My chickens have 2 coops and a 20'x20' fenced run with a gate that we only close at night, so they free range my backyard from the time they wake up until the time they put themselves to bed. They have 3 1 gallon water dispensers that we clean and refill daily, even if they aren't empty. We put out layer crumble feed and some oyster shell that they eat in addition to grass & bugs.
We have not added any chickens recently, and we have no other animals besides a cat that doesn't bother them. Once the weather started getting warm, the chickens would put themselves to bed on top of one of the coops as a roost, instead of inside their coop even though there is plenty of space/roosts inside. We tried picking them up and putting them in, but they'd run back out before we could get them in so just started letting them sleep out there since the pen is fully enclosed and we lock the gate at night. (We also live in the city, so it's not like we have wild animals that come looking for them at night).
Some of my chickens have more liquidy excrement than others, and always have. But recently we noticed one of our Americaunas was having diarhea a lot. When we were washing her bottom we noticed that her vent was sideways. She also spit up. Per suggestions on here we checked her crop in the morning which seemed fine. We checked her to see if there were eggs stuck inside (she was 5 1/2 months old and had not started laying), and couldn't feel any. We fed her yogurt, which was a suggestion. Yesterday afternoon we found her dead under the trampoline.
I've noticed that one of my barred rocks, who is the same age, is starting to have clear diarhea, which turns white when it dries. Also she and one other barred rock (who doesn't have diarhea) are coughing. At first I thought they were trying to bark because we have dogs on either side of our house that bark all day. But now it's clear its a cough. Nothing is coming out of their noses and they aren't spitting up. The one who died didn't have a cough.
I'm so worried, I don't understand how they can be getting sick. I'm a stay at home mom, and I clean the coops daily and make sure they are well cared for. They haven't been exposed to anything. Are the sicknesses related and what can I do about the cough???
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS!
We have not added any chickens recently, and we have no other animals besides a cat that doesn't bother them. Once the weather started getting warm, the chickens would put themselves to bed on top of one of the coops as a roost, instead of inside their coop even though there is plenty of space/roosts inside. We tried picking them up and putting them in, but they'd run back out before we could get them in so just started letting them sleep out there since the pen is fully enclosed and we lock the gate at night. (We also live in the city, so it's not like we have wild animals that come looking for them at night).
Some of my chickens have more liquidy excrement than others, and always have. But recently we noticed one of our Americaunas was having diarhea a lot. When we were washing her bottom we noticed that her vent was sideways. She also spit up. Per suggestions on here we checked her crop in the morning which seemed fine. We checked her to see if there were eggs stuck inside (she was 5 1/2 months old and had not started laying), and couldn't feel any. We fed her yogurt, which was a suggestion. Yesterday afternoon we found her dead under the trampoline.
I've noticed that one of my barred rocks, who is the same age, is starting to have clear diarhea, which turns white when it dries. Also she and one other barred rock (who doesn't have diarhea) are coughing. At first I thought they were trying to bark because we have dogs on either side of our house that bark all day. But now it's clear its a cough. Nothing is coming out of their noses and they aren't spitting up. The one who died didn't have a cough.
I'm so worried, I don't understand how they can be getting sick. I'm a stay at home mom, and I clean the coops daily and make sure they are well cared for. They haven't been exposed to anything. Are the sicknesses related and what can I do about the cough???
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS!
