Sick chickens

[Beth21]

I have had cases of one chicken at a time getting week and droopy so I separate them and give them a vitamin supplement of b-12 but they never make it. And
this happens about ounce a month. And it's not just among hens. What could it be?

 

[TOP KNOT]

Tell us how you keep them and what they are being fed. do you have pics of their living quarters? Is their house drafty, wet, or dusty? Sometimes someone else can immediately "see" the cause of the problem.

 

[Sarevan]

Do they have any mucus, crustiness around nostrils, weepy, bubbly eyes, strange breathing sounds? Any smell from the bird, head or the butt that is very strong? Eyes bright and clear?

Are they eating, drinking normally? How does the crop feel? Soft, very squishy or hard like soft clay? What do the poops look like? Does the crop empty overnight or still full in the morning?

They fluffing up feathers, head pulled in, sleeping a lot, keeping themselves away from the others? Do they roost with others? Any signs of not being able to keep balance? Legs or wings held out stiffly from body?

When did you last worm? Have you checked them over for mites and lice? Can be found around the vent, under wings and breast are very tiny light brown to white. Eggs can be seen on feather vanes. I found them on my hens at night when they were roosting checking them over with a flashlight.

I use Sevin dust on all birds, clean coop of bedding, sprinkle the dust all over getting into gaps and on roosts. Worms can be found in poo or not. Vet can check over a stool sample to verify worms or not. Safeguard or Valbazen (what I use) gets all worms, repeat in 10 days for the dusting and worms.

My one hen was lethargic and losing weight so she got wormed and dusted with everyone else. She is peppy, and gained weight back. I think it was a combination of worms and mites that brought her down. I had given her vitamin shot also to help her metabolize feed better that on its own was not enough.

 

[Sarevan]

Tell us how you keep them and what they are being fed. do you have pics of their living quarters? Is their house drafty, wet, or dusty? Sometimes someone else can immediately  "see" the cause of the problem.

Pictures would be good, but you need 10 posts to be able to submit pictures in the forums.

 

[Beth21]

I am new to all of this so some of this stuff I don't know to interpret i. I have never wormed them. Wouldn't even know how to. I do have a few younger chickens that have glazy eyes as if to be blind.not sure about that either. Raising chickens has been tough for me so far!

 

[ten chicks]

I have had cases of one chicken at a time getting week and droopy so I separate them and give them a vitamin supplement of b-12 but they never make it. And
this happens about ounce a month. And it's not just among hens. What could it be?

Explain chickens dying once a month. How old are your birds,have you recently introduced new birds?

Have you looked at Coccidiosis as a possible cause? Coccidiosis is a parasitic infection of the intestinal tract and can kill very fast,but is easily controlled using a coccidiostat.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

You can get poultry wormers, as powder or paste, at your local feed store. With the powder wormer you just add it to their drinking water. Don't you eat their eggs for several days after though. You can also add a vitamin supplement the same way and that might be all they need.

 

[Beth21]

Some birds are probably around a yr old the rest are less than 6 mo old. They are fed grower and some scratch grain. The younger ones seem to have runny stool and some have glazy eyes but they are getting around great. The one that is sick this time is my golden laced Wyandotte . Her colmb is a light shade of purple it s not bright red like it should these are all isolated sicknesses months apart not all at one time. .

 

[ten chicks]

Some birds are probably around a yr old the rest are less than 6 mo old. They are fed grower and some scratch grain. The younger ones seem to have runny stool and some have glazy eyes but they are getting around great. The one that is sick this time is my golden laced Wyandotte . Her colmb is a light shade of purple it s not bright red like it should these are all isolated sicknesses months apart not all at one time. .

There has never been any discharge from eyes/nostrils,coughing/sneezing? When did this start,meaning did it start after you introduced new birds and how many months ago,how old were the youngest birds(when deaths started) and what age group were the first to die? Do you use a heat lamp? How many deaths have you had and what age group is most affected?

Are symptoms runny/watery poop,fluffed feathers,not eating/drinking.

It is possible you have one or more issues in flock.that is why we have to know all information.

 

[Beth21]

I haven't seen any discharge from anybody some sneezing but nothing with discharge. It not my youngest birds that are dying it's the middle to older ones both
There not old only being a yr or so at the most. I keep clean water for them. I do use heat lamps when it get around freezing and I feed them grower at the time. Because there is younger chickens in there so it's to early for layer. The chicken that just suddenly get weak and die look great a day before they get like this. No sneezing or anything so idk if it's just they need to be wormed or what I have no clue.