RIR passed away after starting to lay! Is this normal?

[annerss03]

If your feed had bugs in it, it's possible that it was old and rancid.  What does the Julian date say on the binding at the bottom of the bag?  That will tell you what the mill date is.  Any feed that is more than 42 days from mill date is not up to par as far as nutritional value goes.  I agree with JB, re: medicated feed not being good for long term use b/c of the Thiamine blocking... for that matter, I've never used medicated feed, nor do I intend to, but that's a discussion for an other day.  I'd check the age of your feed.  Some diseases when brought into your flock are "forever" diseases.  

It wasn't the feed it was just the scratch that had bugs so we tossed it. Their feed was fine. None of them are on anything medicated anymore! I'm praying the diseases are gone since there are no more symptoms or signs but you never know! I think they may have picked up the viruses from other birds that's like to hang out in our yard. So since keeping them in their coops they have finally got healthy! When they got to free range in the yard is when all the symptoms/illnesses came up!

 

[bobbi-j]

It wasn't the feed it was just the scratch that had bugs so we tossed it. Their feed was fine. None of them are on anything medicated anymore! I'm praying the diseases are gone since there are no more symptoms or signs but you never know! I think they may have picked up the viruses from other birds that's like to hang out in our yard. So since keeping them in their coops they have finally got healthy! When they got to free range in the yard is when all the symptoms/illnesses came up!

That's possible, I suppose. But you can't keep them cooped up forever. I have never had cocci that I know of, or respiratory diseases, and my chickens free range, and have sparrows living in their coop with them in the winter. (Not my choice, but they come in the pop door...)
Where did you get those chickens from?

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: Is it possible that your yard has been treated with any insecticide/herbicide/fungicides? Many of these products have a very long life, and some of them are systemic, being drawn into the plant tissue and being a source of toxin for more than a year. Do you or any neighbors use a lawn service? I'd be looking for something in the environment that is killing your birds.

 

[annerss03]

Is it possible that your yard has been treated with any insecticide/herbicide/fungicides?  Many of these products have a very long life, and some of them are systemic, being drawn into the plant tissue and being a source of toxin for more than a year.  Do you or any neighbors use a lawn service?  I'd be looking for something in the environment that is killing your birds.

That may be possible! I can't think of anything that has been done on the last year or so to the yard since before getting the chicks in June! It also could have been from the breeeder that we got them from but she kept saying none of her chickens had ever been sick or died, which I find really hard to believe but she had over 100+ birds on her property!! Just hoping these last 3 are ok and they don't pass on the junk to the new babies in the brooder!

 

[annerss03]

That's possible, I suppose. But you can't keep them cooped up forever. I have never had cocci that I know of, or respiratory diseases, and my chickens free range, and have sparrows living in their coop with them in the winter. (Not my choice, but they come in the pop door...)
Where did you get those chickens from?

We got them from a friend of a friend who was a "breeder"! She had 100s of birds and for a while we would contact her about them, then I took one to UC Davis and told her what the findings were and we never heard from her again! The findings were cocci, mycoplasma gallisepticum and mycoplasma synoviae!

 

[bobbi-j]

We got them from a friend of a friend who was a "breeder"! She had 100s of birds and for a while we would contact her about them, then I took one to UC Davis and told her what the findings were and we never heard from her again! The findings were cocci, mycoplasma gallisepticum and mycoplasma synoviae!

Did you actually see the place where they came from? How did it look? I'm pretty sure the "breeder" wasn't entirely honest with you when they said they'd "never had a chicken die". Everyone has a chicken die now and then, and with that many, she surely has lost quite a few over time. I don't know how contagious these diseases are, as I've never had to deal with them, but I have read on here that some diseases will live on in the soil for years. Since your three older ones survived, they may be carriers, spreading them to other chickens. I don't know what the risk will be for your new ones.

I am sorry you're dealing with this - especially since you're first starting out. You got off to an awfully rough start.

 

[annerss03]

Did you actually see the place where they came from? How did it look? I'm pretty sure the "breeder" wasn't entirely honest with you when they said they'd "never had a chicken die". Everyone has a chicken die now and then, and with that many, she surely has lost quite a few over time. I don't know how contagious these diseases are, as I've never had to deal with them, but I have read on here that some diseases will live on in the soil for years. Since your three older ones survived, they may be carriers, spreading them to other chickens. I don't know what the risk will be for your new ones. 

I am sorry you're dealing with this - especially since you're first starting out. You got off to an awfully rough start. 

Yes we went to the ladies house and her whole garage was full of babie chickens and brooders, then outside she had tons of birds in coops and running free! It wasn't the cleanest but chickens aren't very clean! Most looked healthy but there we were outside for a total of 5 mins! there was one baby we brought home that seemed sick so we took it back and it died 2 days later! So maybe it started with that one! We have made organic disinfectant to clean the coop and the soil! We have tried soo many things to help them out and just when they seemed to be better this poor baby died!! Thanks it's def been rough and we have gotten so attached to them and this one was even in our Xmas card!!!

 

[Little Fuzzy]

We feed the big ones outside layer feed! They started that at 22 weeks but before that they were on medicated grower because they were not vaccinated! We added a little scratch to their food every now and then and about 2 months ago we stared adding fresh and dry oregano and fresh mint to their diet! We took the scratch away about a month ago because we found it was full of bugs from the feed store! So they have only had the layer and oregano for a while! Also I hand feed them meal worms once or twice a week! But we had run out of that before the holidays and so it's been a little while without that as well but we just got more the other day! Every now and then they will get left over scrambled eggs and they get some watermelon every now and then!!

Whats wrong with a little bugs in the feed? When I get them my chickens go crazy picking out the bugs in the grain. Nothing different than bugs in the yard.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: It's not the bugs that's the issue. It's that the presence of the bugs could be an indication that the feed is old and therefore rancid. Not a healthy situation. At the very least, the feed is lacking in nutrients, and at the very worst, the feed may have mold that may not be detected upon casual examination. Some mold toxins are lethal. This is why I am so much an advocate of being aware of the mill or pack date of any products you buy at the feed store. I have walked out of the store on plenty of occasions without purchasing feed, because all they had out was stuff that was more than 2 months old. If I'm spending money on feed, it will be fresh, and it will not have insects eating the nutrient out of it.

 

[chickens really]

Quote: It's not the bugs that's the issue. It's that the presence of the bugs could be an indication that the feed is old and therefore rancid. Not a healthy situation. At the very least, the feed is lacking in nutrients, and at the very worst, the feed may have mold that may not be detected upon casual examination. Some mold toxins are lethal. This is why I am so much an advocate of being aware of the mill or pack date of any products you buy at the feed store. I have walked out of the store on plenty of occasions without purchasing feed, because all they had out was stuff that was more than 2 months old. If I'm spending money on feed, it will be fresh, and it will not have insects eating the nutrient out of it.
Great reply...Also Bugs do poop and some can transfer disease like all pests........As stated....I do not pay good money for old, bug infested feed.....I want top quality for my animals as well as my Family.....Sure Chickens eat bugs....They can scratch for their own.....


Cheers!