**Please help** Is a vitamin deficiency killing my hens?

[austinclarksf]

hi there,

Two weeks ago, I lost two hens in two days. One I found dead in the coop, the other slowly dying (head down, eyes closed, panting/labored breathing, lazy and ruffled feathers). I sent one in for an autopsy, and have not gotten the document yet, but the vet told me over the phone that my hen died of a vitamin E deficiency, characterized by heart and brain legions. Not sure if it could have killed both or just one.

My hens have access ample space, a 25x25 run with now 7 hens, and a 4x8 indoor coop. They have water, feed and scratch, and regular table scraps and bugs.

I have added a poultry formulated vitamin mix to their water which they are all still drinking. I bought black oil sunflower seeds and threw them into the coop. I have been changing the feed every few days to ensure it's fresh.

Now one of my pullets has it's tail down, is lazy and listless. It's laying down and closing it's eyes just like the bird I found dying a week and a half ago. I shot grapeseed oil+tiny bit of the poultry multivitamin down her throat. She is still looking very poor.

What the hell is going on? Friends of mine use the same brand of feed and are having none of this issue. Do I just crush up a human vitamin e or multivitamin? searching the forums I get very mixed results.

 

[ten chicks]

hi there,

Two weeks ago, I lost two hens in two days. One I found dead in the coop, the other slowly dying (head down, eyes closed, panting/labored breathing, lazy and ruffled feathers). I sent one in for an autopsy, and have not gotten the document yet, but the vet told me over the phone that my hen died of a vitamin E deficiency, characterized by heart and brain legions. Not sure if it could have killed both or just one.

My hens have access ample space, a 25x25 run with now 7 hens, and a 4x8 indoor coop. They have water, feed and scratch, and regular table scraps and bugs.

I have added a poultry formulated vitamin mix to their water which they are all still drinking. I bought black oil sunflower seeds and threw them into the coop. I have been changing the feed every few days to ensure it's fresh.

Now one of my pullets has it's tail down, is lazy and listless. It's laying down and closing it's eyes just like the bird I found dying a week and a half ago. I shot grapeseed oil+tiny bit of the poultry multivitamin down her throat. She is still looking very poor.

What the hell is going on? Friends of mine use the same brand of feed and are having none of this issue. Do I just crush up a human vitamin e or multivitamin? searching the forums I get very mixed results.

Sounds like heat stroke/stress,these are all classic symptoms of severe heat stress(panting,wings spread,labored breathing)they have to be cooled down. You could also look at Coccidiosis.

 

[austinclarksf]

The autopsy showed no signs of infectious disease whatsoever. I inquired specifically about cocci, doc said no signs. I was relieved.

Yes, it does seem like a heat stress issue. I read into vitamin e more, and apparently it is essential for a chicken's ability to handle heat stress. It being so hot hear, I can understand why some breeds probably need a boost of vitamin E.

I went to my local Co-op and bought a veggie based vitamin elixir. It's a dark green slurry, but packs a ton of naturally sourced vitamins and minerals. I gave all of my hens a few squirts down the throat last night. This morning my pullet looks a lot better, she is walking around scratching and drinking water. Still a little slow, seems slightly disoriented. I'm going to give her a few more shots of the holistic vitamin stuff today, and see if I can't give it to all my hens. I put a little in their water, but it turns it a funny green and the girls are dubious about it.

Aside from dunking them in cold water when I notice that they are hot, what can I do to keep it generally cooler in the run? The pullets spend minimal time in the coop- they arent laying (duh). I run the hose for them on hot days, giving them cool mud to play in, but they still pant heavily. They have plenty of shade, and the juniper trees provide little pockets underneath them that stay quite cool. Their water is in the shade, as well as some of their feed.

A sprinkler might get their food wet. Are misters my only option?

 

[austinclarksf]

This afternoon I'm going to blend up some black oil sunflower seeds and add some blackstrap molasses (high in calcium) to make a appealing mash. For some reason the girls aren't eating the sunflower seeds on the ground. Throw a few probiotics in, and refrigerate it. Serve it cold in the heat of the afternoon.

 

[Eggcessive]

Just to add a bit of caution, don't overdo it with fat soluable vitamins like A, D, E, and K because they can overdose a chicken. Other vitamins like C, and the B vitamins will flush right out of the body if too much is given. Just give a little bit of the fat soluable ones.

 

[ten chicks]

The autopsy showed no signs of infectious disease whatsoever. I inquired specifically about cocci, doc said no signs. I was relieved.

Yes, it does seem like a heat stress issue. I read into vitamin e more, and apparently it is essential for a chicken's ability to handle heat stress. It being so hot hear, I can understand why some breeds probably need a boost of vitamin E.

I went to my local Co-op and bought a veggie based vitamin elixir. It's a dark green slurry, but packs a ton of naturally sourced vitamins and minerals. I gave all of my hens a few squirts down the throat last night. This morning my pullet looks a lot better, she is walking around scratching and drinking water. Still a little slow, seems slightly disoriented. I'm going to give her a few more shots of the holistic vitamin stuff today, and see if I can't give it to all my hens. I put a little in their water, but it turns it a funny green and the girls are dubious about it.

Aside from dunking them in cold water when I notice that they are hot, what can I do to keep it generally cooler in the run? The pullets spend minimal time in the coop- they arent laying (duh). I run the hose for them on hot days, giving them cool mud to play in, but they still pant heavily. They have plenty of shade, and the juniper trees provide little pockets underneath them that stay quite cool. Their water is in the shade, as well as some of their feed.

A sprinkler might get their food wet. Are misters my only option?

I'm still thinking Coccidiosis,i realize that vet said no infectious diseases,but Cocci(Emeria) is a protozoan(parasitic)disease. There are 9 strains and depending on what strain it is,it can be found in the small intestines,rectum,ceca or cloaca. It is not bacterial or viral. If you see no improvements in your hens,i would treat for cocci,treating will not harm them,but not treating(if they do have cocci)will probably result in more deaths.

I cannot see all your hens suffering from a vitamin E deficiency.

For heat,you can put frozen water bottles/milk jugs in coops/nest boxes/water containers,hose down coops during day to cool everything down,give frozen watermelon/other fruit,fans,sml child's pool(just enough water to get feet wet). Chickens do not due well in heat.They do not have any sweat glands,they rely on their respiratory system to cool themselves down,that is why they pant,spread wings. Chickens body temp is around 103-107 degrees Fahrenheit,if their body temp rises anywhere around 113 degrees and up,they are in danger. Keep pails of COOL(NOT COLD)in yard,in the event of a heat stoke/stress emergency,submerge hen in water up to neck,this will immediately drop body temp,and has the potential to save their life.

 

[bucky52]

my hens last year suffered a lot from the heat.we have done a lot of improvements in and around their coops.and we have added runs behind their coops.which the hottest part of the day is shaded.and I have powerful barn fans.that i leave running day and night.we even built a sun blocker to block the sun from shining in their runs.and we also cut more areas out of the coops for ventilation.the grape vines and hopes have begun to cover the runs.lots of work but well worth it.

 

[realsis]

Hi I have two hens that were suffering from a vitamin E defiency. Both ended up with wry neck symptoms do to the lack of vitamin E.my first hen is now 100% cured thank God and I'm treating my second still. I got a vitamin E solution that you add straight to the water and then in the second waterer I put a powder packet of vitamin A D and E mixed with a powder called vita pro B I was able to get these supplements from first state vet supply online. On top of that I'm mixing in her feed vitamin E capsules and selenium which is a must for absorbing the vitamin E. The selenium must be used in very small amounts because it can be toxic but it must be used to help the birds absorb the E vitamins. Then I'm giving polyvisol without iron liquid children's vitamin. These things together helped cure my first bird but she's still drinking her vitamins. I found it strange that two of my birds came down with this deficiency in a matter of a month. I had always used B supplements but not E. once in awhile I'd give flock fuel which was an E but I guess it was not enough. I highly recommend you get these supplements for your birds from first state vet supply online. Get the straight vitaminE formulated to be put into the drinking water and the packet of AD and E then the vita pro B which can be mixed with the A D And E packet. It really helped my bird and my second bird can now walk and eat on her own which she couldn't do before. In my flock the E defiency manafiested into the wry neck symptoms. Wry neck itself is not a disease but a symptom of an underlying issue. In my case it was a E defiency that caused the wry neck symptoms. Like yourself I feed a commercial layer feed that I would have thought would have been nutritionally complete. After doing some studying I've found some birds are just more succeptable to defiency than others. I just wanted to let you know what is working for my birds and these supplements can be used as a preventive measure for the whole flock. I hope this helps you. I know it cured my first bird and my second is on the road to recovery now. you might want to give them a try. best of luck to you.

 

[austinclarksf]

The pullet in question is still not acting 100%. I dunked her in cool water awhile ago, when I saw her panting. I'll hold off on the multivitamin, just stick to once per day. I noticed she is not eating. She seems to be pecking at things, and will eat a few mealworms and weeds from the garden, but did not touch the sunflower mash I made that the rest of the flock is scarfing. She remains very slow and sleepy.

There is no blood in her droppings as far as I can tell. What other signs could there be for cocci? I don't want to dose with drugs unnecessarily, but if her condition does not get better very soon I will try it.

 

[ten chicks]

The pullet in question is still not acting 100%. I dunked her in cool water awhile ago, when I saw her panting. I'll hold off on the multivitamin, just stick to once per day. I noticed she is not eating. She seems to be pecking at things, and will eat a few mealworms and weeds from the garden, but did not touch the sunflower mash I made that the rest of the flock is scarfing. She remains very slow and sleepy.

There is no blood in her droppings as far as I can tell. What other signs could there be for cocci? I don't want to dose with drugs unnecessarily, but if her condition does not get better very soon I will try it.

There are 9 strains of Coccidiosis and depending where it is(small intestines,rectum,ceca or cloaca)there may not be any blood in poop. Some other signs are runny/watery poop(may or may not contain blood),fluffed feathers,lethargic,weight loss,not eating/drinking properly.