What is killing my chickens? Help!

[LaFleche]

Sorry your birds are sick.

Here is what I would do:

#treat them for coccidiosis using a sulfa drug like sulfadimidin/trimethoprim or similar

# check them for lice and poultry mites

#check the coop carefully for poultry mites at night with a head light and remove all bedding also in nest boxes and treat everything in case you find any. They cause severe anemia and infection in poultry.

#deworm all your birds

#provide more coop ventilation

#have a necropsy done by your state vet lab in case you lose another

 

[EuroChook]

If you decide to try and treat for coccidiosis (another parasitic disease) then it is important not to use thiamine (vit B1) with Amprolium (one of the key drugs for coccidiosis).

To add to the coccidiosis idea, one would maybe expect to see more pronounced symptoms. But not always. In the case of dogs, there may be no symptoms at all.

 

[Chickentings]

I would bring her in and give her special attention, like a makeshift ICU. If she is especially lethargic then have her food and her water close by to her and that will help a lot. Poor lil lamby.

Well gosh now I don’t know! The mornings here are cool. I notice that she still does the plunking down in her favorite spots but she’s definitely awake. She gets up and walks around a bit to forage, get a drink from the waterer and when she’s plopped down, she doesn’t appear to be stressed. She eats the grass around her but she’s not asleep. I feel like now I’m noticing, she is more asleep during the hottest parts of the day. She used to be my best forager but not recently. What I’ve been doing in the day because I do have a bully situation is putting her and my other speckled Sussex inside the coop with a fan on and their own source of food and water so that they’re able to not get picked on. It is day 2 of dewormer today. I will get the dura vet vitas to help plus adding the vitamin c dosage you gave me. Ahhhyou have been such a great help and stress reliever for me! Based on my observations today should I let her be with her flock mates outside but semi isolated? I’ve also read that speckled Sussex do not do well in extreme heat like we have here in Texas. So maybe that contributed to whatever is the issue.

 

[Chickentings]

Sorry your birds are sick.

Here is what I would do:

#treat them for coccidiosis using a sulfa drug like sulfadimidin/trimethoprim or similar

# check them for lice and poultry mites

#check the coop carefully for poultry mites at night with a head light and remove all bedding also in nest boxes and treat everything in case you find any. They cause severe anemia and infection in poultry.

#deworm all your birds

#provide more coop ventilation

#have a necropsy done by your state vet lab in case you lose another

Thank you! She’s more active today after one day of dewormer. I hope that internal parasites are the issue and that with full treatment, she will be okay. The coop is super ventilated, most sides of it are not wood but the hardware cloth. I will check at night for the mites you mentioned I have not done that yet. But the chickens get an overall body and vent check for lice, like eggs, and other bugs once a week. And I’ve not seen any of that. I have Corid…do you think that would work for the cocci?

 

[LaFleche]

. I have Corid…do you think that would work for the cocci?

With one already dead I would treat with a sulfa drug, as different kinds of coccidia live in different parts of the digestive system and not all of them respond to amprolium/Corrid treatment.
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultry/coccidiosis-in-poultry/coccidiosis-in-poultry

The longer left untreated, the more damage they cause to the bird which, in case it survives, will later on in life have a poor performance as their damaged digestive system will have trouble to absorb nutrients.

 

[EuroChook]

Well gosh now I don’t know! The mornings here are cool. I notice that she still does the plunking down in her favorite spots but she’s definitely awake. She gets up and walks around a bit to forage, get a drink from the waterer and when she’s plopped down, she doesn’t appear to be stressed. She eats the grass around her but she’s not asleep. I feel like now I’m noticing, she is more asleep during the hottest parts of the day. She used to be my best forager but not recently. What I’ve been doing in the day because I do have a bully situation is putting her and my other speckled Sussex inside the coop with a fan on and their own source of food and water so that they’re able to not get picked on. It is day 2 of dewormer today. I will get the dura vet vitas to help plus adding the vitamin c dosage you gave me. Ahhhyou have been such a great help and stress reliever for me! Based on my observations today should I let her be with her flock mates outside but semi isolated? I’ve also read that speckled Sussex do not do well in extreme heat like we have here in Texas. So maybe that contributed to whatever is the issue.

Then, I would say, in descending order of likelihood, these are the top 3:

1. Heat stress. Even given cool mornings, it will take a while to feel less whack. Even we humans are drained next day after big heat the day before. Then, when the heat amps up, it's a cycle of getting hit by heat, trying to recover, hit by heat, trying to recover. And it doesn't have to go as drastic as heat stroke. But there are people all over losing one or two of their flocks mysteriously. Heat seems to be the thing. And sure, if the speckled Sussex doesn't like heat, it points to this more. Vit C, good water supply, (and not super cold, which is less absorbed), shade, and fan, (and all and sundry) will be the thing.

2. Parasitosis-- worms, mites, (in my opinion of decreasing likelihood). But you're worming already. I would have. And mites, you would have to see somewhere by now. Less likely to have death from mites too.

3. Coccidiosis. I would have expected some, any, flock members to show severe signs of coccidiosis by now. But they all look relatively fair. Combs and wattles a little pale. Worms can do that--but so can low vitamin C, because vitamin C is absolutely vital for iron transport. And that's where redness of combs comes from. Chickens aren't heavily irony, but they do need and use the amount they have.

I get the feel you're quite situation aware, and circumspect, conscientious. So I am thinking you already carry out routine inspections of bedding, coop, and all else. So I am doubting things like mold or anything like that. Even zinc poisoning, which would antagonize iron and calcium transport... there's no real evidence.

This constant heat seems likely as number one culprit. As scientists say, it's not global warming now, it's global boiling. So again and again I get the sense of heat being the main thing.

I'm glad to have been some help. I could hope only to give you that--some more hope, a sense of comfort. But I trust it will settle with the heat settling. I hope after a while I get to hear it has all settled.

The best of everything to you.

 

[Chickentings]

With one already dead I would treat with a sulfa drug, as different kinds of coccidia live in different parts of the digestive system and not all of them respond to amprolium/Corrid treatment.
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultry/coccidiosis-in-poultry/coccidiosis-in-poultry

The longer left untreated, the more damage they cause to the bird which, in case it survives, will later on in life have a poor performance as their damaged digestive system will have trouble to absorb nutrients.

I have endocox I’ll use for the most affected one, thank you for the advice!

 

[Chickentings]

Then, I would say, in descending order of likelihood, these are the top 3:

1. Heat stress. Even given cool mornings, it will take a while to feel less whack. Even we humans are drained next day after big heat the day before. Then, when the heat amps up, it's a cycle of getting hit by heat, trying to recover, hit by heat, trying to recover. And it doesn't have to go as drastic as heat stroke. But there are people all over losing one or two of their flocks mysteriously. Heat seems to be the thing. And sure, if the speckled Sussex doesn't like heat, it points to this more. Vit C, good water supply, (and not super cold, which is less absorbed), shade, and fan, (and all and sundry) will be the thing.

2. Parasitosis-- worms, mites, (in my opinion of decreasing likelihood). But you're worming already. I would have. And mites, you would have to see somewhere by now. Less likely to have death from mites too.

3. Coccidiosis. I would have expected some, any, flock members to show severe signs of coccidiosis by now. But they all look relatively fair. Combs and wattles a little pale. Worms can do that--but so can low vitamin C, because vitamin C is absolutely vital for iron transport. And that's where redness of combs comes from. Chickens aren't heavily irony, but they do need and use the amount they have.

I get the feel you're quite situation aware, and circumspect, conscientious. So I am thinking you already carry out routine inspections of bedding, coop, and all else. So I am doubting things like mold or anything like that. Even zinc poisoning, which would antagonize iron and calcium transport... there's no real evidence.

This constant heat seems likely as number one culprit. As scientists say, it's not global warming now, it's global boiling. So again and again I get the sense of heat being the main thing.

I'm glad to have been some help. I could hope only to give you that--some more hope, a sense of comfort. But I trust it will settle with the heat settling. I hope after a while I get to hear it has all settled.

The best of everything to you.

Thank you so so so so much. I’ve added the vitamin c dosage for everyone’s water as I have the two that get picked on the most separated while I am at work and cannot supervise. But everyone has vitmain c, wormer as well. I’m excited to see the improvements more and more. And blast this awful boiling heat seriously! Texas is notorious for being too hot but I’ve lived here all my life and it’s never been like this. We literally all just stay inside all day!

 

[Eggcessive]

What is your feed? Is it a scratch and peck type or a balanced layer pellet? With the sitting down eating pictures, it seems like it could be a riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency. I am a big fan of human B complex tablets that contain all B’s, and some C as well. Dosage is 1/4-1/2 tablet daily, and can be crushed into a bit of food, egg, or dissolved in a spoonful of water. Whatever vitamin, make sure there is riboflavin on the label. Heat sure can cause problems, and a reproductive problem could be possible as well. Coccidiosis is not that common in birds that age. But it is possible. You can use b vitamins with sulfa.,I would definitely get a necropsy by the state vet if you lose another, but keep the body cold, not frozen in a cooler or wrapped in bags in the fridge. I hope they get better.

 

[EuroChook]

Thank you so so so so much.

You're very welcome! Sounds really good, you're right on track. If there are any developments more, (I sort of feel not likely, but let's be prepared), then it will be a case of antibiotics. But I get the feel we will probably not go there one little bit.

Definitely! Let's see those improvements!

Ah it's crazy. Germany had no winter, really; Australia is supposed to be in their winter way down south there, and they say it is like Spring and has been, no cold, no cool change of any note. Canada gets green winters more and more with some sort of big snow dump at the end of the Winter season. It's all very crazy right now. Like I know someone down that way who says it's even too hot to find escape at the beach. That's madness. So it is really hot for you good people. And inside all day says it all. Must be hard to try and sleep, and to bunk down children and who feels like cooking when the weather has gone insane? So I want the very best for Texas, you and your flock too, and come on, whoever's listening, and please ease this heat. Take it away now. They have had enough.