Problems with thwe girls...anyone ever used vetrx?

[cphinney]

My hens haven't laid in about a month now. I have 4 that were laying and added a couple more younger pullets that should be laying about now. (I also lost (died) one of my original birds in this time as well as a new pullet) I don't know if it's the heat or they got a disease from the new birds. They seem healthy, pretty active, get excited at meal worm treat time, move around well. I'm resorting to just trying some things to see it it works. I can't say they have any real symptoms of a cold but I gave them vetrx (warmed it up and placed drops down their throat and rubbed it in their nose and on face). I looked for a over the counter wormer but didn't really see anything that covered all the bases (suggestions?) the dropping from the chickens aren't always runny. I sprayed the for mites (twice) and have been keeping the coop and run very clean.

All the hens are between the ages of 6-9 months. The two leghorns were doing an egg a day prior to this.

I want to say it's the heat but I just can't see no eggs given in that time by 6 hens because of heat. I don't see symptoms of a molt, I have heard birds go through mini molts but would something like that hit them all at the same time and show no molt symptoms.

I'm bother about it because if it continues with no reason and zero egg count I may have to kill them and start over, which needless to say is a pain in the ars.

I was thinking of putting one in a dog kennal in the garage a week or so where it is cooler just to see if I can eliminate the heat factor, would that help?

I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Judy]

Several possibilities -- heat will certainly cause some to stop or lay less, as will any kind of stressor. Certainly adding new birds is a stressor. The liquid poops could be because they are stressed enough from heat that they are drinking a whole lot of water. 100 degrees can be lethal to a chikcken.

Valbazen is my choice for a wormer because it gets all types of worms, or you could see what Safeguard does, if you decide to worm them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ll-seeing-live-worms-in-poo/0_20#post_9315842

http://healthybirds.umd.edu/Disease/Deworming Birds.pdf

 

[BantamLover21]

I agree with flockwatcher--Its probably the heat. Not only does heat stress birds out, which can cause them to start laying, but it causes them to drink more. This can make their droppings frequent and watery. However, I also agree with you in that no eggs from six hens seems rather unlikely, even if you took heat stress into account. Leghorns tend to be hardy in the heat, and they are known as great egg layers, so that, too, doesn't exactly fit.

Worming them might be a good idea. I use the a wormer known as the Worminator. It kills all worms, except tapeworms. Just do a Google search for where to buy the Worminator, and you should be able to come across it.

 

[cphinney]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have a couple updates. After giving them vetrx last evening we had a heavy thunder/lightning storm over the night. I found one of the original hens (a leghorn) dead in the laying box this morning. i did a quick autopsy on her and looked in her intestines and didn't see anything. I don't know how helpful that is, I don't know if the worms would be big enough for me to see or if they even stay in a dead host.

Again answers create more questions. Was it the storm that stressed the hen or was it the vetrx?

Thanks

 

[BantamLover21]

I do not think it was the VetRX that stressed her out. I've used VetRX, and, though it has never helped, it has also never caused any problems. To tell the truth, I really don't know what was wrong with your hen. Stress doesn't usually kill hens so quickly, so the storm probably wasn't a factor. She might have had some sort of internal deformity or problem that eventually killed her. How are the other hens?

 

[realsis]

I'm so sorry for your loss.I also agree that likely it was not the vetrx at all but a unseen issue.I wish I could help but it could be so many factors that contributed to her death I couldn't begin to guess without any real solid symptoms or clues. I hope you're other birds are doing well. Best wishes and again I'm so sorry you lost her!