PLEASE READ! THIS MAY HAPPEN TO YOUR CHICKENS SOMEDAY!

[maymiegirl]

I am making a guess...and this is only a guess but I will say it is most-likely a combination of ILT and a parasite. ILT rears it's ugly head whenever it feels like it. For some reason it kills certain breeds off and leaves other breeds as carriers.

See, it really isn't the ILT that ends up taking the bird's life in the longrun. It is all the complications that come along. I have seen ILT kill birds weakend by a parasite called a Capillaria worm, a parasite that moves through fowl--even into the heart. (I think I spelled that right) This parasite is capable of actually living in fish and streams that contain fish and crustaceons.

The best way to combat a problem like this is to do so in steps. FIRST, it doesn't cost anything to very little to have a poo sample tested or to have a bird sent to a local university for necropsy. This way you know EXACTLY what you are up against.

THE BEST precautions to handling whatever this may be would be to first get them on a vitamin supplement to build up their red blood cells. (which build muscle and body weight) Red Cell for horses at 1 level tablespoon per 5 gallons water. NO MORE

Then food grade Diatomaceous Earth at 2% of their feed every day. This will take care of SOME of the parasites but unfortunately does not kill capillaria worms and many other parasites. The ones it does kill will help the bird greatly in a very natural way. Placing DE in the nests will kill lice, fleas and other parasites that may carry internal larvae. This will add to helping strengthen the bird to get it ready for a worming.

After you have done this placing the bird on a GOOD, STRONG Probiotic--which is natural, just not yogurt-- is the best thing you can do for building the immune system. There is a dry form of this you can get, made for goats, for about $11 at Tractor Supply. ANYTHING you can give your bird in a dry form like this powder is more beneficial than a wet type of culture. It comes with a scoop--use about 1 1/2 scoops to 2 scoops per 8 cups of feed.

Your flock is still at a stage where it can be helped and spreading of any virus can be eliminated. I recommend Agricultural lime for killing any virus or carriers in your soil and around your coup. I also recommend Oxine to spray down roosts, the coop and any place the birds "hang out."

The morning after you begin these steps you will see a HUGE difference in your birds.

After your birds have recovered and seem better and more healthy it will be time to look into the type of wormer you need to use in order to take care of the parasite(s)

Your next step would be to consult with a good expert on a vaccine. There ARE ILT/CRD vaccines out there that will not infect your birds. They are the ones that are NOT Modified Live Virus vaccines. NEVER USE A MODIFIED OR LIVE VIRUS vaccine for ILT/CRD

 

[Pine Grove]

Quote:
Only 7 species of capillara affects poultry, and these are confined to either the crop,esophagus,small intestine or ceca...

 

[gallo34]

study coccidiosis...keep in mind there are different types: cecal, E. acervulina.....etc.

 

[speckledhen]

Except for the runny nose, the symptoms sound similar to what four of my hens went through at the end of their lives, just before they died from internal laying. We know this was the cause because we opened them up to investigate. However, there are many diseases with similar symptoms so it's hard to say what it was with yours.

 

[waynesgarden]

Best thing to do first is calm down. We all know that birds die and we all know that it will happen to all of our chickens someday.

As was said, you seem to have isolated occurances and not the "life and death" event that wipes out an entire flock.

And as was also mentioned, you don't give much information to help. See the post about asking for advice re: sick birds and provide a bit more info. Are these birds just giving in to old age? What medicine did you get for them? Obviously, you had some idea of what was wrong with them for you to know a specific treatment. How did you decide on the medicine to give?

I have the occasional bird die and if the rest of the flock seems healthy and are not affected, I see no need to go to any lengths to find out what was wrong. One of my hens was acting listless for a while and didn't make it through one of the 30 below nights this past January. No autopsies or trips to vets or lab testing. Just into the compost pile and on with life. Such is life with chickens.

Wayne

 

[chickenchalupa]

You could ask the guy in this thread a question. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=139765

 

[furley1229]

i had a chicken with same syptoms.fine one day next day she could not hold her wieght was weak couldnt eat flapped a few times.i called breeder and they told me it was mareks.i just coundnt believe in one day she was pretty much dead. ihad her euthanized i coulnt stand to see her in pain.

 

[montana girl]

Last year I lost three chickens to a mystery illness. They just didn't want to walk, got very lethargic, didn't want to eat. I tried everything I knew how, but eventually they would just die.

I am thankful that none of my other girls seem to be affected, although I worry that whatever caused it is still lurking somewhere in the coop or run!

 

[speckledhen]

It is true that often a bird dies from nothing contagious, just some internal issue we cannot see. If no others are affected, certainly, it's probably just a natural thing, however, those of us with scientific minds just have to try to discover the cause. Sometimes we can, sometimes we cant, but it's natural to be concerned about the rest of our flock when a bird just drops dead. The flipside of this is that sometimes, it's the lack of concern for the cause that begins a spread of disease, so I would always err on the side of caution than just writing it off as a non-event. JMHO. That said, each of us must make our own decision, hopefully before something happens, as to how we are going to handle it.