Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Sallysec]

Okay I didnt really read through everything but I wanted to drop in and update everyone. My husband went out this morning and another EE Crackle is dead. I also lost my new teenager salmon faverolle that I hadn't named yet. I am leaning towards Cocci heavily. Trying to get in contact with someone who can get it for me ASAP. I have an hour or so drive ahead of me I think to get it.
I am so sad and I would rather medicate them then lose another. My husband says our last EE doesn't look well. I have noticed a lot of other birds sitting on the coop recently. I am wondering if thats how they got it. No they were vaccinated for mareks not cocci, I used medicated feed until I switched to the layer feed assuming the danger had passed since like W4W I had read that mostly chicks fall ill to Cocci. I found a vet that was willing to do a necropsy for $483

I didn't refridgerate the bodies so I think I am out of luck with cornell or so they said. So far everyone is leaning towards poison or cocci that I have spoken to. My last sitter to stop by was my brother...he is by far not the most reliable person but he would have told me if something went wrong. When he screws up he admits it. He was by at 7PM Sunday and said all looked fine. He gave them strawberries. We have accounted for all the plastic eggs so we ruled out them eating the plastic etc ....

I will let everyone know how it goes, hopefully someone can learn from whatever mistakes I have made.

 

[Sallysec]

Welcome Sully, thank you and I hope you enjoy the warmth and knowledge you find here.

 

[animallover505]

Did anyone throw anything very salty into the run?

 

[cheeka]

Sally... I'm so sorry. just so sorry... I hope this is the end of the losses!

 

[Sallysec]

Using Corid on the entire flocks water supply now. I don't think at least one more will make it...who knows because now I see illness in everyone but coop 2. I wont even go near coop 2 because I am afraid to pass along contamination. I drove to Chester NY to buy the Corid at TSC. I noticed the girls perked up slightly after drinking. I had to dip a few beaks to get them to even drink. I don't even want to see what tomorrow brings. I washed as much of the coop/run out today ...not sure if the added water will just make it worse. I took out all the feeders and waterers and scoured them and let them dry. I am honestly worried about too much right now. I just am trying to make the bleeding stop at this point. I have been told that Cocci breeds in wet environments very well and since It has been nothing but wet here for the past month its very possible. Today I noticed smaller signs within hours. When I went out this morning a lot of the girls seemed not themselves. Then I went out in the afternoon after researching and talking to vets. I noticed a few of the girls looking paler. I went for the drive to get the Corid and came home and noticed EVERYONE from coop 1 had a pale comb color with the exception of my one GLW.

Now I need to figure out what to do with my Silkie that is living downstairs...she is now alone... suggestions? Will she be okay alone? I just don't want to move anyone right now. I am making my cat sit with her for now I think.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Sally, terrible that more have died and might be sick. Since you're losing more, I would go ahead and treat them. Sulmet or Corid will treat cocci. They may have eaten something poisonous, but what? Oleander? Toxic mushrooms? An E. coli infection can cause birds to drop like that, but you won't see blood in the stools. Should be treatable with antibiotics. If anyone is looking ill (puffy feathers, lethargic) they should be isolated to prevent further spread of whatever you've got going. Replace the bedding in the coop as soon as you can, sterilize your waterer and feeder. Check for mold or sour smelling feed. Everything in the coop and run should be kept as dry as possible.

So sorry. Wish I could be more help. $483?! That vet doesn't need that much of your money. If the university will do it for cheaper/free, you can double bag the body and put it on ice in a cooler or something until you make arrangements to send it in. I guess since there is so much large scale poultry and egg production in California, it is important for diseases to be documented and tracked, so the university offers the free necropsy service to backyard owners.

Hope the rest are okay and that you get a handle on the problem.

Edited to say:
Wrote this before I saw your last post, so disregard most of what I said because you are already doing it. If you've got bloody stools then sounds like cocci. It's caused by a protozoan and is likely already spread somewhat to your other coop, so I would treat everybody, both coops, with the Corid. It shouldn't hurt them, but you don't want to get to the point that they have blood in the stools, which is late in the game and means there is more damage. Don't know if there is egg withdrawl when you use Corid. Make sure they drink it and you should see improvement soon. Good luck!

 

[cheeka]

the start of an art project... wanted to do the final in an egg shell mosaic... but that's so much work...I still may

13 Eggs today

 

[Sallysec]

no withdraw for eggs on corid...just anxious to see what tomorrow brings. At this point I don't want to divide them. I noticed that the sickest one is being tucked in amongst them. I found that odd since most of what I had read before getting chickens was that the sick would be pecked or ostracized. They don't look fluffy at all...and I am noticing the feathers just looked messy. I feel sick to my stomach. I called like four places around me trying to get necropsy services for free or inexpensive. Basically I could only find one place that was even willing. One place said call back tomorrow because their only vet that treats livestock isn't in today. I feel like

. I just want to hold them all, but at the same time my husband and I are trying to turn our feelings off. I haven't let the kids know and I don't plan to. I plan to dose the second coop. I am so glad that I didn't force them to integrate together. I put fresh hay out. Has anyone ever used DE for something like this? I have been trying everything I read. I gave them dry milk powder this morning and yogurt right away because I happened to have it. I had put medication in one waterer because I had it on hand...then ran off in the afternoon for the corid. For any of you who don't have it...I would purchase it after the conversations I had with a few vets. They seem to think its a must have (although none of them carried it

)
Next poultry show I will be buying the first aid kit for poultry. I have a bunch of stuff but I want to be more prepared. Sad part is if I lose them all I just went out and purchased a ton of feed last week.

MC. I want to thank you for mentioning the Cocci because I never would have suspected that from the sight that greeted me. It made me actually go out there and look for clues as to what happened and if anyone survives it will be because of that.

This is who I have lost:

Salmon

Mary

Front-Pop..Snap is next to her and she isn't looking good.

Back- Crackle

 

[SullyD]

Thank you for the warm welcome into this group.

W4W I have 3 Missouri Fox Trotters and 2 mini horses. I was thinking of keeping the black (Blue Am-Johnny Cash) roo, with the Splash (Blue Am-Cindi) together, then pick my favorite CL roo to keep with the 2 pullets, (in separate coops). That leaves 3 (might be 4) roos that will need either re-homing or someone's dinner (not mine, can't do that yet)

I have 7 other pullets that are 2 weeks old. Would they be better with the Blue Am's or the CL's? Winner gets the bigger coop! Would they all be able to share a large outdoor run during the day, and different coops at night? My plan is to keep the population around 20 and selling extra chicks. Not sure what I would produce if the other pullets went with either of the two roos!

Sally (and others that know more than me), you said you replaced the hay in the coop. Is it possible the hay was moldy? Could the chickens have breathed in some toxic mold? Not even sure if that could be an issue, but it can make horses sick, why not chickens?? I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you get whatever this is you are dealing with, under control, and you get some answers.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Sally, I've been looking through the Chicken Health Handbook (Damerow) for more clues about what's going on. According to this book, they may have campylobacteriosis, which is something fairly common that causes sudden death with not many symptoms other than mucousy or bloody diarrhea. No treatment for this, but the bacteria do not do well in dry conditions. There is not much more info about this, but it is listed as a common cause of sudden death in adult and growing birds over 6 months.

The author says that coccidiosis rarely occurs in birds over 18 months (usually younger) unless they are newly introduced into an area that contains strains of oocysts (or new birds introduced into their area) that they have not been previously exposed to OR if they have a lowered resistance due to a separate infection. If you are treating with amprolium (don't know if that's in corid), they will need vitamin supplements after treatment is done. How old are your girls that have died? Not saying that they don't have this, just trying to make sure so not medicating unnecessarily. Also, a culture is recommended because there are many different strains and not all respond to all treatments.

Most other things listed in the book are either very rare or have respiratory symptoms.

From same book, your state poultry path lab is at Cornell, Ithaca. 607-253-3400 www.vet.cornell.edu/microbiology

Hope it is cocci because at least you can treat it.