Possibly internal egg laying... or is this something different?

[The Mother Hen]

I have had hens who are find for many months, heck even years, and then they will simply die without me knowing they were ill. I now have a Buff Brahma separating herself from the group, she was eating and drinking fine a week ago but now her hunger has been waning. Is this a sign of internal egg laying, and if so what do I do about it? Should I wait and see if she will get though it or possibly cull her? Thanks for any help you can give me!


I know that it did rain this first or second week of October... maybe she has a cold?

 

[BantamLover21]

I have had hens who are find for many months, heck even years, and then they will simply die without me knowing they were ill. I now have a Buff Brahma separating herself from the group, she was eating and drinking fine a week ago but now her hunger has been waning. Is this a sign of internal egg laying, and if so what do I do about it? Should I wait and see if she will get though it or possibly cull her? Thanks for any help you can give me!


I know that it did rain this first or second week of October... maybe she has a cold?

Does she have any other symptoms of internal laying (penguin like walk, swollen abdomen, yolk-like droppings, etc.)? If not, then I don't think that your hen(s) are internally laying, as lack of appetite is not one of they major signs. How old is the sick bird? If younger than 8 months, it could be Coccidiosis, but if older than that, probably not, as Coccidiosis usually only affects young birds.

Also, have you ever wormed your flock? Heavy parasite burdens can cause thinness, weakness, and eventual death if not treated. On fluffy birds, you may not notice how thin they're getting until you pick them up. Even if you don't see any worms in the manure, that doesn't mean your flock doesn't have them--almost all chickens do. I would worm your sick bird and the rest of your flock with a broad-spectrum wormer, like Valbazen, SafeGuard, or the Worminator (Flubendazole).

Another thing I would do would be to check your flock for mites and lice, as infestations of those cause anemia, weakness, and death. Look under the feathers near the vent, hackle, wings, and base of tail for moving black specks or white eggs stuck to the base of the feathers. If you see any, dust the birds with 5% Sevin dust or poultry dust. Redust 7-10 days later to kill hatched eggs. I'd also clean out the coop, spray it down with vinegar or liquid Sevin, and replace the bedding.

 

[The Mother Hen]

Quote: I checked her and she doesn't seem to have the penguin walk or other symptoms. I had a few birds die from egg binding but maybe it is a worm thing. She is older, about 2 years or so.

I think it might be parasite problems and if so where can I buy Safegaurd or worminator?

I have checked feathers and haven't seen any mites. Some of my hens had a picking problem, but that managed to go away. Still, I will dust my birds. Where can I buy the stuff I need?

 

[BantamLover21]

I checked her and she doesn't seem to have the penguin walk or other symptoms. I had a few birds die from egg binding but maybe it is a worm thing. She is older, about 2 years or so.

I think it might be parasite problems and if so where can I buy Safegaurd or worminator?

I have checked feathers and haven't seen any mites. Some of my hens had a picking problem, but that managed to go away. Still, I will dust my birds. Where can I buy the stuff I need?

The Worminator can be purchased online from here: http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=584
I'm not sure about SafeGuard, but I think you can probably find it at a livestock supply store.

 

[Lillahimed]

I don't know what area your in, but I've seen several all around poultry wormers at my local feed store...

 

[casportpony]

You can get Safeguard liquid or paste at most feed store... It' labeled for goats, cattle and horses, but is very safe to use on poultry. FYI, I've had quite a few internal layers and the only ones that walked like penguins were the ones that also had ascites, so it's been my experience that the penguin symptom usually presents with ascites or egg binding. If you do a cloacal exam you might be able to feel "egg bits" if she is an internal layer.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I don't know what area your in, but I've seen several all around poultry wormers at my local feed store...

You've probably seen Wazine (piperazine), it's labeled for chickens, but it only gets roundworms. Best to go with something like Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (albendazole).

-Kathy

 

[The Mother Hen]

Thank you! I actually did find one hen who had rice-like worms in her poo (which was stuck to her butt feathers. She was a Road Island Red). I also found some worms in a chicken I culled (a beautiful Brown Leghorn), and she had other problems as well.

Thank you for the info! I am keeping an eye on her right now because she seems to be doing better. She is eating, and her tail has been slowly rising instead of being droopy. Her comb is starting to flush a nice red and she is acting more perky. She might of had a cold, but to be safe I will look into the de-wormer.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Chickens don't get colds like people do. They get respiratory diseases and there are usually pretty clear respiratory symptoms involved other then just being lethargic/not feeling well.

Since this flock has not been on a regular deworming program, and you've seen evidence of worms, it would be a smart thing to worm them. For that same reason I would also use Valbazen, since these birds may very well be carrying a heavy load of worms you don't want to use something that is going to result in a fast kill-off of many worms all at once. Doing so can potentially result in intestinal blockages and dead worm toxicity and kill your bird. Valbazen works slowly over a period of days so you can avoid those pitfalls. Make sure you do a repeat in 10 days to clear up worm eggs that hatched in the meantime. After that I'd deworm them a couple times a year. You can never get rid of all the parasites and their eggs that are in the environment so it's best for the health of the birds to stay on top of it.