Unknown illness . Lost one chicken and the 2nd on the way

[aelk5579]

Hi

About 4 months ago I lost a chicken to a illness which I never really knew what it was. It didn't fit the description of any I read online. Now I have another chicken dying of the dames symptoms

Basically it starts of with the chicken losong appetite and you can see calcified discharge from her vent. The tail is covered in some cement like hard substance. After about a week, the chicken will isolate itself and will eventually start bleeding from the vent. It is unable to walk properly and has a limp.
Will probably die within 24 hours.

Any idea what this could be and is it infectious? Should I remove the ill chicken from the coop?

Thanks

 

[Avalongirl83]

As a precaution, always remove a potentially sick chicken away from the healthy chickens. If it is infectious, it will help limit the spread. If it isn't, it will prevent the other chickens from pecking her and allow her to rest and recover. If the other chickens see blood, they will usually pick at it, sometimes, to death.

I have never heard of the symptoms she seems to have but can tell you general recommendations for a sick chicken. Remove her from the flock. Give her a small cage away from the others and any possible stressors. Dark and warm locations are usually best. Try to help her by giving her vitamins (save a chick or other probiotics) to help support her immune system. Give her lots and lots of water. If she seems to be having a digestive issue, try to limit what she is eating to things that are easy to digest. Yogurts, chick mash, even chick crumbles to help limit the strain on her digestive system. For the safety of your other chickens, clean the community areas well and remove any poop present.

I truly hope your girls get better and none othe become infected.

 

[aelk5579]

Thanks for that. I will remove her from the flock just in case it is an infectious disease.

When it happened to my previous hen, I thought she was egg bound and cleaned her vent but there was no egg stuck. Maybe some sort of fungal growth?

None of the vets close by are willing to see a hen.

 

[Avalongirl83]

Going to bump this in case someone here can help.

 

[aelk5579]

Thanks

 

[aelk5579]

Bump...

Hen is not doing well. Thinking of putting it down to relieve its misery.

I just hope whatever the illness is not contagious.

 

[aelk5579]

It just died

 

[Sarevan]

Hi

About 4 months ago I lost a chicken to a illness which I never really knew what it was. It didn't fit the description of any I read online. Now I have another chicken dying of the dames symptoms

Basically it starts of with the chicken losong appetite and you can see calcified discharge from her vent. The tail is covered in some cement like hard substance. After about a week, the chicken will isolate itself and will eventually start bleeding from the vent. It is unable to walk properly and has a limp.
Will probably die within 24 hours.

Any idea what this could be and is it infectious? Should I remove the ill chicken from the coop?

Thanks

I am sorry for your loss. Maybe with further questions we can figure out what is happening. Or if you are in the US follow this link to send the bird in for a necropsy to a state vet or other agency they refer you to.http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/statevets.aspx

The hen when is becoming ill were you able to do a vent exam to check for an egg or parts of an egg? The discharge, is it solid calcified or looks calcified as in white gummy mess? Does the vent have a very strong odor? Are the poops runny and yellowish or more normal? If she is laying is she still laying while this is going on? In general did she stink?

I think she may have had a very bad case of vent gleet, even roosters can get it. The hen I have that had a bad case of it, had her tail feathers become stiff and area below vent covered in the discharge that dried very solid. The fresh discharge was slimy and she smelled very bad. She did have bleeding from her vent as it was so irritated internally and externally. The vent sphincter muscles were split much like chapped lips and bleeding. This made her walk funny to relieve the irratation to her backside.

I used anti fungal, the same prescribed for women with yeast infections. I injected some inside the vent and smeared it externally around vent. This was after I had given her a warm bath to clean up her hinney and feathers on butt. I had to cut feathers away as they were so badly massed together and pulling her skin. As she wasn't eating or drinking I had to tube feed and water her. Here is a link for tube feeding. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding. Another thing that can cause this is a very heavy infestation of worms, here is another link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805557/is-this-vent-gleet-please-help-pictures

They can have multiple things going on that brings them down and in combination deadly. Mites and lice will make a bird quit eating and can cause anemia from blood loss or death. I worm with valbazen and kill mites and lice with Sevin dust both need second doses to kill any that may have hatched in 10 days. Cleaning of bedding to prevent reinfestation.

Again sorry for your loss. Btw my hen died, she was also an internal layer, that was the cause of her death.

 

[pound4pound]

i'm sorry for your loss. have the bird for necropsy.

if there is a second one, chances are the infection are on your premises.

dont bury a dead bird in your premises. your just planting bacterial infection in your yard.

if the birds are sick, put them down bec. you're fighting a losing battle and its much better to start better after 6 mos (rest the land first by putting lime in the soil, plant some grasses for birds to eat, burning some previously used wood items by your birds to prevent transmission to new birds.)

check out picky eaters and the ones not eating well.

load their water for electrolytes for 2 weeks, if they've improved, alternate it with clean water every other day.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
x2 Vent gleet.