What's Up With All These Sick Chickens?

[BigBlueHen53]

from what I have seen on all these forums, I don't think there is a sicker animal, than a chicken. Mites, lice, Mareks, Newcastle, Coccidiosis, fowl pox, mycoplasmosis, avian influenza, samonella, bound egg.... then there is the quarateen

Well let's just look at a few horse diseases for comparison. Here's what AI offered up:

Common horse diseases include contagious viral diseases like Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) and Equine Influenza, and mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile Virus and Eastern/Western Equine Encephalitis. Other common issues include non-contagious conditions like colic and laminitis, and bacterial infections like strangles. Vaccination and proper veterinary care are crucial for prevention...

Not to mention the myriad ways horses have of trying to kill themselves, each other and their owners, often with no malice whatsoever ... dogs and cats also suffer from a multitude of maladies. As do goats, sheep (oh, don't even get started on sheep, sheep will die if you look at them cross-eyed!). If you hang out at any forum dedicated to any of these critters (lizards ... fish ... anything, really), you'll come away amazed that ANY creature manages to survive outside the womb without constant intervention.

Chickens are actually amazingly tough and resilient. Unless you're particularly squeamish, you might follow some of the threads where chickens have suffered extreme physical trauma, mutilations, even amputations, and survived. Not their heads, though. I don't think I've seen any instances where a chicken survived a head amputation.

 

[Weetamoo93]

Mites, lice, Mareks, Newcastle, Coccidiosis, fowl pox, mycoplasmosis, avian influenza, samonella, bound egg.... then there is the quarateen

Fowl pox aren't usually much to worry about; I've only had one hen develop wet pox. Currently have dry pox running through the flock and nobody seems bothered much by it.

I've had bouts of mites and lice, but mine were easily remedied with ashes in the dust bathing areas. The worst lice infection was on a bird that didn't end up having an oil gland? I presume that had a lot to do with his issue.

 

[Three Stents]

Well let's just look at a few horse diseases for comparison. Here's what AI offered up:

Common horse diseases include contagious viral diseases like Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) and Equine Influenza, and mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile Virus and Eastern/Western Equine Encephalitis. Other common issues include non-contagious conditions like colic and laminitis, and bacterial infections like strangles. Vaccination and proper veterinary care are crucial for prevention...

Not to mention the myriad ways horses have of trying to kill themselves, each other and their owners, often with no malice whatsoever ... dogs and cats also suffer from a multitude of maladies. As do goats, sheep (oh, don't even get started on sheep, sheep will die if you look at them cross-eyed!). If you hang out at any forum dedicated to any of these critters (lizards ... fish ... anything, really), you'll come away amazed that ANY creature manages to survive outside the womb without constant intervention.

Chickens are actually amazingly tough and resilient. Unless you're particularly squeamish, you might follow some of the threads where chickens have suffered extreme physical trauma, mutilations, even amputations, and survived. Not their heads, though. I don't think I've seen any instances where a chicken survived a head amputation.

this topic has nothing to do with horses or chicken mutilations or amputations. Try to stay on topic

 

[BigBlueHen53]

this topic has nothing to do with horses or chicken mutilations or amputations. Try to stay on topic

But you opened the door when you said:

don't think there is a sicker animal, than a chicken.

That sounded like an invitation to compare to "other animals," so I did. Also, you implied that chickens are inherently weak, so I pointed out that they can and do survive some amazing injuries. But I've made my point, so I'm out. One thing we don't do around here is argue. Management doesn't like it. Welcome to BYC!

 

[alinas2010]

from what I have seen on all these forums, I don't think there is a sicker animal, than a chicken. Mites, lice, Mareks, Newcastle, Coccidiosis, fowl pox, mycoplasmosis, avian influenza, samonella, bound egg.... then there is the quarateen

Well hang on there. Those are all diseases and conditions that can afflict chickens, not just things they all get no questions asked. But you could come up with the same number of conditions a dog could get; fleas, ticks, mites, parvo, rabies, bordatella, heartworm, distemper, etc. it doesn’t mean they will develop these conditions. Also doesn’t mean that dogs are feeble and weak, it just is the nature of the beast.

You’re really seeing a conglomerate of those conditions all surface at once here across half a million members; not seeing those conditions all in one flock. And if you are seeing all of those often in one flock, it is more than likely a husbandry issue. An aware owner doesn’t let things like what you listed happen often.

 

[McChooky]

One of my 12 week old chicks...

 

[StinkyAcres]

Keeping animals involves dealing with sick animals. There's no way around it. It's not just chickens. But you see a lot of sick chickens here because there are a lot of chicken owners here with a lot of chickens without chicken vets or the money to afford a chicken vet. If you can't deal with that then raising animals is not for you. And that's totally okay!

 

[McChooky]

My chickens give me a reason to get out of bed every day. I wouldn't have it any other way.If I sleep too late they'll all start hollering at the same time.They act just like a bunch of kids!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Not their heads, though. I don't think I've seen any instances where a chicken survived a head amputation

I'm a little bit bummed that nobody got that this was a joke.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I'm a little bit bummed that nobody got that this was a joke.

I think I know what you're talking about, but, technically, it still had part of its head.