Very ill chickens

[Wil781]

So sorry to hear about your girls! Hopefully another necropsy can answer a few questions. I am going to follow your thread for updates.....once again very sorry for your losses!

 

[HuskerHens18]

So very sorry for your losses.

It's a dang shame, but reproductive problems are a huge problem in today's modern hatchery stock. I read somewhere that by the age of 5, approximately one-half of production hens will suffer from reproductive disorders. Quite simply, the egg load that modern hens are bred to produce is incredibly taxing them and is not natural. It's probably an understudied and reported problem, because commercial egg farms, as well as many backyard flock raisers, routinely replace birds after they are 18 months to two years old, so many birds don't live long enough to succumb to the disease.

If I read one of your earlier posts correctly, you have over 100 birds. The reality of this is that you may experience multiple deaths each year. It's not surprising that they would show up in Spring and early Summer when hens are ramping up egg production. It doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong, or that you have a sickly flock. Sadly, it's just the way it is. The best you can do is try to keep you hens in optimal health -- which it sounds like you are doing -- and breed for hardiness, if you have the means to do so.

Dealing with ill chickens is the worst part of chicken keeping. In many cases, there is nothing you can really do, other than to ease their passing.

I've always feared that, I have an ISA Brown and she's my sunshine. I didn't understand about how horribly bred they were and she's already over a year old. I'm so scared I will lose her young.
I plan on keeping all my chickens until the day they drop dead, but right now that's only at age 2yrs or 4mnths which isn't normal. My oldest hens are 6 and have gone through hell to last this long. They apparently have 9 lives as I've lost count how many near death experiences they've had.
Unfortunately most my birds are hatchery stock. I usually buy from a local breeder, but her good stock was slaughtered by a dog so she had to start over and the quality isn't as good as it was.

And yes, I started with 108 and am now at 101. I've always had the occasional death the last 6 years, and for the most part I've known what caused it. I definitely plan on breeding my own next year, we have awful summers and horrid winters so if they can survive those they're considered good stock to me. I hatched quite a few eggs this year from my own, luckily none from the Jersey Giant Hen or GLW. One chick's father did die last week from this unkown cause, so I hope it isn't hereditary.

 

[HuskerHens18]

So sorry to hear about your girls! Hopefully another necropsy can answer a few questions. I am going to follow your thread for updates.....once again very sorry for your losses!

I really appreciate that. I hope this is something everyone can learn from and stop from happening to their own flock, but since I have no idea what it is, it could very well just be an isolated case

 

[Barbs Girls]

I am so sorry you are going through this but hopeful that what you learn from all this will save another chickens life. Pls keep us posted. My heart hurts for you...I think I can speak for many here when I say they are not just a food source, we love them.

 

[Cat_me96]

I will definitely post the results when I hear back, I hope all Is well with your hen

Mine has been doing better. I kept giving the amoxicillin to her and she has perked back up. (Coincidentally, she got much better after our Rooster was gone)

 

[HuskerHens18]

Part of the necropsy came back and my birds are horribly infested with Coccidia, AGAIN. My vet is baffled and so am I. We've used two different meds and am now searching for a third to try and knock this out. What are some other Coccidia meds beside Amprolium and Sulfadimoxane..(forgot the spelling..)..