One lonely bird

[Vijeleo]

Back in July I purchased 6 chicks, they were doing great. At two weeks, we found one of the chicks dead and just figured that would be a normal part of raising chicks, sometimes one might die, I guess... So we went back to the "NPIP" hatchery and picked up one more chick from the same hatch as our other girls. Soon though, they all started sneezing, nasal discharge, open mouth breathing. That's when our second chick died. When the third chick started gasping I had her euthanized and we sent her in to the local Avian lab. Our worst fears were confirmed. Infectious Bronchitis with a secondary Mycoplasma infection. We treated the rest of the chicks and they survived, granted there was just four left. December comes along and I found one of the girls dead in the run, she had been acting a little weak that morning. 2 weeks later my daughter had gone outside to put the birds to bed and found her favorite little hen barely alive, she died shortly after finding her. Two weeks after that another one gone, had her euthanized, found her weak, barely able to walk. And now I'm down to one lonely chicken. She's been by her self for about 3 days now and makes sad cries looking for her friend. She seems fine. Eating, drinking. Sorry for all the information, but her now comes my question. Should I look for a friend for her, I know that there would need to be a quarantine period and all, but how should I go about that? Should I have her vaccinated for the other diseases before bringing another bird in. If I do bring in another bird or two, my plan would be to vaccinate for IB and the other diseases. Or should I not risk it at all?

 

[Welshies]

You should honestly just cull her. I know this might sound harsh, but it sounds like this will be a never ending battle or she will die anyways. A sick hen doesn't lay eggs, consumes lots of feed, and is suffering. If this is a disease you should complete clean and sanitize your chicken coop and run before letting another few chicks in. I'm sorry for your loss

 

[JaeG]

What a rough start to the hobby, and especially difficult for kids. I have no wisdom to offer other than giving your little, lonely pullet a mirror to keep her company until you decide what to do.

 

[Lauren Kim]

That is very sad. But yes, you should cull the chicken. Chickens are very social creatures and they need each other. If you try to buy a new chicken and introduce it to her, she probably won't get along with it because they are very picky. If you want to try again with chicks, then I recommend buying them from www.purelypoultry.com since they ship high-quality chicks and you can buy a "flu shot" for very cheap.

 

[Vijeleo]

What would be the best way to clean and sanitize my coop? Ive read that vinegar works but will it work to clean IB? or will I need to use a more harsh chemical?

 

[Stayc]

I'm so sorry for all your losses!! I couldn't tell you to cull her even if it's best i am a big baby. I currently have a single cockrel but he lives inside the house with me. I will probably have to cull him because rehoming him has been unsuccessful. I wish you the best of luck with this. I would clean the coop with bleach.