Agirlandherchook
Hatching
- Aug 4, 2019
- 2
- 1
- 4
Hi all,
I recently decided to acquire some chooks. I have had them before and wanted to have 3 backyard chooks again.
Short story- birds have died, first from a respiratory (bacteria involved) respiratory infection, the survivors all went on a syringe in mouth antibiotic. Got a new bird, the whole lot got coruyza the survivors went on an injectable antibiotic. Vet assured me the survivors (x2) would be non carriers, that I had to make sure I cleaned everything with a bleach solution and moved everything off the 'infected ground for min 2 weeks. I did this, even got rid of old coop and built a new one. Cleaned up all straw/bedding and moved two survivors to a different part of the yard for 3 weeks. Also washed run in bleach solution.
Now as I type this, one of the survivors does not look like she will last the night. It has been about two months since coruyza and this isn't coruyza again. She is weak, wobbly on her feet and has laboured breathing. I wormed them yesterday and I am looking after her with lots of protein foods and rest. Other chicken is fine.
What the hell is going on with these birds?
I have been to the vet each time and have asked hard questions like was it the coop I got off Gumtree? Something we are not feeding them? Vet has said each time it's a chook to chook disease, not something they would catch from a second hand coop etc.
Long story details
3 chooks originally got off Gumtree. Too young imo (I wanted pol) seller assured me if they turned out to be rosters I could swap. By day 2 one was sick (Batman). I notified seller who told me theirs were not sick and maybe it was something in my soil. Felt sorry for bird and did not think it'd last a long trip back to seller, so I took birds to the vet. Vet said bacteria based respiratory (Batman was wheezing like a percolating kettle). All birds treated day and night with antibiotics for a week, then as Batman looked stabilized but not better, I got a second treatment. A week or two passes.
One chook then turns out to be a rooster, so I go back to seller and swap. I get another bird, who is the same age as before (basically only just got adult feathers), I realise the other two will pick on it, so I get a second young bird from seller. I now have 4 chooks. Concerned about their age and that the seller travels 2hours to get to where I am and it's slightly colder here - I keep the two small ones inside at night.
One of the small ones starts to sneeze, so what the hell we dose them up with remaining antibiotic. I figure its transporting them so young, moving them to new flock with colder night temperatures that's doing it. 4 chooks all good. Another week or so, original chicken 2 is a rooster.
I'm torn, decide at last minute I'll go back and swap for another bird. I do this, I make sure bird is bigger and highly likely female. Figure this will make sure it doesn't get crook. Discovered too late that this bird, Pepita, has coruyza. The two smaller birds are sick and have to be euthanized, Batman is ok but sick and Pepita is badly underweight and sick.
I basically ask the vet if the whole lot should be euthanized at this point. Vet says no, antibiotic will 99% save Batman and Pepita. So I take them home, feed them dog food and meaty treats and give them both a course of injectable antibiotics. This is where we also move & bleach clean their run, get rid of old coop, build new coop.
A month later, Pepita is now very sick with something nasty. She is wobbly, laboured breathing and lethargic. I am keeping her comfortable and feeding energy rich food. I had worked them the day before, suspecting Pepita wasn't quite right. Batman appears fine.
I really don't know or under set and why she is sick now. From my story I believed I was getting sick birds from the seller, vet also said this was the case both times. but now I don't understand why Pepita is unwell.
My run is clean, dry with food and water. Food is poultry grain and grower crumble (Now layer pellets). Coop is large and well ventilated. Larger run is a fenced off area with no roof. Diatomaceous earth in their dust bath spots. Fresh food scraps given when we have them, never mouldy food. Grass given if no green scraps. The last few days I have been giving meat and dog food because I picked up Pepita and felt she was underweight (for the record a chook who doesn't like to be handled, hence the lack of noticing weight in my story) I figured it must be the weather, even suspected the feeder had blocked and replaced seed in that as a why not thing. I think that she's probably been unwell for a while again.
I have learned a lot. Hindsight is wonderful.
Any guesses as to what is happening? I'm worried now I will only have Batman and can never introduce new birds, poor lonely Batman. Help, advice and tips appreciated. It's been a long kind of expensive nightmare. My last chooks had nothing at all wrong for years, same sort of set up and care.
Thanks in advance.
I recently decided to acquire some chooks. I have had them before and wanted to have 3 backyard chooks again.
Short story- birds have died, first from a respiratory (bacteria involved) respiratory infection, the survivors all went on a syringe in mouth antibiotic. Got a new bird, the whole lot got coruyza the survivors went on an injectable antibiotic. Vet assured me the survivors (x2) would be non carriers, that I had to make sure I cleaned everything with a bleach solution and moved everything off the 'infected ground for min 2 weeks. I did this, even got rid of old coop and built a new one. Cleaned up all straw/bedding and moved two survivors to a different part of the yard for 3 weeks. Also washed run in bleach solution.
Now as I type this, one of the survivors does not look like she will last the night. It has been about two months since coruyza and this isn't coruyza again. She is weak, wobbly on her feet and has laboured breathing. I wormed them yesterday and I am looking after her with lots of protein foods and rest. Other chicken is fine.
What the hell is going on with these birds?
I have been to the vet each time and have asked hard questions like was it the coop I got off Gumtree? Something we are not feeding them? Vet has said each time it's a chook to chook disease, not something they would catch from a second hand coop etc.
Long story details
3 chooks originally got off Gumtree. Too young imo (I wanted pol) seller assured me if they turned out to be rosters I could swap. By day 2 one was sick (Batman). I notified seller who told me theirs were not sick and maybe it was something in my soil. Felt sorry for bird and did not think it'd last a long trip back to seller, so I took birds to the vet. Vet said bacteria based respiratory (Batman was wheezing like a percolating kettle). All birds treated day and night with antibiotics for a week, then as Batman looked stabilized but not better, I got a second treatment. A week or two passes.
One chook then turns out to be a rooster, so I go back to seller and swap. I get another bird, who is the same age as before (basically only just got adult feathers), I realise the other two will pick on it, so I get a second young bird from seller. I now have 4 chooks. Concerned about their age and that the seller travels 2hours to get to where I am and it's slightly colder here - I keep the two small ones inside at night.
One of the small ones starts to sneeze, so what the hell we dose them up with remaining antibiotic. I figure its transporting them so young, moving them to new flock with colder night temperatures that's doing it. 4 chooks all good. Another week or so, original chicken 2 is a rooster.
I'm torn, decide at last minute I'll go back and swap for another bird. I do this, I make sure bird is bigger and highly likely female. Figure this will make sure it doesn't get crook. Discovered too late that this bird, Pepita, has coruyza. The two smaller birds are sick and have to be euthanized, Batman is ok but sick and Pepita is badly underweight and sick.
I basically ask the vet if the whole lot should be euthanized at this point. Vet says no, antibiotic will 99% save Batman and Pepita. So I take them home, feed them dog food and meaty treats and give them both a course of injectable antibiotics. This is where we also move & bleach clean their run, get rid of old coop, build new coop.
A month later, Pepita is now very sick with something nasty. She is wobbly, laboured breathing and lethargic. I am keeping her comfortable and feeding energy rich food. I had worked them the day before, suspecting Pepita wasn't quite right. Batman appears fine.
I really don't know or under set and why she is sick now. From my story I believed I was getting sick birds from the seller, vet also said this was the case both times. but now I don't understand why Pepita is unwell.
My run is clean, dry with food and water. Food is poultry grain and grower crumble (Now layer pellets). Coop is large and well ventilated. Larger run is a fenced off area with no roof. Diatomaceous earth in their dust bath spots. Fresh food scraps given when we have them, never mouldy food. Grass given if no green scraps. The last few days I have been giving meat and dog food because I picked up Pepita and felt she was underweight (for the record a chook who doesn't like to be handled, hence the lack of noticing weight in my story) I figured it must be the weather, even suspected the feeder had blocked and replaced seed in that as a why not thing. I think that she's probably been unwell for a while again.
I have learned a lot. Hindsight is wonderful.
Any guesses as to what is happening? I'm worried now I will only have Batman and can never introduce new birds, poor lonely Batman. Help, advice and tips appreciated. It's been a long kind of expensive nightmare. My last chooks had nothing at all wrong for years, same sort of set up and care.
Thanks in advance.
