PLEASE HELP...another chicken is dying.

lilmama

Songster
9 Years
May 2, 2010
132
1
109
Hi,
I posted a few days ago. I had to have one of my four hens put down as she had suddenly become ill, completely lethargic, not eating. Yesterday got a pullet, keeping her in a cage in the coop with the other chickens, to replace the lost one. Now another hen is getting sick. Same thing, major lethargy, not eating, etc.. head is down, not moving. I am SO SO SO UPSET. What is going on??????? All my hens have been very healthy and just finished their first laying season. I don't know if they are eating something in the yard that is killing them or what. Virus??? But where would they get it? And now I've had this pullet in the same coop as the chickens, although in a cage. I'm about to move her out to another location, though if this is viral, I'm sure she has already been exposed. I'm beyond upset. What could be killing my chickens?
 
Hello. yes, sorry for lack of info. I did mention they had just finished their first laying season. But no, never been wormed.

We THINK now, the problem is that the pellets they have been on for the last few weeks have not agreed with a few of them. And so those two stopped eating, essentially. (Except for free ranging.) I had started them on a new pellet- organic- and maybe for whatever reason they just did not like them. Today we went back to mash, adding a little sugar and also some antibiotics in the water just in case there was an infection. The one who is sick ate a HUGE amount of the new food. As if she was starving. She seemed a little better afterwards- her tail feathers went back up and she roamed around the garden a bit. Then she got tired again.

Still, would love thoughts on the matter. It's been a very long day.
 
Don't add sugar, it dehydrates them! Keep up with the antibiotics, boiled eggs, fresh cool water. Do you have any roosters and are they doing this also?
 
really? didn't know that about the sugar. they told me to add it at the feed store because it would act like an electrolyte.
no, there are no roosters.
ohhh...so many conflicting opinions- it's so hard to know what to do.
My two barred rocks are fine though. That is the weird thing. They are not sick at all and they ate the same feed.
In the meantime, I have a pullet that needs to be introduced. She is in a cage in the coop with them. She is very lonely. I am hoping to give them time together tomorrow...
thinking I should buy another pullet so she won't get all the bullying....
this has all been so stressful.
more thoughts appreciated.
 
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I had a 4 month old pullet doing the same thing, I decided to give her meds for Cocciodosis, using CORID. I gave her some with a syringe and hours later she was almost like new! Doing even better today. Your hens seem a little old for having a cocci problem but if something else caused their immune systems to slow down it is possible i think. The CORID will not hurt them if that is the problem and you will find out soon enough if that's the problem.
 

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