very slow moving illness???

[GretchenM]

I have lost 4 hens in the past 6-8 weeks to some unidentifiable illness, and now a fifth seems to be ill. The pattern is that one will seem to start feeling bad (slightly lethargic, not real exciting about Treat Time, etc.), and gradually get worse over a few days, then die. A few days later, the same will happen to another. It's about one death every other week. I started with about 35, to give you an idea of the flock size.

I was giving them Duramycin in their water for a week and then stopped 3 days ago. Now another is ill. So I went back to the Duramycin, just b/c I don't know what else to do!

The very slow spread, and only one at a time seems so odd to me.

Does anyone have any ideas?

THANK YOU!!!!

 

[GretchenM]

Also, it MAY be that all of these came from our most recent additions, but I'm not certain. If so, we got them last May, so they're not babies, and from Murray McMurray, which vaccinates.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would suspect coccidiosis since you have added new chickens. Was your vaccine mareks or coccidiosis vaccines or both? I would probably give them all a round of Corid (amprollium) to the ones who did not have a cocci vaccine. Corid liquid 2 tsp (or Corid powder 1.15 tsp) per gallon of water for 5 days is the treatment. Symptoms are diarrhea, lethargy, huddling or puffing up, poor appetite, and sometimes there is blood in poop, but only in a few strains. Here is a link: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html

 

[GretchenM]

Thank you very much. They are SUPPOSED to have been vaccinated against BOTH by McMurray. I wonder if it would hurt to give them the Corid in addition (if they actually were vaccinated, and the cause is something else)? I've heard in the past that one shouldn't do this, but maybe I'll look into that more deeply.

Most of those symptoms are similar for so many chickie illnesses/problems, it seems! If only they could speak English...

 

[Eggcessive]

I've never had chicks with the coccidiosis vaccine, but I have heard that one shouldn't use medicated feed after having the vaccine. Amprollium which is the same medicine in the feed and in Corid is said to invalidate the vaccine, but I have no real experience. I would probably call MM hatchery and discuss it, or maybe someone with more experience on it will chime in. I think it is possible to still get cocci after vaccination, because a lady here recently had to treat for it.