why did 2 of my chickens die?

[doit873]

I had 6 chickens, 2 buffs 2 Americana 1 barred rock and 1 rode island red. In the past 2 weeks I lost 1 Americana and 1 buff. neither chicken showed any signs of being sick. Both chickens were about 20 weeks when they died. I found the Americana chicken in the coop, her bottom was covered in poop that was thick and smelled very bad. She felt skinny but her belly was not hard.

The buff started to act a little funny but it seemed like she was getting ready to start laying eggs. She would move her head up and down like she was stretching her neck and close her eyes, she was also laying in the nesting bow a lot. Her belly was also soft so i doubt she was egg bound. She did have a small cut on her thigh for a few weeks ago. she got her leg caught on a piece of wire that left a half inch cut in her leg. I put blue lotion antiseptic on the leg and changed the bandage every day. The wound healed very nice. So i doubt she had and infection.

I have noticed that some of my other chickens have had runny poops, that have smelled bad. Could it be an intestinal disease? The only other thing that i can think of is i changed their feed from purina starter feed to purina layer feed at about 18 weeks. The layer feed is about 6 months old, that was left over from my previous roosters. some of the feed had some clumps.

Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get a stool sample checked by your vet? Worms, coccidiosis, E.coli, and other things can cause diarrhea with foul odor. Can you post a picture or two of typical droppings?

 

[doit873]

I will try to post a pic with in the next day or so.

 

[seminolewind]

I had 6 chickens, 2 buffs 2 Americana 1 barred rock and 1 rode island red. In the past 2 weeks I lost 1 Americana and 1 buff. neither chicken showed any signs of being sick. Both chickens were about 20 weeks when they died. I found the Americana chicken in the coop, her bottom was covered in poop that was thick and smelled very bad. She felt skinny but her belly was not hard.

The buff started to act a little funny but it seemed like she was getting ready to start laying eggs. She would move her head up and down like she was stretching her neck and close her eyes, she was also laying in the nesting bow a lot. Her belly was also soft so i doubt she was egg bound. She did have a small cut on her thigh for a few weeks ago. she got her leg caught on a piece of wire that left a half inch cut in her leg. I put blue lotion antiseptic on the leg and changed the bandage every day. The wound healed very nice. So i doubt she had and infection.

I have noticed that some of my other chickens have had runny poops, that have smelled bad. Could it be an intestinal disease? The only other thing that i can think of is i changed their feed from purina starter feed to purina layer feed at about 18 weeks. The layer feed is about 6 months old, that was left over from my previous roosters. some of the feed had some clumps.

Thanks

You should not be feeding old clumpy feed. It could kill them. Get them some good layer. And I think I would treat for coccidiosis.

 

[PolkaDot77]

I second the stool sample. It's usually pretty cheap and will give you some insight into what it could be. Perhaps you should give them some yogurt with apple cider vinegar and probiotics exclusively until the runny poop clears. If you think the clumpy food is bad, don't give it to them! Although, in my experience chickens are pretty good a avoiding food that is no longer good. Good luck!

 

[Michael Apple]

You should not be feeding old clumpy feed. It could kill them. Get them some good layer. And I think I would treat for coccidiosis.

X2. That's the problem. Most chicken feeds have a maximum shelf life of 3 months in ideal storage situations. You wouldn't eat expired food. Neither should your animals.

 

[Eggcessive]

Well, I missed the last sentence about the clumpy food--you really need to throw it out. They can get aspergillosis and who knows what from moldy feed, and old feed would be lacking in vitamins if it wasn't moldy.

 

[gander007]

Let's see some poo photos and X2 on the Probiotic , yogurt most excellent for them as I do this several times a year just
due to different changes in the weather and old feed come on I know it is money but so is the health of your pets.....
Let's keep the others in good health as you wrote you take care of cut's on you lady's legs so let's watch what they eat
and drink now remember good table vegies should go to them and rice or oatmeal do them good .....

And

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gander007

 

[casportpony]

I had 6 chickens, 2 buffs 2 Americana 1 barred rock and 1 rode island red. In the past 2 weeks I lost 1 Americana and 1 buff. neither chicken showed any signs of being sick. Both chickens were about 20 weeks when they died. I found the Americana chicken in the coop, her bottom was covered in poop that was thick and smelled very bad. She felt skinny but her belly was not hard.

The buff started to act a little funny but it seemed like she was getting ready to start laying eggs. She would move her head up and down like she was stretching her neck and close her eyes, she was also laying in the nesting bow a lot. Her belly was also soft so i doubt she was egg bound. She did have a small cut on her thigh for a few weeks ago. she got her leg caught on a piece of wire that left a half inch cut in her leg. I put blue lotion antiseptic on the leg and changed the bandage every day. The wound healed very nice. So i doubt she had and infection.

I have noticed that some of my other chickens have had runny poops, that have smelled bad. Could it be an intestinal disease? The only other thing that i can think of is i changed their feed from purina starter feed to purina layer feed at about 18 weeks. The layer feed is about 6 months old, that was left over from my previous roosters. some of the feed had some clumps.

Thanks

No signs of being sick? Skinny with a bottom covered in smelly poop is a sign that she had been sick for quite some time. Please, feed only fresh, clump free food!

-Kathy

 

[doit873]

I got rid of the feed that was a few months old. And bought some new layer feed. It didn't look bad at first but the more I feed them I noticed the feed didn't look right. I don't think the feed was sealed good when I stored it. I got the feed in july. I did buy some corrid solution to treat the possible coccidiosis. I have also been feeding them fresh vegies. all along.