Sick hens - ideas/advice needed

[FritzerAndHens]

Hello! I'm a newer chicken keeper. I had a hen pass away of something sudden, and now another (months after) is ill with seemingly the same thing.

Symptoms from both my gone hen and the now sick hen: Lethargy, green runny stool, not walking/using legs properly. At first drinking and eating but tapers off. (Living hen drank a good bit of water when I brought her in, but isn't interested in food) My past hen died only 2 or 3 days after I noticed her being tired and brought her inside. She's also started panting a bit. Wings and tail droop.

This is maybe day 2 with this hen. She was hiding in the yard 2 nights ago and I recovered her in the morning. I thought she was just exhausted from getting caught out in a storm. (Not for lack of trying, I looked everywhere for her and was even crawling around under the deck...) I kept her on her own for a bit and when she was seeming better opened the door. But she wouldn't come out. I took her out and set her down and she stood with her toes folded under and wouldn't walk. I have her in the house now.

I cleaned the coop (It's a big 13×9) as well as I could after my other hen passed. I'm just wondering what this could be. I'd assume something baterical if it happened months ago and now with a different hen. But I really don't know. Nothing online seems to match her symptoms without having other things I haven't seen at all with either hen.

Let me know if more info is needed I'm pretty panicked at the moment and probably missed a lot lol

Hen is just about 2, gold laced Wyandotte, maybe 6 pounds or so. She hasn't lost weight yet. But the previous hen did drop weight before she passed.
I assume the current sick girl has been under the weather for a bit before I noticed, there's been a lot going on medically with my human family.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

I've not ever experienced vitamin deficiency in a bird this age, nor have I experienced curly toed paralysis, but those were the two things that came up when I searched. In my experience, it never hurts to give them vitamin B drops, but my issues have all been with birds under one year old. I'm hoping someone else here can be of more help.

 

[FritzerAndHens]

Hello! I'm a newer chicken keeper. I had a hen pass away of something sudden, and now another (months after) is ill with seemingly the same thing.

Symptoms from both my gone hen and the now sick hen: Lethargy, green runny stool, not walking/using legs properly. At first drinking and eating but tapers off. (Living hen drank a good bit of water when I brought her in, but isn't interested in food) My past hen died only 2 or 3 days after I noticed her being tired and brought her inside. She's also started panting a bit. Wings and tail droop.

This is maybe day 2 with this hen. She was hiding in the yard 2 nights ago and I recovered her in the morning. I thought she was just exhausted from getting caught out in a storm. (Not for lack of trying, I looked everywhere for her and was even crawling around under the deck...) I kept her on her own for a bit and when she was seeming better opened the door. But she wouldn't come out. I took her out and set her down and she stood with her toes folded under and wouldn't walk. I have her in the house now.

I cleaned the coop (It's a big 13×9) as well as I could after my other hen passed. I'm just wondering what this could be. I'd assume something baterical if it happened months ago and now with a different hen. But I really don't know. Nothing online seems to match her symptoms without having other things I haven't seen at all with either hen.

Let me know if more info is needed I'm pretty panicked at the moment and probably missed a lot lol

Hen is just about 2, gold laced Wyandotte, maybe 6 pounds or so. She hasn't lost weight yet. But the previous hen did drop weight before she passed.
I assume the current sick girl has been under the weather for a bit before I noticed, there's been a lot going on medically with my human family.

Small update. She passed last night. I'd still like everyone's guesses so I can prevent this in the future.

 

[FunClucks]

Sorry you lost your hen. Sounds like possible Merek's disease to me. You can't prevent or eliminate it if it is in your flock, but you can do things to live with it and prevent it from spreading to other people's flocks. There are some good Articles on this site in the Learning Center that can help you figure out your options.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. If you still have the hen’s body, could you place it in garbage bags and in a cooler on ice, or in the refrigerator? Then you could take or send her body to your state vet lab today for a necropsy. That is the best way to know what you might be dealing with. Mareks disease comes to mind, but many other things can look like it. Had the hens laid eggs in the months before they died? What did they eat? Have you ever noticed any mold or an off odor or color in their feed. Mold or other toxins in outdoor plants can be a cause of death. If you see any other chicken looking similar, take pictures of how they are lying or standing. Here is a list of state vets labs to contact if you want to get a necropsy or testing:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...7IOlHOhP-eD8qMtZ70RNq6BMO9kVUn3x6so7q0Z_JgEr8

 

[FritzerAndHens]

Sorry for your loss. If you still have the hen’s body, could you place it in garbage bags and in a cooler on ice, or in the refrigerator? Then you could take or send her body to your state vet lab today for a necropsy. That is the best way to know what you might be dealing with. Mareks disease comes to mind, but many other things can look like it. Had the hens laid eggs in the months before they died? What did they eat? Have you ever noticed any mold or an off odor or color in their feed. Mold or other toxins in outdoor plants can be a cause of death. If you see any other chicken looking similar, take pictures of how they are lying or standing. Here is a list of state vets labs to contact if you want to get a necropsy or testing:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...7IOlHOhP-eD8qMtZ70RNq6BMO9kVUn3x6so7q0Z_JgEr8

I have her and the other hen that passes this way in a freezer.
In both cases, they only started acting off maybe a week at most before dying. Usually my other hens go after the unwell ones (I have a one-eyed hen kept separate) and I only notice that maybe 3 or 4 days before they pass. It seems sudden. They're just kind of tired one day but still eating, drinking. Then by day 3 they just sit and look miserable, maybe drinking some water.

I'm not certain with the other hen, but the one that just died, Verbena, laid a perfectly fine egg just about 2 days prior to passing. She'd been an every day egger since she started, even through most of winter.

They eat Producer's Pride feed and I mix some dry herbs and such in. They get frequent fresh veggies as well. Nothing old or rotten. Nothing in the yard to get into.

So far everyone else is doing perfectly fine. Nothing abnormal. I've started work on deep cleaning the coop just in case it's something in there but it's pretty clean!

Marek's is what I keep hearing but I have no clue. It's weird how spaced out the deaths are. I had one almost a year ago (Verbena's sister) that passed, but it wasn't all the same. She was lethargic and wouldn't eat for a few days. I ended up driving out an hour away to a vet that euthanized her for me. In the end she just seemed uncomfortable and tired, and had lost weight.

I'm wondering if it's something with the place I've bought most of them from. I'd gotten 4 light brahmas that all passed in different ways within a year, a different location but the same chain so I'm sure the same supplier.

I guess my long term plan is to do my best with my remaining hens and ducks and when they all pass, take everything apart and sanitize before I think about more.

I'll see about having her body looked at but I'm not sure that's an expense I can do for a while.

Thank you for taking the time to try and help me

 

[FritzerAndHens]

Sorry you lost your hen. Sounds like possible Merek's disease to me. You can't prevent or eliminate it if it is in your flock, but you can do things to live with it and prevent it from spreading to other people's flocks. There are some good Articles on this site in the Learning Center that can help you figure out your options.

Thank you for the advice. I'll look at more stuff. It's hard with how many symptoms overlap to figure it out! I'm the only chicken keeper in my neighborhood but I'll absolutely take precautions to prevent spread either way.

 

[FritzerAndHens]

I've not ever experienced vitamin deficiency in a bird this age, nor have I experienced curly toed paralysis, but those were the two things that came up when I searched. In my experience, it never hurts to give them vitamin B drops, but my issues have all been with birds under one year old. I'm hoping someone else here can be of more help.

Thank you. I'll see about vitamins. I do add things to their food to boost it some and they get lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

 

[Eggcessive]

What state are you in? Some states can offer inexpensive necropsies while some are more expensive. California and some states with large poultry producers may offer more for less. The body should be kept cold but not frozen for a necropsy. You may have to discuss freezing the body with the state lab to see if they can do anything with it. Here is a list of state vet labs to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...7IOlHOhP-eD8qMtZ70RNq6BMO9kVUn3x6so7q0Z_JgEr8

 

[FritzerAndHens]

What state are you in? Some states can offer inexpensive necropsies while some are more expensive. California and some states with large poultry producers may offer more for less. The body should be kept cold but not frozen for a necropsy. You may have to discuss freezing the body with the state lab to see if they can do anything with it. Here is a list of state vet labs to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...7IOlHOhP-eD8qMtZ70RNq6BMO9kVUn3x6so7q0Z_JgEr8

Ah OK. I'm in Michigan. I'll take a look.
I know a vet who has done necropsies on hens but it is expensive with her and my tab is already pretty high lol
I know she and people she's worked with have said with birds it's hard to tell what exactly it was even with a necropsy... but still worth a shot if I can.