Why did my hen die?

[Toast]

My 2 year old leghorn died tonight. Her feathers near her vent were poopy (I was think maybe it was coccidia). Earlier today she was so lethargic and could hardly move or walk around. Then I checked on her again and she was dead. this was within 1 hour!! What can I do to protect my other hens? Do you think it was coccidia? How sad!

 

[Poohbear]

Yes, it could have been cocci. It sometimes acts that fast but most time there are indications of illness in fowl. I put 1 tsp bleach in my one gallon waterers sometime just to stay ahead of bacteria. Worms. Mites and cocci will kill chickens. Some folks don't like man-made drugs for chickens but it is dangerous to NOT do preventive maintenance on our fowl. Just one sick wild bird will cause a whole flock to die when exposed to each other while ill. The best indicator of a birds health is their POOP! Somewhere on these threads there is a post on poop. All the way from healthy to sick fowl poop along with pictures and descriptions of poop. Everyone should read it. I'm sorry your bird died. No easy loss to sustain.

 

[Anny]

I'm so sorry for you loss it does sound a bit like coccindia you should have your other hens checked by a vet or dewormed

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
The bleach does not harm the chickens?

 

[Toast]

Pooh Bear do you know what the thread was called? I'll try searching for it but I'm sure a million threads will pop up if I search for poop.

 

[Poohbear]

I'll look for it and come back here. No, the bleach doesn't hurt the fowl or contaminate the eggs. I use it once a month at 1 tsp per gallon waterer. An old fellow told me about this some years ago and I've been doing it ever since then. Just like I put 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar in one gallon of water ever so often. or feed sardines in soy oil to the fowl for shiny feathers.

 

[Poohbear]

Toast, go to "Search" and type "Please tell me this is normal poo (pic)" then in author type "Chef". Then submit. You will be on the post then. The third or fourth post down will be by "Gritsar". That's the one with pictures and decription.

 

[Toast]

Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU!!!

 

[Mahonri]

I always do a regular check. It takes a while to sit and look at each bird carefully but I want to be certain that they are healthy and stay that way.