Why are my chickens getting sick and dying?

[ChickenScratchin]

Don't beat yourself up - it can happen whether you're there or not.

From what I've seen, it's not always (or even usually) necessary; but it depends entirely on exactly which illness and medication.

If you have an eye dropper, you can try to get some fluids in her that way. As I recall, if you don't have specific vitamins/electrolyte solution, you can just use pedialyte or even gatorade. (someone correct this if it's inaccurate, please.)

 

[Sally Monella]

Hello
I am so sorry for your loss. Chickenscratchin is correct, gatoraid or pedialyte can get valuable electrolytes into their systems, I sometimes mix a bit of sugar into the mix to get them interested and give them a little extra energy. Electrolytes are especially importand if they have had diarhea. Most pet stores carry an electrolyte mix for reptiles that works just fine for chickens. Most reptile meds are compatable with chickens. Just like most chicken illnesses are transmitable to reptiles. If you have any antibiotics in your house like amoxycilyn or sulmet or even tetracycline, they would be good to at least start her on some kind of treatment till you can either get her to a vet or figure out what the problem is on your own. If the weather has been as moist there as its been here the amount of possible contagions could be too numerous, and you may never find out the exact culprit. I would just make sure everyone is warm, dry and not on the soil in your coop. Try a cage for a while, it helps keep the poo from coming in contact with them. I hope everything works out and please keep us posted. You and your chickens are in our thoughts.

 

[Feathered Landings]

Thanks for the reminder....I do have a few packets of electrolytes for chickens, I was just so concerned about getting the antibiotics into them that I forgot all about the electrolytes. I'm really starting to think it is something respiratory related (probably chronic respiratory disease like hot2pot said, the gal at the hay market agrees too) so that's why I started the antibiotics. So far my Millie Fleur is doing ok...not great, but I did get her to eat two times today (of course I hand fed her

) and added her water antibiotics to her food and used an eye dropper to give her more by mouth/beak. So far we have lost 3 chickens now and I have 3 total that are really sick. I'm actually a little more concerned tonight about my RIR roo, he looked awful today along with 1 other hen. All I could get them to do was drink the antibiotic water...couldn't get them to eat. I will be REALLY sad if we lose Joe (roo) he is the sweetest roo ever and loves to be held....my husband however will miss him most, Joe's his favorite. I hope he's tough enough to make it. Just so you all know too, I went out and sanitized all the food and water containers, cleaned and sanitized the inside of the coop and put all new shavings, food and water with antibiotics in. I hope all that hard work will pay off in the end. Thank you everyone for all your concern, support and advice...it really helped me calm down and try to think things over logically, when I first posted my mind was in a fog and I didn't know where to start but with all your help I was able to get ideas and come up with a plan. Thank you again and I'll keep you posted

 

[ChickenScratchin]

Well, at least they're hanging on so far.

To get them to eat you might try some scrambled eggs, yogurt, etc. They need the protein to keep strong enough to fight it.

Hopefully the antibiotics will kick it.

 

[ClareScifi]

Did Millie Fleur and Joe hang in there?

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
This website is probably the best place to start to narrow down what they have. Read it. It will probably help you alot.

 

[Feathered Landings]

Sorry it took me so long to get back on here to update you guys. Wed. started out as a good day as our Millie was healthy enough to put back in with the other chickens but then as the day went on things got bad...Joe and our black australorp got VERY sick and we had to put them down, they were just suffering too much and only had minutes left. That same day my Americana took a turn for the worst as well. I've been hand feeding her ever since but it's all been worth it because I was able to put her back out with the rest of the chickens today as well. This has all been so hard on me as we have lost 5 total out of our 21. It's really hard to go out there everyday and see them missing but at the same point I'm glad I was able to save 2 of them. I stopped at our local feed store and they said they have heard a lot about this happening to other peoples chickens, one gal there was even having the same problems herself, so at least I was able to get some info and ideas from them as well because they had heard about it. I really believe they had some sort of respiratory disease/problem and that it was strictly chicken related as my Guinea never showed any signs of being sick at all. The antibiotics and electrolytes I'm sure is was saved the rest of the chickens as well. I really think this is all coming to an end, thank God, but I'm still going to continue the antibiotics for their full course and electrolytes until the weather cools back down. (I have also given our goats electrolytes just in case, it's just too hot here for them right now) Thank you again EVERYONE for all your support and help....I couldn't have done it with out you. I have shed many tears this last almost 2 weeks but knowing you all have been here to help and support me has been very comforting....THANK YOU!!!!

 

[ClareScifi]

So sorry about your losses, FeatheredLandings, but I'm glad the antibiotics are working for the others. We celebrated Merry Easter's life today with a coconut angel food cake made from some of the eggs she laid this summer. It was so good! This forum has really helped me deal with and accept her death better than I ever could have on my own. It is wonderful to have such support.

 

[yinzerchick]

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses! Omg, I can't imagine...

Hope you are all coping and dealing best you can. hugs.

 

[Nicole01]

I'm really sorry for the loss. I've been through something similar with my girls when they were young. My SS knocked over the waterer in the spare brooder and got chilled. She got brooder pneumonia from that and I ended up putting her with my new baby chicks in the brooder that had the heat lamp. She spread her illness to most of the other chicks. I treated her and everyone with polyvisol vitamins without iron right down their beaks 2 times daily. Putting vitamins down the beak works faster then putting it in their water. I put antibiotics in wet mash daily and gave them probios in their water. To my surprise everyone lived. I'm assuming the ones that were sick are permanent carriers even though they are very healthy now. I have no plans of rehoming any of them.

Please don't blame your neighbor. This illness could of come about regardless if you were on vacation or not. If they are unfamiliar with chickens, they wouldn't know what to do. I wish I had oxine back then. I would of treated with that too. Oxine is only available online, but it kills every bacteria, viral, and fungal germs it's been tested for. Good luck.

Oops, I'm a little late. I'm very sorry for your losses.