Oliver38563
Hatching
- Aug 20, 2023
- 2
- 1
- 4
Hello everyone and thank you in advance.
I have a backyard flock of 33 chickens. all mixed breed and all chickens 1-2 yrs old. I also have a separate but connected run and coop with three bantams. In the past two weeks I have lost 8 chickens, all from the larger run. The symptoms come on quickly and kill the bird within 3-5 days. First sign is lethargy, chickens that typically would not let you get close are now unafraid or lack energy to run away. In all cases they begin to lay down and stop roosting on a perch at night and start sleeping in the nesting boxes. By the second or third day they are not making it in the coop at night and sleep on the ground. They are breathing with their mouth open and begin to sound raspy. No sneezing or mucus production coming from their nose. They kinda stretch the neck out and cough periodically. Then by day 4-5 its like they are completely helpless and sitting with their eyes closed and nodding off as if falling asleep until they just die. Initial diagnosis was gape worm and went through a cycle of Safeguard which produced parasites in the feces but did not stop the other birds from symptoms. Next, I did a round of Corrid thinking they had Coccidiosis. More chickens continue to show symptoms. Now I am leaning towards potential Bronchitis or some form of respiratory infection. About to start treating them with VetRx and see if that helps. What is getting me is how fast they are showing symptoms and dying. Also, all chickens have completely stopped producing eggs, I am getting 1 a day from 34 laying hens. Before production stopped, I was getting eggs with weak egg white and a few deformed eggs that looked wavy with ripples in an otherwise smooth shell. I am unsure if I could be dealing with Marek's or possibly Newcastle. All that being said, I keep my coop clean, constant fresh water and food. Feeders keep food off the ground and water container under cover eliminates contamination. My feed is a 15% layer mixed with a 22% layer, sourced from a local co-op in a rural town. I periodically treat them with lettuce, watermelon and cantaloupe, all from our garden. My wife recently treated the coop with a lot of D.E. Maybe the D.E dust is in the air and causing the respiratory issue? would that be enough to kill them so quickly? My neighbor has a sewage leak about 60 - 80 ft from my enclosed run, could that be causing potential viral outbreak or disease? The sewage is not in my run but on top of the ground nearby. Ultimately the best thing to do is get a necropsy done on a deceased bird and find out what I am dealing with. I have always read good forums on here with educated responses and thought someone might be able to tell me where I am going wrong or i am missing something.
I have a backyard flock of 33 chickens. all mixed breed and all chickens 1-2 yrs old. I also have a separate but connected run and coop with three bantams. In the past two weeks I have lost 8 chickens, all from the larger run. The symptoms come on quickly and kill the bird within 3-5 days. First sign is lethargy, chickens that typically would not let you get close are now unafraid or lack energy to run away. In all cases they begin to lay down and stop roosting on a perch at night and start sleeping in the nesting boxes. By the second or third day they are not making it in the coop at night and sleep on the ground. They are breathing with their mouth open and begin to sound raspy. No sneezing or mucus production coming from their nose. They kinda stretch the neck out and cough periodically. Then by day 4-5 its like they are completely helpless and sitting with their eyes closed and nodding off as if falling asleep until they just die. Initial diagnosis was gape worm and went through a cycle of Safeguard which produced parasites in the feces but did not stop the other birds from symptoms. Next, I did a round of Corrid thinking they had Coccidiosis. More chickens continue to show symptoms. Now I am leaning towards potential Bronchitis or some form of respiratory infection. About to start treating them with VetRx and see if that helps. What is getting me is how fast they are showing symptoms and dying. Also, all chickens have completely stopped producing eggs, I am getting 1 a day from 34 laying hens. Before production stopped, I was getting eggs with weak egg white and a few deformed eggs that looked wavy with ripples in an otherwise smooth shell. I am unsure if I could be dealing with Marek's or possibly Newcastle. All that being said, I keep my coop clean, constant fresh water and food. Feeders keep food off the ground and water container under cover eliminates contamination. My feed is a 15% layer mixed with a 22% layer, sourced from a local co-op in a rural town. I periodically treat them with lettuce, watermelon and cantaloupe, all from our garden. My wife recently treated the coop with a lot of D.E. Maybe the D.E dust is in the air and causing the respiratory issue? would that be enough to kill them so quickly? My neighbor has a sewage leak about 60 - 80 ft from my enclosed run, could that be causing potential viral outbreak or disease? The sewage is not in my run but on top of the ground nearby. Ultimately the best thing to do is get a necropsy done on a deceased bird and find out what I am dealing with. I have always read good forums on here with educated responses and thought someone might be able to tell me where I am going wrong or i am missing something.
