Seemingly healthy chickens dropping dead!

[EggSighted4Life]

Sad to say I lost 2 more. I am down from 10 to 5. One more suddenly looking ill this afternoon.

I looked at the dead ones. They are plump, perfect clean and neat feathers and feat / legs. No discharge from eyes or nostrils. Crop normal and no bad smell to breath. No spots or scabs, and inside the beak and down the throat are clear and normal. They also have good bright red combs (only my rooster has got pale come).

The only thing I could find is they had wet bottoms. Seemed to be pooping water. No poop smell to that area.. and feathers clean and not stained.. even on the white bird... just really wet and a bit matted. When I watched one poop it was mostly clear liquid.. and the consistency of water.. with a small amount of frothy light green in the middle.. which was also really flat and watery. No smell to the poops. So seem they stop eating but keep drinking.

I am now pretty sure it is not Marek's.... because of the symptoms.

I went to 2 feed supply shops, and a big vet supply store... which took me hours to get to them all... and NONE had ivermectin... just some other kind of antibiotic powder at one place. Really pathetic and annoying!!!!

I have just decided to let nature run it course. It's come to the point I am giving up keeping chickens because it's just too upsetting seeing my pets die.. not to mention the money I spent over the years on expensive show quality birds and supplies, coop, feed, medication, time to treat illnesses etc,

When I look at other flocks of chickens in the village they are just fed dry rice and either roost in trees or under baskets.. and left to fed for themselves every day wandering around the streets and yards. Yet my birds that I keep clean, good quality food, and dry predator proof shelter... they just keep getting different disease one after the other.

So sorry.

Wish there was something more I had to offer. I do understand your frustration about other chickens surviving despite fending for themselves. But I wonder if those are native chickens and yours are a special breed that don't have the same tolerances/immunity?

I have to be honest, I might throw in the towel too. But I'm still hoping for some survivors!

I don't look at all the time, $, and energy spent as a waste. I would have been doing something else anyways. But I would definitely consider the cost, time, and emotional toll going forward.

The ONE thing I can think of that is deadly and fast is maybe botulism..

 

[jak2002003]

The ONE thing I can think of that is deadly and fast is maybe botulism..[/QUOTE]

That's an interesting idea. I have searched the garden for any standing water.. but can't find any. However, there is junk laying around (a lot of it) from the previous people who rented here.. maybe there is some dirty water hidden somewhere.. under the trash or in the overgrown areas.. maybe just some small amounts in bottle tops or plastic containers.

So far rest of the birds seem OK.

I got some de wormer... says a long list of worms it kills. However, NOWHERE on the packet does it say what chemical it is!!! It just says the directions for use and a warning it is DANGEROUS for humans. So I can't research what it actually is... this is how frustrating it is here with the chicken medications. I even looked up the company and product codes on the internet.. but just says same as on the packet.

Another poster asked about my pigeons. I have 10 fancy pigeons. They also have a disease problem... young bird sickness.. where the young birds die when they reach adult stage and start to molt their feathers. They also show the same symptoms as my chickens. Die quickly, stop eating, watery poop, and go very weak. I don't breed them anymore because of this.. and the adults are all very healthy and happy.

I thought they might have the same disease.. but after research I found that the pigeons and chickens can't share this young bird sickness virus. Its strange because its my young chickens that also die at the same life stage.. just when they are young adults. But I think this is just a coincidence... what do others think?

 

[rebrascora]

I would start the cocci treatment, its the one positive thing that I can think to do. If it is Mareks, youre pretty well done for anyway. If its that hard to get any medications and you've already got the cocci med, you might as well use it. Good luck.

I would agree that this could be coccidiosis as that can affect pigeons and chickens and usually affects youngsters rather than adults. Marek's disease compromises the immune system so they become vulnerable to secondary infections a diseases like coccidiosis, so it could still be the root of the problem. If you have something to treat coccidiosis, I would go with that first.
As someone else mentioned, local chickens may well have a tolerance/resistance to local diseases and strains.

I really do feel for you though. I know the heartbreak of Marek's but I have not lost so many birds to it in such a short time scale. Seeing them dying day after day must be soul destroying.

 

[jak2002003]

I would agree that this could be coccidiosis as that can affect pigeons and chickens and usually affects youngsters rather than adults. Marek's disease compromises the immune system so they become vulnerable to secondary infections a diseases like coccidiosis, so it could still be the root of the problem. If you have something to treat coccidiosis, I would go with that first.
As someone else mentioned, local chickens may well have a tolerance/resistance to local diseases and strains.

I really do feel for you though. I know the heartbreak of Marek's but I have not lost so many birds to it in such a short time scale. Seeing them dying day after day must be soul destroying.

Thank you for your kind words.

I treated the chickens and pigeons for coccidiosis. Today I am treating them all with a de wormer (which kills most kinds of worms).

The chickens are very annoyed at being confined to the coop / run and are all standing at the door glaring at me.. when I open to door to go in they try to all squeeze past my leg.

So far no more losses. Out of the remaining birds... 2 hens seem perfect health and are still laying eggs. Rooster seems still ill.. but started crowing again... his colour has also returned, but he is a bit weak and comb looks dry and discoloured. A final hen is looking bad.. but I think its her old age.. as she is 9 years old!!! She has scaly legs and floppy comb over her eye.. and her feathers are rather brittle and frayed.. but I think all that is down to her age and not mites etc.

Will now see what happens about he next couple of weeks.

When should I repeat the dewormer treatment? I read there could still be worm eggs in the environment.

Thank you all for your help over this problem.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry to learn of your losses. Think keeping them cooped is helping them recover from whatever they got. There's got to be something outside that they've picked up when free ranging.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

For your de-wormer - since there's not an ingredient listed, there's no way to know when you would repeat the treatment - does your packaging give any indication?

I'm glad to hear your rooster is making some improvements, hopefully he will overcome whatever is going on.

For the hen that is looking ill - some could be age related. If she has scaly legs - this could be Scaly Leg Mites, if there is a severe infestation, SLM can stop eating, go lame and can decline over time (eventually die). You may want to treat her just to help reduce the spread - wash the legs in warm soapy water, dry them, then apply an oil or ointment to smother the mites (coconut oil, castor oil, etc.).

 

[jak2002003]

I am going to loose all of them I am afraid.

Today the remaining birds (that seemed very healthy) suddenly took a turn for the worst.

One hen is so weak she can't stand (yesterday very strong and healthy). One eye swollen shut and difficulty breathing.. sounds like crackling.. like water in her lungs.

Another hen is lethargic, one eye swollen up huge. Not eating or drinking.

My white hen is lethargic and seems to have brain damage.. because she just stands at the food pot and eats and eats.. her crop is huge and hard.. and she keeps pecking her left side over and over.

The rooster that was ill has got no worse.. but his come has gone dark, crusty white and dry... and strange bright orange/yellow puss is oozing out somewhere on his head.. but can't find the place its coming from.

It's like a horror movie.. they look and act like zombies!

I was worried I overdosed the de wormer.. but my pigeons had the same dose and they are fine, and one chicken was out of the coop and got no medication and is one of the very sick ones. Also I lost so many before I treated them to the same thing. The ones that are still pooping are just pooping clear water.. with tiny amount of brown bits in it.

When they are all gone I have decided to never get any more. I am so sad.. I got lots of enjoyment from keeping and breeding my Japanese Bantams over nearly 10 years. So sad I still have 2 of my original birds that were real pets and so friendly and cuddly tame... and they are going to be dead in the morning.

I still have no idea what cause this. I think it is some kind of disease from either eating poisonous plants, or from a mosquito born virus.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! Mary

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm so very sorry to hear this

Do you have any antibiotics you could try? Since it sounds like they are in bad shape, it may be worth a try to see if that makes any difference.

 

[chickens really]

That's terrible...So sorry...