Hi all, My beautiful, sweet Tracy was fine yesterday morning, then early afternoon we noticed that she stayed inside instead of going out with my other two girls and we also noticed very watery but small droppings. When roosting time came she didn't want to go up, but after a while she jumped up on a stool and I helped her the rest of the way. We checked on her around midnight and she was on the perch, but had passed a fair amount of liquid and was panting a little. I thought I had enough time to give her water with electrolytes first thing in the morning, but at 7:30 I found her dead on the poop board... already stiff... Any idea what could have caused this? We took her to UC Davis for a necropsy and I'll report back when we find out...
1) What type of bird:
- Ameraucana?
- age: 2 yrs
- weight: she was our biggest chicken (out of 3) I think 4-5 pounds - not underweight, possibly a little overweight.
2) What is the behavior, exactly:
- about 12 hours before (suspected time of death) isolated, a little lethargic, didn't want to roost, watery droppings, eventually panting, death.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
- We were around her all morning and early afternoon and first noticed isolating around 3-4 pm, she was probably dead by 3 or 4 am.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
- none at all, at least not as of roosting time. Good appetite before roosting nothing of note.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
- No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
- No real idea... except that there is salmonella in wild birds right now, so could be it, except that she has been spending little time outside and much of the yard is covered with netting - so very few birds go through there, and we don't feed the chickens outside. In addition another hen, Blondie, may have Mareks (she has had trouble walking on and off for the last year and a half but otherwise healthy) but she is still alive and Tracy has seemed to be perfectly healthy.
PS: Edit: I'm wondering if she might have eaten a tulip petal that fell off a plant my boyfriend gave me for valentines day... anyone know if that would have been enough to kill her? I just read that they are poisonous and I'm wondering if one petal would have been enough....
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
- She usually has a pretty voracious appetite, stealing food and treats from the others. The only thing I noticed yesterday morning is that she was inspecting some fruit a little more carefully. She eats a combination of seed (millet, milo, corn, wheat, safflower seed and oil (fresh and dry), pellets, plain yogurt, greens (such as spinach and arugula, dark lettuces, grass) different fruits depending on what's in season, meal worms and crickets. Oystershell with grit, magnesium, Lysine. I add B complex to the seed. We also put "Rooster Booster" in their water with vitamins, electrolytes and lactobacillus.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
- They had sometimes been smaller, multiple poops, but other times fine until yesterday afternoon they became very watery with some mucous and yellow, little green.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
- none... it started late in the day. I thought I'd have time to give her electrolytes this morning... and possibly take her to the vet.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use:
- she's been sleeping in a back room of the house on a perch over a poop board that is cleaned daily.
Thanks in advance!
RIP Tracy... the best chicken! She NEVER pecked the other chickens, even though they did, and she was much bigger and stronger. She would give me these deep stares, that made me wonder what she was thinking about - I think there was a lot going on up there...
1) What type of bird:
- Ameraucana?
- age: 2 yrs
- weight: she was our biggest chicken (out of 3) I think 4-5 pounds - not underweight, possibly a little overweight.
2) What is the behavior, exactly:
- about 12 hours before (suspected time of death) isolated, a little lethargic, didn't want to roost, watery droppings, eventually panting, death.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
- We were around her all morning and early afternoon and first noticed isolating around 3-4 pm, she was probably dead by 3 or 4 am.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
- none at all, at least not as of roosting time. Good appetite before roosting nothing of note.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
- No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
- No real idea... except that there is salmonella in wild birds right now, so could be it, except that she has been spending little time outside and much of the yard is covered with netting - so very few birds go through there, and we don't feed the chickens outside. In addition another hen, Blondie, may have Mareks (she has had trouble walking on and off for the last year and a half but otherwise healthy) but she is still alive and Tracy has seemed to be perfectly healthy.
PS: Edit: I'm wondering if she might have eaten a tulip petal that fell off a plant my boyfriend gave me for valentines day... anyone know if that would have been enough to kill her? I just read that they are poisonous and I'm wondering if one petal would have been enough....
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
- She usually has a pretty voracious appetite, stealing food and treats from the others. The only thing I noticed yesterday morning is that she was inspecting some fruit a little more carefully. She eats a combination of seed (millet, milo, corn, wheat, safflower seed and oil (fresh and dry), pellets, plain yogurt, greens (such as spinach and arugula, dark lettuces, grass) different fruits depending on what's in season, meal worms and crickets. Oystershell with grit, magnesium, Lysine. I add B complex to the seed. We also put "Rooster Booster" in their water with vitamins, electrolytes and lactobacillus.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
- They had sometimes been smaller, multiple poops, but other times fine until yesterday afternoon they became very watery with some mucous and yellow, little green.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
- none... it started late in the day. I thought I'd have time to give her electrolytes this morning... and possibly take her to the vet.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use:
- she's been sleeping in a back room of the house on a perch over a poop board that is cleaned daily.
Thanks in advance!
RIP Tracy... the best chicken! She NEVER pecked the other chickens, even though they did, and she was much bigger and stronger. She would give me these deep stares, that made me wonder what she was thinking about - I think there was a lot going on up there...
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Everything else was okay... That is so sad... but now I'm worried about my two other girls....
