Urgent Help Please! This Spider Killed 2 Chickens Already!

[KristinLLB]

Is that giant thing on the tree trunk your spider? Holy crap!
And that Thailand spider is going to give me a nightmare tonight, sitting on that little girl's hand.
I am not normally squeamish about spiders, but good lord. If I saw those I would cover my entire yard in DE.

 

[Muggsmagee]

We have them here and i have seen my chickens eat them and they are still laying eggs and crowing.
here is one in a tree by one of my ponds, it has been in this tree a week moving from place to place, guess there is good hunting in that tree.

Holy mother of God, that thing is HUGE! Just gave me the HEEBIES!!! I grew up in Houston and never saw anything like that. I feel the sudden urge to go hose myself down now.

 

[crchickens]

We have them here and i have seen my chickens eat them and they are still laying eggs and crowing.
here is one in a tree by one of my ponds, it has been in this tree a week moving from place to place, guess there is good hunting in that tree.

This is a fisher spider, and they are harmless. I think the OP's spider is different.

 

[centrarchid]

"Brown Huntsman" (Heteropoda Venatoria). After much searching online I think I may have discovered the species of spider in my photo above. Are there any spider experts here please who could confirm this?

Also, if a chicken was to eat this spider would it cause paralysis, heaving breathing and then death within 6-8 hours?

Many thanks.

Thailand,

I suspect strongly that consumption of or bites by brown huntsman is not cause of losses. Chickens are very good at killing such prior to consumption and I could find no suggestions that the spider itself is toxic. In order for poison to work, the animal must bite and inject venom and chicken usually disables that option as part of killing dismemberment process.

 

[NJchixs]

All these spider pictures are giving me the heeby jeebies! if I found that thing on my tree in the yard, you'd never see me out there again. OP, I hope you can get to the bottom of what killed your chickens.

 

[liz9910]

OMG! That spider is in your backyard!!!!!

 

[Sjisty]

Reminder to self: NEVER go to Texas again!

 

[yorklady]

OMG! I have wanted to move to Texas for years. That spider has changed my mind. I am terrified of spiders. If I saw one that big I would still be screaming!

 

[thailand]

Centrarchid, maybe I'm wrong then about a spider killing my chickens?

Thanks for your post, it's made me think about other possibilities.

Ok, supposing it wasn't the spider, can someone tell me what would cause the following:

Completely healthy looking hen, laying regularly, bright red comb and waddles. Eggs became a little thin shelled of late, then stopped laying. Not broody (done that already), not molting. Eating, walking, free-ranging every day, very happy chicken. (Saw her eat one those spiders). Next day went to let her out of the coop in the morning to free-range with the others. She couldn't stand up or walk, kinda crawled/shuffled out while sitting down! Not interested in eating or drinking which was unusual. Immediately took her to the vets. While there she started to kinda choke up a little bit phlegm, and was heaving to breathe. They took blood tests, started antibiotics, injected with something to prevent shock, started an IV, and gave oxygen. Spent the entire day at the vets. Received a phone call to come and pick her up in late evening. Arrived to find she'd just died. Results of the blood test - Avian malaria in her system. Don't know how heavy a load.

Barely 3 weeks later, fed chickens in the morning but kept inside coop as we were going away for the day. Rooster very very healthy looking, blood red comb and waddles, crowing, eating, drinking, walking around. Nothing in the slightest unusual in his behavior. Time: 6am. Chickens were checked on at 1pm by a friend and all was as it should be. Received a phone call at 4pm to say that my rooster couldn't stand up and was heaving to breathe. Arrived home 2 1/2 hours later to find him dead in the coop (with the remains of a spider in his mouth)!

Question: If this really is Avian Malaria, can a seemingly healthy, strong chicken just suddenly develop paralysis, then have difficulty breathing, then die within a short time-frame of only 6-8 hours +/- ?

If not Avian Malaria, then what? The vet did say that the hen had lice. Could this be the answer? I'm almost frantic to try to figure this out. I do not want my remaining 3 hens to die.

I've wormed the 3 hens today (all are totally ok so far) with Piperazine and will follow up with Cydectin in 10 days time (just in case worms/lice are the problem).

If you can't tell already, I'm really hoping that the malaria thing is just a side issue, and that my remaining hens aren't simply sitting on death row waiting.

All further advice very gratefully received.

Many thanks

 

[centrarchid]

My understanding of avian malaria is that it can hit vulnerable birds hard and fast. Anything that interferes with breathing and oxygen transport seriosly degrades all activities very rapidly. There is likely to be many forms of the disease and some are likely more virilant than others.