Hi! So in the past I have had chickens that have died from sickness, they were breathing like they were stuffed up in lungs, and they didn't eat, well maybe just a little, but barley, they where loosing their color and looking pale, wasn't sitting up but slouching, and eventually died and it was every three months the same thing would happen to another chicken... But now it hasn't happend in 6 months! I think the disease died off. I did everything I could, their coop was clean, new woodchips, food and crisp clean water, I even gave them vitamins that gives them a boost of vitamin C. They also had sunshine and free roam, but not the ones in the winter, but they did have a warm cozy coop with heat lamps. It made me mad because I did everything right and did everything I could to keep them healthy, but I lost my pets. Now I have beautiful chickens that I do not want anything to kill them. I even have new chickens that are couple months old! I want them to live a long healthy happy life with no sickness!!!!! Is there more I can do to prevent a sickness from entering my flock?!
It sounds like you had a respiratory illness in your flock. If you still have some chickens from the old flock, they could pass it on to the new flock. These illnesses are passed from flock to flock in the birds or even in hatching eggs. You can carry them on your skin or clothing from one flock to another. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/birdbiosecurity/ https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/12751/urgent-reminder-please-quarantine-newly-acquired-birds/0_20 http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
GingerJane, I've had a respiratory infection in my flock in the past, which sounds like what you have so I agree with Flockwatcher. There are several different kinds, some of which are common, some are more rare. They have similar symptoms but different incubation periods and durations. And depending on which one it is, they have different treatments. If you want to learn more on chicken health, you could get The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow. I bought mine used on Amazon. I reference this book all the time to try to keep my birds healthy, but also whenever I see anything strange. Like, one of my chickens was limping so I consulted the book to determine if it was an injury or a disease that has lameness as a symptom. The book covers diseases, injuries, parasites, supportive therapy, etc. Hope this helps, Guppy