Weird flock issues, is something wrong with my yard?

[NorthwoodsChick]

Yes, they use chemicals. I try and always but the girls up when they are using them. So far the 2 larger girls have been fine. The chicks are in the garage so they aren’t affected.

Based on the symptoms you describe it sounds like a toxin. First thought with a neighboring farm was glyphosphate, aka roundup. Typically it is safe for animals to go out and graze after about 3 days after spraying. I don't know if roundup ready seeds have a longer effect or if that leeches into surrounding soil. Anyone??

 

[Crazy Maizie]

What exactly are the essential oils you mention?

I am not sure. Looks like it's a marketing ploy. It states it on the bag, but I don't see any listed. I wonder if they are using the terms, but referring to oils and natural flavors in the ingredient list.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Here's the medicated chick feed - it says a proprietary blend from the ""lifeguard" blend.

 

[aart]

I am not sure. Looks like it's a marketing ploy. It states it on the bag, but I don't see any listed. I wonder if they are using the terms, but referring to oils and natural flavors in the ingredient list.

Could very well be....you'd have to search for other fine print and dig deep to figure it out.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Could very well be....you'd have to search for other fine print and dig deep to figure it out.

I can look at my actual bag. But, I don't think there's enough of it to do any harm or good.

 

[mn farm gal]

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 don't have much to offer as far as your girls getting sick. Except maybe it is something in the water? are you on well water? city water?

I am not experienced by any means, as this is my first time having chicks. But i opted to not use the medicated feed and I use CHICKEN ELIXIR daily in my girls water instead. It has essential oils, prebiotics, calcium, vitamin D & E and electrolytes. Plus they love it!!

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Based on the symptoms you describe it sounds like a toxin. First thought with a neighboring farm was glyphosphate, aka roundup. Typically it is safe for animals to go out and graze after about 3 days after spraying. I don't know if roundup ready seeds have a longer effect or if that leeches into surrounding soil. Anyone??

The field sprayer is rinsed out in the same yard as the chickens. Glyphosate is used in the yard and around the coop throughout the year to suppress undesirable plant growth. It's sprayed in the evening once the chickens are roosting and the chickens are released to free-range the next day. The birds have been fed grain from the fields that are sprayed, for 6+ years. There have been no issues as stated.

Glyphosate inhibits the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. It's a key component of the shikimate pathway. Inhibition of the shikimate pathway blocks aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in plants, resulting in the death of those plants. The shikimate pathway is found only in microorganisms and plants, not in animals. Mammals don't have this pathway. Neither do birds. The spraying you see, the majority is water. The covering of the seed might be exposed to the spray, but not the seed itself. A quick search shows mixing directions as 5 tablespoons in 1 gallon of water. I believe a pop amount sprays a football field. Pesticides are expensive, no one wants to use more than they have to. To give context, alcoholic beverages are classified as a Group 1 carcinogen.

Glyphosphate is patented as an antimicrobial agent, for several families of susceptible organisms that cause grief such as toxoplasmosis.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

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 you have a garden with plants that may be toxic? That can be an issue with livestock in pastures. Are the chicks from the same supply? That can be a factor. Are they overcrowded or exposed to stress. That can be very hard on animal health.

May I ask, why was the 11-week old bird considered malnourished?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

The field sprayer is rinsed out in the same yard as the chickens. Glyphosate is used in the yard and around the coop throughout the year to suppress undesirable plant growth. It's sprayed in the evening once the chickens are roosting and the chickens are released to free-range the next day. The birds have been fed grain from the fields that are sprayed, for 6+ years. There have been no issues as stated.

Glyphosate inhibits the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. It's a key component of the shikimate pathway. Inhibition of the shikimate pathway blocks aromatic amino acid biosynthesis in plants, resulting in the death of those plants. The shikimate pathway is found only in microorganisms and plants, not in animals. Mammals don't have this pathway. Neither do birds. The spraying you see, the majority is water. The covering of the seed might be exposed to the spray, but not the seed itself. A quick search shows mixing directions as 5 tablespoons in 1 gallon of water. I believe a pop amount sprays a football field. Pesticides are expensive, no one wants to use more than they have to. To give context, alcoholic beverages are classified as a Group 1 carcinogen.

Glyphosphate is patented as an antimicrobial agent, for several families of susceptible organisms that cause grief such as toxoplasmosis.

I did not know about the pathway..thanks for that. And I glad to hear your girls have done well for 6 yrs on roundup ready grain. I respectfully disagree with the statement that it is not toxic due to lack of shikimate enzymatic pathway in mammals. There are acute toxic effects due to the surfactant effect while spraying if inhaled leading to respiratory distress (like most chemicals), albeit a low chance of eventual pulmonary fibrosis with repeated exposure..quantity and time. If swallowed or ingested, however, glyphosphate is acutely toxic leading to increased salivation, esophageal inflammation, nausea, vomiting and so on, increasing chance of aspiration pneumonia and possibly drowning in ones own secretions. Personally, if I use glyphosphate I do so early to mid-day to allow proper dry time and do not let my pets or children out to the area for 24 hrs. I avoid evening spraying because, in my climate, we get dew most summer days and that would not allow the product adequate time to dry.

 

[Iluveggers]

I did not know about the pathway..thanks for that. And I glad to hear your girls have done well for 6 yrs on roundup ready grain. I respectfully disagree with the statement that it is not toxic due to lack of shikimate enzymatic pathway in mammals. There are acute toxic effects due to the surfactant effect while spraying if inhaled leading to respiratory distress (like most chemicals), albeit a low chance of eventual pulmonary fibrosis with repeated exposure..quantity and time. If swallowed or ingested, however, glyphosphate is acutely toxic leading to increased salivation, esophageal inflammation, nausea, vomiting and so on, increasing chance of aspiration pneumonia and possibly drowning in ones own secretions. Personally, if I use glyphosphate I do so early to mid-day to allow proper dry time and do not let my pets or children out to the area for 24 hrs. I avoid evening spraying because, in my climate, we get dew most summer days and that would not allow the product adequate time to dry.

I agree. I will never use roundup or have my animals near it or eating anything that has been sprayed by it. There have been many instances of cancer being linked to Roundup, and my parents who live next to someone who sprays had 2 dead wild birds (robins) on their lawn shortly after the neighbor sprayed. I’ll take the weeds and anything else that goes along with a clean yard.