Sudden deaths

[Zoey..]

today I came home for lunch, collected my eggs, chickens were fine. Approx 6 hours later three of my youngest (6mos) were dead.

Gnats are heavy now. I noticed some green tinted poop in the coop but they were out on fresh mowed grass 2 days ago. Hens didn't appear to have anything wrong but I didn't know about gnats at that point so didn't check noses. One older (2 yo) hen has gooey brown on her butt... but I'm not sure if they are stressed because of the gnats. They aren't going outside much. Any suggestions??? Don't want to lose any more of my flock (5 left)

 

[mustang56]

Have you checked for lice or mites...? They kill quickly... you may already know this..
I don't know much about gnats and chickens, unless they are flying up the nostrils and clogging them up...?
Check for sour crop.... grass has a tendency to not break down in the crop, if its long pieces... and of coarse if the crop isn't empty each night, it can cause build up and
kill the bird if you can't get rid of it... so just check an make sure...

 

[mustang56]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/buffalo-gnats-killing-chickens.185421/

 

[mustang56]

I'd get those chickens out of that grass and to an area with no knats..!!.... and dust them.
I just read about this, cause I looked it up...

 

[mustang56]

http://wholefedhomestead.com/use-va...ns-from-gnats-biting-flies-and-biting-midges/

 

[Zoey..]

Bug soother is ok for animals, so I've been spraying them with that and it seems to help. The gnats are bad absolutely everywhere. I did put up fly strips on the windows.

Thanks for the mite advice. I don't see any but dusted them anyways just in case. I checked my older girls out... one has plucked her belly... their vent feathers are gross but there's no drainage from their vents... some have plucked some vent feathers... but none are noticeably bald or anything. Poop appears normal today. Does this sound like mites/lice? They aren't as fluffy as usual but along with the gnats we are experiencing unseasonably warm temps right now in the 80s

 

[Zoey..]

Also, how often should they be dusted if I'm currently treating it?

 

[mustang56]

10 days after the first dusting..... that is if they had lice or anything at all...
We actually put dimatious earth... which is spelled wrong....!
inside their pens and outside.... mix it in with their bedding, which some is sand
and dirt, and others are chips.... I also have kitty litter boxes in some that I mix with sand, and a lot of the girls will dust in it...
I don't know if the loss of feathers is because of bugs or they are just molting...
stress I know can sometimes bring on molting... (maybe the knats are driving them crazy...?) maybe bath their behinds in warm water for 15 minutes or so.... if there is something there you can't see with your eyes... might drown the critters, bugs, or whatever.... =)

 

[mustang56]

How to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats & Bad Bugs Organically
this is for his garden.... but thought it might be helpful...