RIWhite Dying?

[Royal Red]

Hello fellow BYCM,
This morning I noticed one of my year old Rhode Island White Chickens was still hiding in the coop. After closer observtion she appeared to have hurt her leg; though I thought. I brought her into the house. Soaked her in warm water with Epson Salts, cleaned her bottom with Dawn and saw nothing wrong. She kept her eyes closed so, I thought she must be in pain and provided a little aspirin, blow dried her and put cococnut oil on her legs and put her in a box under the heat lamp. She dropped her head and went to sleep. It's been two hours and she just became restless and seemed to toss her head around like a seizure in the box and seem very lethargic. I am not sure what to be looking for but most of the serious diseases doesn't seem to be applicable. Any suggestions as to what I am looking for and should I be conserned that she has something that could infect my flock? Ok, I just returned with a picture to discover she has passed. Any suggestions of how to handle the concern. She was isolated in a nesting box over the night. Wow.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Contact your state poultry lab for a necropsy and lab work. Here is a partial listing.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

 

[azygous]

Yes, please try to locate a lab and get a necropsy on your hen's body. Until you can locate a lab and deliver the hen to them, refrigerate her body to hold off decomposition. (Do not freeze)

This is very important in case your hen died from an avian virus. You want to know what it is so you can manage your flock properly from here on.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Hello fellow BYCM,
This morning I noticed one of my year old Rhode Island White Chickens was still hiding in the coop. After closer observtion she appeared to have hurt her led; as I thought. I brought her into the house. Soaked her in warm water with Epson Salts, cleaned her bottom with Dawn and saw nothing wrong. She kept her eyes closed so, I thought she must be in pain and provided a little aspirin, blow dried her and put cococnut oil on her legs and put her in a box under the heat lamp. She dropped her head and went to sleep. It's been two hours and she just became restless and seemed to toss her head around like a seizure in the box and seem very lethargic. I am not sure what to be looking for but most of the serious diseases doesn't to be applicable. Any suggestions as to what I am looking for and should I be conserned that she has something that could infect my flock? Ok, I just returned with a picture to discover she has passed. Any suggestions of how to handle the concern. She was isolated in a nesting box over the night. Wow.

Sorry for the loss.
Was there a chance she got into something poisonous?

 

[Royal Red]

Contact your state poultry lab for a necropsy and lab work. Here is a partial listing.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Thank you!

 

[Royal Red]

Sorry for the loss.
Was there a chance she got into something poisonous?

The flock does free range to a degree...but we keep such products locked up or use them at a minimum. We have noticed them eating mulberries and we switched our run to sand. Could either of those be considered poisonous?

 

[Royal Red]

Contact your state poultry lab for a necropsy and lab work. Here is a partial listing.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Really hoping this is not the case. Everything I read appeared to affect young chicks. She's over a year and we did get her from PP and I opted not to get the MD vac. I have 22 in my flock and currently hatching babies all over the place. She selected the coop where all the mother's start before I move them out after they have their first chick. The cube she occupied was never used. I blow dried her after soaking in my utility room. Does that make me exposed/carrier. ugh.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It depends on what was affecting the bird whether your clothes/shoes are tracking anything around.
A Marek's vaccine is less effective every day after a chick hatches. There is no need to vaccinate a year old bird.
The mulberries aren't toxic. Here and at an earlier farm we have/had hundreds of those trees and the chickens eat until they are tired of them.
If it is clean sand, that isn't a problem but one can't say for sure unless they know where it came from and if it was somehow contaminated.

 

[Royal Red]

It depends on what was affecting the bird whether your clothes/shoes are tracking anything around.
A Marek's vaccine is less effective every day after a chick hatches. There is no need to vaccinate a year old bird.
The mulberries aren't toxic. Here and at an earlier farm we have/had hundreds of those trees and the chickens eat until they are tired of them.
If it is clean sand, that isn't a problem but one can't say for sure unless they know where it came from and if it was somehow contaminated.

Appreciate the your response. We have decided to contact out local extension and she is being refrigerated until then. Will share once we know more.
Ref