It could be bird flu. I think you've got to tell DEFRA haven't you?Eek to all your experiences of various diseases. I'd really like your help.
I've also been hit for the first time in nearly 10 years of keeping chickens on and off by some sort of illness and one of my girls died (Mabel, a maybe 16 month old sussex). She was bought a year ago as a ready to lay hen and had been vaccinated, although to be honest I'm not sure what for.
Anyway more recently she was coughing / breathing rattly and lethargic (had also not laid for a while in hindsight). I thought her breathing had got better but she was still lethargic and got weaker and weaker and at the point I decided she wasn't going to make it I found her passed away. 2 of our other older hens have also stopped laying, one of them had a rattle as well around the same time as Mabel. She was lethargic for a week or so but she seems so be better now and is acting normally where as the other one who I don't think has had rattly breath / runny nose seems weak now as well. Any ideas what it could be. Pretty sure there are no chicken vets around here and I can't really afford it anyway at the moment.
I had 2 of my chickens killed by next doors dog and they paid for me to get 3 new ones. They arrived around the same time that the others got sick (but literally the day or 2 before so I'm a bit unsure if they could have got sick that quickly if something had been brought in. Now I realise that I should have isolated them (the first time I've bought hens into a flock and having a hectic time so just didn't think about it, stupidly!).
I look forward to your replies. I hope everyone is coping with the heat, just awful here, the primary school has said not to send the kids if possible tomorrow as it will be so hot. My afternoon classes at the highschool have been cancelled and some moved until the morning. We've had kids at school in France for 20 years on and off and never had this happen!
Mind you, I would think twice if it meant my flock being culled but I can't say that out loud.