Really need help, my girls are sick and dying

[gingin]

Cinderellasnickers, thanks so much for all the great info.... but I have my doubts that this could be coccidiosis as my chickens have had this at a low grade level since the winter. It just seems to stay at the same level but slowly they began losing weight and not looking so great. Now it's more critical because I haven't been able to stop it and their weight is continuing to go down. Two have really dark diarrhea running down, but there has never been any detectable blood. Oddly enough, my oldest girl is the healthiest of the bunch and has almost no dirt around her vent area. I've honestly taken no precautions healthwise since it started (yeah, in hindsight I shouldn't have done that) but nobody other than the hens have had any problems in the months this has been going on. I assume my other old girl (the eldest are both 8 years old now) was sickened more quickly because of her age. I thought coccidiosis was a more acute form of disease and not a long lasting one. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

I was really hesitant to give them Game bird feed at first, but at the time the girls were cooped up for our harsh vermont winter, and they were feather picking and beating up the lower status girls. Once I introduced the Game bird feed (the only reason I did was because I had a hunch they needed a higher protein level), no one picked feathers again and no more beating up the lower ranked hens. I have not been able to find a good high protein substitute for them so I like the Game bird feed. Only my Araucanas need that higher level, I have no idea why. I appreciate all your advice and would love to hear another approach as I agree, I would rather they be fed chicken feed than Game bird.... but this feed is not being fed to them right now, they're on layer pellets atm.

I'm still open to the possibility that this could be coccidiosis... or worms.... or mites... since I have little experience with sick chickens. Would love more input.

I'm going to pick up some of the suggested wormers/meds today and then I guess spin the wheel and hope I guess right as to which to give them. Maybe I'll try worming first since I haven't done that.

Does anyone know whether dusting is an effective method of mite elimination???

 

[chickenzoo]

Coccidia is much rarer in birds that are Adults and have been on the property for a long time with no new birds coming in, as the birds developa resistant to that strain. When new birds come in they introduce a new strain and that can cause a new outbreak. Since yours are older birds, I would lean more towards worms, but that's just myMO.

 

[gingin]

I'm leaning towards worms as well.... I have no one new here, they are all older.

 

[Cinderellasnickers08]

gingin,

Glad my info is some help. I still think Coccidia is the problem though. You don't have to be introducing new chickens or chicks to your flock for them to get it. A wild bird could visit another farm or flock area and carry it to your area where your birds are. A squirrel can bring it in to your yard too if they are infected. All animals can get it and pass it on to other animals. (Except cats) Chickens walk on the droppings or eat the droppings, from who knows where sometimes, and they get it introduced into their systems this way. You don't have to be a young chicken to get it, just young ones have their immune systems in the developing stages, so they are not as strong at fighting off the protazoa. Some will adapt to it in their bodies, but they still pass it on to other chickens or animals through their own droppings. Then the circle starts all over again. Wild birds have a variety they carry too, and can infect any area they decide to stop in or fly over. If a neighboring farm or chicken area has it, and they dig up their dirt or chicken area, it is introduced into the air that way too. A hunch, but I don't think that happened. But it does get into the soil and is hard to get rid of even after several years. That's why I said to spray the areas they don't walk on or go on right now. Give it time to kill the Coccidia in the soil, if it was contaminated anyplace, before any birds or animals go on it. Like a few weeks or more. Don't let chickens eat the grass from those areas for awhile, the spray is too concentrated for them when you are spraying with treatment. Never plant a garden and eat from it, in the areas treated for a few years.

My guess would be another animal/bird wild or stray came by and left it around somehow. You may have your older ones infected, but they are not showing signs yet too. When it gets to the stage you have with the first ones, it's well into the flock already. Just some show it, some don't right away. It could be affected also by your climate, because of heat affecting the Coccidia or the cold. Depends on the environments. Plus you may already have attacked the Coccidia with your normal cleaning of the coop without knowing it, and slowing it's transmission down some. Hard to tell. I still say take care, when you clean the coop etc. You don't want to be sick yourself, and you don't always get Coccidia. There are upper resperatory problems anyone can get Human or animal, when around chicken droppings or coop areas.

You can check with your Vet., or try the worming first. But don't medicate for the worms at the same time, it could cause a bad interaction of medication with them. Or they may not be strong enough to handle the double duty of stuff introduced to their bodies. The Vet would have to send a sample off to have it examined, since most places do not have the proper testing for this close by. In my area it was going to take anywhere from 3wks to 2months to get the results back. My chickens would have been dead by that time. I'm in Nebr. right next to the UNL agricultural areas that train many Vets and students in these fields, and they still send it off.

I wish you luck greatly on your flock & hope no more go down with this!

I see what you meant on the Gamebird feed too. I thought it was "all the time". You are finding the right thing for your specific breeds of chickens in that area too. Since they do get their Laying feed when it's not cooped up time.

Sounds good on the quick thinking on that for keeping them from fighting

Keep an open mind on the Coccidia though, it's not rare really, just not reported as much because no one wants to be the guy who brought it into an area if they are a farmer or into chickens for money. Hurts their business. Plus it's like taboo to even ask a farmer around here about it. They are extremely insulted if you do. So no reporting of it, just means no one is hearing about it. Good luck and keep me informed on how it goes! Many prayers for your chickens and family for great health and fast recoveries! Take care!