We don't know what this was..

[MidnightChickenLover]

Our chickens started dieing.. We have no idea what killed them, but then it all stopped. The first signs were not moving as if asleep with their eyes open or slightly closed. They would be a little more crouched than standing with their tails slightly down and their heads inward as if trying to sleep. We have seen this only to happen to four chickens, and then it just stopped. It must not have had anything to do with pecking order becuase some ranged from third highest to lowest. The one was bleeding through her rear and one other had a little bit of diaria but the others looked completely normal before death. We separated and tended to them, but they just went to "sleep". I want to what this was so that I may be able to prevent it in the future.

 

[NotTheMomma]

Sounds like coccidiosis.

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

I think more information is needed to give accurate information.

This a good starter so you know the information needed.

1) What type of bird , age and weight.


2) What is the behavior, exactly.


3) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.


4) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.


5) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.


6) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.


7) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?


8 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?


9) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.


10) Describe the housing/bedding in use


This should be all of the information needed to help solve you problem.

Hope we figure out what it is!!
Jason

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

Quote:
Thats what I was thinking, but wanted to get all of the information before deciding.

Is there any blood in the droppings?

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

That's what I thought, NotTheMomma

chickenwhisperer123, They were all different ages ranging from 6 years to almost 1 year. The breeds were Rhode Island Red, Australorp, Orpington, and Ameraucana. We have never weighed them. There was no behavior, they just seemed like they were down in the dumps... they didn't like to move. Everything was normal when they died. They didn't die at the same times though. I explained the apearances of the birds earlier. I have no pictures or I surely would have put them up earlier. We weren't sure of anything at the time. It happened stating in December. At first signs, we separated them into a closed area where they could find easy rest, food, water, and warmth if needed. We cleaned them up and called the vet. researching it i could only thing of Coccidiosis and fed them, sepearate from their usual food, treatment for it. We didn't call the vet after the second death( The first death was a shocker, the second one we called and he never came out, we learned that a day or two later they would die from it). I think it became to serious to cure them at that point, but then it all stopped. The housing and bedding. We had two areas in which they both died in. The one was an outdoor coop. We cleaned it out many times a month and relocated it to different areas for different pasture space. The other was a coop we had built along a side of our barn. We used some sort of bedding, it wasn't pine or anything that would harm them (we made sure of that), and it was cleaned weekly. We also had a cat door installed that they used to go out and eat the flies and what they wanted from a real pasture.

I have another question: Can chickens get coccidiosis from goats? We had a horrible case once and it almost killed her, she had a one in a thousand shot of living our vet said, she lived!!! We were sooo thrilled. We did everything we could to save her, she is such a dear. Now she is the little pig on the farm

But I think she knows that we saved her becuase she follows us around like she depends on us, she is such a little baby

. At the time, the chickens were not near the barn area though. I'm just wondering....becuase it was our first time breeding goats and weren't sure of anything at the time. We were prepared for the possibilities though! And have learn from the tragic experience, Our goat leader said that it comes with having goats.. and that we would all have simialr experiences becuase that is they way the world works.... he is a smart man....very smart man

 

[NotTheMomma]

I have found nothing that says it is species specific. In other words, good possibility it came from the goats. That is my biggest worry about letting dogs eat the chicken's poop. Ya just never know. Plus if that chicken has worms, then it will be in the dog! No thanks!

I'm really glad it stopped, and now you know the signs to watch for. Many times you'll only notice the poofed up appearance, and then death. Later you might notice that there was a bloody poop a few days before, or the day of death. It's brutal for all animals.