Bluebellhoney
Chirping
- Oct 12, 2020
- 102
- 156
- 93
I have had the worst couple of weeks with my chickens. This is going to be a long post...
A couple of weeks ago, one of my 3 month old Langshans went lame. I separated him, he quickly deteriorated and died overnight. I started him on vitamins, electrolytes, and antibiotics. His symptoms were lameness which progressed to sitting with legs splayed within a day, shivering, and very sleepy. He would eat and drink but not much.
About a week later another of the Langshans went lame. I separated her and gave the same treatment (panicking about Mareks by now). She is still the exact same, just a limp, no better, no worse after a week of vits and high protein foods.
A few days ago I noticed that one of our ex battery hens hadn’t put herself to bed (very unusual). I kept an eye on her and two days ago she didn’t come out with the others in the morning, then she did and seemed normal, I noticed that she didn’t go up to roost that night but slept on the ground. The following morning she was walking like she was drunk. I separated her and started her on the usual, plus some extra crushed b vits on her food and she now can’t walk. Today i she is very wobbly, puffed up and hunched. She can weight bear if I straighten her toes out and kind of lift her in to position, she gradually sinks herself down to the ground again. I have her in a sling, but she struggles out of it quite often and ends up in a right predicament. She was eating yesterday, today she is much quieter and off her food, and sleepy. She’s an ISA brown and was a commercial chicken- as far as I know that means she has been vaccinated against Mareks? Also her poop smells strongly of ammonia, it’s really funky smelling.
Couple of nights ago my chief hen, Bellatrix, didn’t come to bed. We searched everywhere for her and finally found her dead, but still warm under the water trailer. There wasn’t a mark in her, but her comb was very very pale, almost white. I know she was well as I had spent time with her that day giving her herfavourite treat, mealworms. She was her usual feisty self.
Just before Christmas she had seemed a little under the weather, just quieter than usual really. I separated her and treated her with vitamins and electrolytes for a few days and she was back to her normal self.
Two nights ago, another ex battery hen, Lady Jayne, went missing. We searched everywhere for her but couldn’t find her. Yesterday afternoon we found her dead, with a prolapse, in a place we had searched the night before. This upsets me as presumably this means she was alive somewhere the night before and we just didn’t find her. I have had one of the previous ex batts die after repeated prolapses, I know the poor girls often have this end lined up for them given their extreme egg production. I am really adding her death in just in case someone else reading this can see a link that I can’t.
Lastly, a different problem, another ex batt has injured her foot. About 4 months ago we noticed she had what looked like bumblefoot on both feet, however, she had no symptoms, no limp, no redness around the edges, it wasnt firm to the touch. My husband’s a doctor so he had a good prod of one and decided it was best to leave it and see what happened as she was otherwise well and sound. Last night when we checked them at bedtime she had cut her foot right across the dark spot, and there isn’t any pus behind this dark circle. I’ve put antibiotic powder on the cut and dressed it, but I’m just wondering if anyonehas had anything similar, as in, it looks like bumblefoot but isn’t?
Feeling really fed up and sad about what I am doing wrong
TL;DR I have had several ill chickens close together and I’m trying to work out if they are related or it’s just bad luck...
pics of first unwell langshan and Violet in her sling curling her toes.
A couple of weeks ago, one of my 3 month old Langshans went lame. I separated him, he quickly deteriorated and died overnight. I started him on vitamins, electrolytes, and antibiotics. His symptoms were lameness which progressed to sitting with legs splayed within a day, shivering, and very sleepy. He would eat and drink but not much.
About a week later another of the Langshans went lame. I separated her and gave the same treatment (panicking about Mareks by now). She is still the exact same, just a limp, no better, no worse after a week of vits and high protein foods.
A few days ago I noticed that one of our ex battery hens hadn’t put herself to bed (very unusual). I kept an eye on her and two days ago she didn’t come out with the others in the morning, then she did and seemed normal, I noticed that she didn’t go up to roost that night but slept on the ground. The following morning she was walking like she was drunk. I separated her and started her on the usual, plus some extra crushed b vits on her food and she now can’t walk. Today i she is very wobbly, puffed up and hunched. She can weight bear if I straighten her toes out and kind of lift her in to position, she gradually sinks herself down to the ground again. I have her in a sling, but she struggles out of it quite often and ends up in a right predicament. She was eating yesterday, today she is much quieter and off her food, and sleepy. She’s an ISA brown and was a commercial chicken- as far as I know that means she has been vaccinated against Mareks? Also her poop smells strongly of ammonia, it’s really funky smelling.
Couple of nights ago my chief hen, Bellatrix, didn’t come to bed. We searched everywhere for her and finally found her dead, but still warm under the water trailer. There wasn’t a mark in her, but her comb was very very pale, almost white. I know she was well as I had spent time with her that day giving her herfavourite treat, mealworms. She was her usual feisty self.
Just before Christmas she had seemed a little under the weather, just quieter than usual really. I separated her and treated her with vitamins and electrolytes for a few days and she was back to her normal self.
Two nights ago, another ex battery hen, Lady Jayne, went missing. We searched everywhere for her but couldn’t find her. Yesterday afternoon we found her dead, with a prolapse, in a place we had searched the night before. This upsets me as presumably this means she was alive somewhere the night before and we just didn’t find her. I have had one of the previous ex batts die after repeated prolapses, I know the poor girls often have this end lined up for them given their extreme egg production. I am really adding her death in just in case someone else reading this can see a link that I can’t.
Lastly, a different problem, another ex batt has injured her foot. About 4 months ago we noticed she had what looked like bumblefoot on both feet, however, she had no symptoms, no limp, no redness around the edges, it wasnt firm to the touch. My husband’s a doctor so he had a good prod of one and decided it was best to leave it and see what happened as she was otherwise well and sound. Last night when we checked them at bedtime she had cut her foot right across the dark spot, and there isn’t any pus behind this dark circle. I’ve put antibiotic powder on the cut and dressed it, but I’m just wondering if anyonehas had anything similar, as in, it looks like bumblefoot but isn’t?
Feeling really fed up and sad about what I am doing wrong
TL;DR I have had several ill chickens close together and I’m trying to work out if they are related or it’s just bad luck...
pics of first unwell langshan and Violet in her sling curling her toes.
Attachments
Last edited:
