drinking water healthy, feeding probiotics and prebiotics...this can be done in many ways but the most simple is fermenting their feed, free ranging as much as possible, decreasing stress by promoting good flock dynamics and social structure(proper rooster to hen ratio, culling bully birds~or those that are prone to being bullied, keeping adequate nesting and roosting opportunities so that they don't have to fight as much for these, etc.).

I wish you well with your flock and hope you find a good resolution for your hen!

yeah several times I had thought that my best rout should have been to go local farmers and asked about their flock and just gone from their but like most folks who never was a farmer to start and am now.. we need all the help we can get and learn the hard way to go small first and work your way up another problem I wanted all those big egg layers and multi purpose birds before realizing the things that went along with those.. if I wasn't on here asking I wouldn't know there are birds that are heritage or native to an area that would have faired much better I do have a few of them and they are the hardiest of my bunch.. but figure ill have to breed for hardy anyway and my biggest fight will be to cull.. if nature doesn't do it for me.

 

[justplainbatty]

***Feed back egg shells, oyster crushed and a layer of lime stone stuff. Its free choice

I think the feed may have been a factor in the heath problems lately. I had the same problem (not deaths) birds not eating feed. Turns out TSC sells feed 4 to 6 months old.Got an exchange for new feed, they ate like pigs! Now I go to back of store where the newest stuff is. If it's not new enough I go to a different store. I have a hen with fatty liver so I cut way down on corn. She is ok, she is 6 yrs and still lays an occasional egg. I have 17 birds. They eat 8 cups of feed plus snacks each day. Once I get that fox, they will get free range again. I suspect their feed intake will go down a bit then. And not for argument, I think there is much to be learned from chicken poop. If one is willing to smell it, touch it, break (smear) it apart and look at what is in it, it is very helpful. Any vet who can't microscope poop, float test or send to lab needs a new job. If you start with baseline healthy chicks/chickens and watch poop all year round you can spot many problems early.
Keep your birds on this good feed, learn the plants they eat outside, de worm regularly and keep everything clean. At the end of the day, sit down with your favorite beverage and just watch your birds. You'll be surprised at what you learn and it's fun!

 

[Beekissed]

.

 

[justplainbatty]

Not arguing, unsubscribing... *sigh*

 

[leedyfeathers]

I didn't say a vet couldn't test the poop....said he/she couldn't look at a pile of poop and make a diagnosis.  That's a tad different than taking it to the lab.   

As to looking, feeling and smelling the poop, if anyone can tell me they made a definitive diagnosis~confirmed by a lab done at the vets~ for a sick bird by doing these things, I'll be a believer.  Until then a person is just playing in poop and it can become obsessive.  Unless there is something obvious like a worm, the poop has many variations that are considered healthy at any given time of the year but can look anything but healthy due to diet changes, water intake changes, hormonal changes, etc.   A person would really, really have to know all these variations for each bird in the coop before being able to determine if that bird is indeed sick or merely having a normal change in poop appearance. 

Well I partly agree with you and partly do not.
Yes I started out trying to do everything jumping around the web staying up late and what my husband considered wasting time and energy on sick birds.. I think its how ya look at it and how you live and learn. I have learned sooooo much and ive learned how to keep well enough alone at times, be more patient, not to mix some things how some old remedies were bad and others very good. If I had not got close and personal I would not be able to see when one of my girls is under the weather in stress and why im not getting the eggs I should. In some casses I can help them naturally by using things ive learned helps the immune system. Yes poop is important it gives clues to problems since vets in my area are not avian vets I have to rely on byc people who have had done the same and have had results or vets that gave them the help to get them healthy.
I would not know ..if I had not been a poop inspector. . That a couple hens had yeast infection an eSy fix if cought intime before infection gets out of hand and yes its contagious and spread by mating. Or if I had not been looking at poop I wouldn't have seen a mold poisoning in my group witch can be eliminated if I start now on antibacterial agents natural or otherwise. My hen having fatty liver would have not have understood what to look for or how to treat if I was not on here asking and finding ideas.. that doesnt mean I do that right then and then jump to another thing.. ive learned that its not productive. Im gathering info and looking up causes and diseases but want insight on what has worked for others. I understand you trying to warn me of getting over whelmed and over medicating my birds and such. Thanks, however not doing anything helps nothing.

 

[Beekissed]

You're right. You should just keep doing what you are doing...it seems to be working very well for you and if it works, then why try anything different? A high mortality rate is just part of the learning process, I imagine.

 

[leedyfeathers]

Arnt you just a ray of sunshine