Weird flock issues, is something wrong with my yard?

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newchickenlady7

In the Brooder
May 30, 2021
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I am hoping to get some insight from other chicken owners about my weird flock issues.

I started my flock last September with 10 barred rock chicks and a 6 month old barred rock rooster. I did lose one around 11 weeks expected to be malnourished. At proper age I integrated and they lasted 3-5 days before my rooster started convulsing and had to be put down. No idea what happened to him. He seemed healthy and happy until then.
Fast forward a month I started getting eggs from my girls. All was good until one came up lame. She was isolated and has do be put down due to not moving, look pitiful and pooping yellow poop (not foamy just runny). Less than a month later I got another one with the same yellowish poop and water belly. She too was put down, got too thin. I lost another bird unexpectedly to what I believe was egg bound but I couldn’t help her. Less than a month later I got another bird who was sick. Yellow poop, lethargic, and not eating. She lasted a week before passing on her own. After that I got another bird same symptoms, later got water belly and passed. She was treated for coccidiosis and seemed to respond well until it came back. At the same time I had another bird who started out with light versions of the lethargic and yellow poop but Corid helped, but she seemed to have some sort of respiratory issues (maybe worms I don’t know). VetRX was given along with AVC water. She last a whole month before passing after a cold night, and didn’t recover. I technically have 3 original chickens left, one of which was rehomed, so I have 2 left.

I have 6 new 11-week-old chicks who have been doing great until yesterday I noticed one convulsing in the chicken tractor and having thick saliva in her mouth. She lasted the night but is having a hard time breathing and sounds like the saliva is making it hard to breathe. I feed them medicated feed so I have a hard time believing she has some disease.

I try and take good care of my girls and I choose to use more natural approaches when I can. The yard if sprayed using talstar for mosquitoes and fertilizer is used on the lawn. I always make sure to keep them locked in their coop when the spray is used and they stay out of the grass for 2-3 days after fertilizer is used.

Is something wrong with my yard? I keep a clean coop and the older girls have a run they have access too and free range in a chicken tractor for a few hours very few days. The chicks get out in the chicken tractor for a few hours daily. I live in Michigan in the country with a farm field next to me.

Super rough year but I’d appreciate any feedback or thoughts. Thanks
 
Do not use fertilizer or insecticide anywhere the chickens are grazing or anywhere near their grazing area. Not natural, and kills more than just mosquitos. Stop the medicated feed. Medicated feed only helps give immunity against coccidia, nothing else.
Thanks for your feedback.
The chick feed I use is by a company called Kalmbach and I use it because it’s full of essential oils and supply’s the birds with pre/probiotics which I feel can’t hurt them right?
And I wondered about the chemicals. I will definably keep an area where the birds can graze free from chemicals.
 
I am hoping to get some insight from other chicken owners about my weird flock issues.

I started my flock last September with 10 barred rock chicks and a 6 month old barred rock rooster. I did lose one around 11 weeks expected to be malnourished. At proper age I integrated and they lasted 3-5 days before my rooster started convulsing and had to be put down. No idea what happened to him. He seemed healthy and happy until then.
Fast forward a month I started getting eggs from my girls. All was good until one came up lame. She was isolated and has do be put down due to not moving, look pitiful and pooping yellow poop (not foamy just runny). Less than a month later I got another one with the same yellowish poop and water belly. She too was put down, got too thin. I lost another bird unexpectedly to what I believe was egg bound but I couldn’t help her. Less than a month later I got another bird who was sick. Yellow poop, lethargic, and not eating. She lasted a week before passing on her own. After that I got another bird same symptoms, later got water belly and passed. She was treated for coccidiosis and seemed to respond well until it came back. At the same time I had another bird who started out with light versions of the lethargic and yellow poop but Corid helped, but she seemed to have some sort of respiratory issues (maybe worms I don’t know). VetRX was given along with AVC water. She last a whole month before passing after a cold night, and didn’t recover. I technically have 3 original chickens left, one of which was rehomed, so I have 2 left.

I have 6 new 11-week-old chicks who have been doing great until yesterday I noticed one convulsing in the chicken tractor and having thick saliva in her mouth. She lasted the night but is having a hard time breathing and sounds like the saliva is making it hard to breathe. I feed them medicated feed so I have a hard time believing she has some disease.

I try and take good care of my girls and I choose to use more natural approaches when I can. The yard if sprayed using talstar for mosquitoes and fertilizer is used on the lawn. I always make sure to keep them locked in their coop when the spray is used and they stay out of the grass for 2-3 days after fertilizer is used.

Is something wrong with my yard? I keep a clean coop and the older girls have a run they have access too and free range in a chicken tractor for a few hours very few days. The chicks get out in the chicken tractor for a few hours daily. I live in Michigan in the country with a farm field next to me.

Super rough year but I’d appreciate any feedback or thoughts. Thanks
I agree the Fertilizer, & insecticide maybe the cause of your birds deaths.

I'd suggest stop using them, & see if anything changes. If you're still having deaths, then it maybe a disease affecting your birds.
 
Chickens are natural fertilizing machines, by the way. They poop alot.
Totally agree! Animals make great and somewhat free(well apart from what you put in the lol) insecticide and herbicides can defiantly be a worry . However i can help feeling something else may be the root. Eg something growing in the area plant or fungal that they are eating or maybe even drinking. Do you know if something has been discarded on the land in the past? Its a definite mystery and by the sounds of it the care you give should mean that they thrive.
 

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