Please help my chickens are dying

[bantamlover3]

I had 9 hens (2 dutches, 3 silkie mixes, and 4 silkies) that were all over a year old. We bathed (first tub was a little bit of soap in the water, second tub was plain water, and last tub water with a little bit of vinegar) and dusted them with sevin (they had some mites) and sold the 3 silkie mixes. So far they seem to be fine with the other owners. About a week after the bath and dusting one of our dutches started sitting in the coop all day. We thought she was just brooding but the next day we found her dead in the coop. After that all the other chickens seemed to be doing fine but about a week later we went out to find one of our silkies dead. She had seemed healthy before and hadn't seemed to show any signs of sickness before dying. Right now the other chickens seem healthy but we don't know. What is wrong with them? There are squirrels that come in and eat their food I don't know if that could have given them a disease? Is there anything we can do? Please help

 

[bantamlover3]

There are also a lot of wild birds that fly in

 

[Outpost JWB]

So sorry for your loss and struggles. Chickens are a learning experience & I'm learning everyday.

It sounds as if you need to get better bio security to protect your flock. Wild birds carry many diseases, such as avian flu, and also lice and mites. I assume squirrels would also track thru many germs and parasites to your coop.

You can purchase bird netting fairly cheap at a hardware store. In the meantime, if I were you, I'd try to disinfect as well as possible.

We are so particular about bio security, that I do not let other chicken farmers in my backyard. We wear special shoes to the feed stores, and our boots are only worn to the barn and back. New birds are quarantined for no less than 60 days. All feed is kept in galvanized garbage cans with locking lids and bungee cords. We want no added germs.

Please let me know how things turn out.

 

[junebuggena]

For birds that have been moved to a new environment, the first suspect is always coccidiosis. While they are resistant to the types of coccidia at their last home, they may not have developed resistance to the protozoa in their new environment.

 

[bantamlover3]

So sorry for your loss and struggles. Chickens are a learning experience & I'm learning everyday.

It sounds as if you need to get better bio security to protect your flock. Wild birds carry many diseases, such as avian flu, and also lice and mites. I assume squirrels would also track thru many germs and parasites to your coop.

You can purchase bird netting fairly cheap at a hardware store. In the meantime, if I were you, I'd try to disinfect as well as possible.

We are so particular about bio security, that I do not let other chicken farmers in my backyard. We wear special shoes to the feed stores, and our boots are only worn to the barn and back. New birds are quarantined for no less than 60 days. All feed is kept in galvanized garbage cans with locking lids and bungee cords. We want no added germs.

Please let me know how things turn out.

Thank you for replying. We were also thinking that it could just be the heat.

 

[farmmom1]

I am in Ohio also and one of our silkies was dead yesterday in the coop. She was fine in the morning. No signs of injury. 2 of our older hens who are free to roam the barnyard have died this past month also. Older hens are 6 years old. Silkie was just 5 months old and had just started laying. She was kept in an enclosed coop and run with 6 other chickens.