Hello all,
In April of this year I purchased a batch of mixed heritage breed chicks from a commercial hatchery (making them 33 weeks now). All except one roo were sent to the freezer and I kept the hens. I have had five birds die of what seems to be the same illness and one more is now exhibiting the same symptoms. This is over the last five months. Chicken starts out very lethargic, eyes half closed. No discharge from eyes or nose. Her poop looks normal but one that passed before had super runny poop. (White and watery then yellow water) Over a week or so the symptoms get worse. They have a terrible time balancing and can not walk well. A couple ended up with either a paralyzed wing or leg. All ate and drank well right up to their demise. The hen in question at the moment seems to be hanging on the longest. She is a bantam dark Brahma. The others that passed included two brown leghorns, a buff orphington and two buff brahmas. The vet has said to bring this one in for an autopsy if she doesn’t make it. All of my other birds seem great. Still laying, very active, eating and drinking well. They are housed in a 6x8 coop with straw and pine shavings on the floor and have access to over 50square feet of outdoor run. I clean the coop every three days (I have a cloth under their roost to collect droppings) and spread new straw out on the floor. (Complete clean now is not possible as it’s -20 celsius or colder at night) I feed them a commercial layer ration and veggie scraps. They get warm oatmeal, cooked beans and pumpkin seeds sometimes. Please let me know what your thoughts are and how to prevent/cure if possible. Thank you
In April of this year I purchased a batch of mixed heritage breed chicks from a commercial hatchery (making them 33 weeks now). All except one roo were sent to the freezer and I kept the hens. I have had five birds die of what seems to be the same illness and one more is now exhibiting the same symptoms. This is over the last five months. Chicken starts out very lethargic, eyes half closed. No discharge from eyes or nose. Her poop looks normal but one that passed before had super runny poop. (White and watery then yellow water) Over a week or so the symptoms get worse. They have a terrible time balancing and can not walk well. A couple ended up with either a paralyzed wing or leg. All ate and drank well right up to their demise. The hen in question at the moment seems to be hanging on the longest. She is a bantam dark Brahma. The others that passed included two brown leghorns, a buff orphington and two buff brahmas. The vet has said to bring this one in for an autopsy if she doesn’t make it. All of my other birds seem great. Still laying, very active, eating and drinking well. They are housed in a 6x8 coop with straw and pine shavings on the floor and have access to over 50square feet of outdoor run. I clean the coop every three days (I have a cloth under their roost to collect droppings) and spread new straw out on the floor. (Complete clean now is not possible as it’s -20 celsius or colder at night) I feed them a commercial layer ration and veggie scraps. They get warm oatmeal, cooked beans and pumpkin seeds sometimes. Please let me know what your thoughts are and how to prevent/cure if possible. Thank you
