Zane Made REAL Progress (New Pics Pg 99)!RIP Lorelei...

[justusnak]

Oh Cyn.
You have sure had more than your share of happenings there. I wish I could wave a magic wand, and make it all better for you. Jeesh. You and your chickens are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[d.k]

* Seems like they all have the one common symtom of getting pale; is that right, Cyn?? That's bugging at me for some reason. Somebody mentioned poisons. Could they have shared a mouse or something???

 

[PoultryPedia]

I'm new and haven't read all the posts in this topic, but I'm wondering from what I've read if some of your chickens may have lymphoid leukosis. It is usually only contagious to young chickens, but symptoms don't show up for a number of weeks/months.
We got a trio a couple years back that I think had it. They were quiet and reclusive when we got them. After 2 1/2 weeks, I found the hen (I think she was over a year old, anyway) dead one morning, without signs of injury. The cockerel was quite inactive, had green stools, and would get irritated and crabby with the remaining pullet (probably because he was feeling ill). I isolated him after a couple months and tried various powder meds, etc. for a few months, until he got really sick (A mouse drowned in his water & maybe he drank & got a new disease) and then I put him down. The third chicken was quite inactive and hid a lot. She was a pullet and didn't lay many eggs before she pretty much quit laying altogether (She's laid just 2 robin-size eggs this last year). However, she appears to have otherwise recovered. Her comb is a bright red now, she travels around with her coopmates, and runs joyously to meet me every evening. She is probably still a carrier of the disease so I will try to be mindful about keeping her away from young chickens.
Best wishes in figuring solutions to the questions you're encountering. It is wonderful to see everyone's caring

 

[PoultryPedia]

Also, I'm not sure from what I've read whether Zane still has foot swelling, but if so I've had success with the following:
*Neosporin on the area with pieces of paper towl and tape to hold it on (Be sure to change it every couple days to prevent circulation from being constricted by tape being in same place all the time)
*Washing and then running very warm water over leg to help draw out infection, similar to a hot compress (but providing constant clean water to help prevent more bacteria on the leg from being soaked in)
*Aeromycin (approx $4 at the feed store for a pouch of powder that lasts FOREVER) in food or water
Best wishes.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Good morning Cyn. I hope this finds everyone happy and feeling better. I talked to a friend of mind (physic media) last night and she raised chickens all over the world Scottland (where she was born and raised), England, and now in SC where her handman cares for them (she just gets to enjoy them). She said that it sounds like egg problems but she thinks that the biggest problems is that everyone has these Hens dead and buried. She said the mind is the most powerful tool there is and that most people don't realise that it can affect the health of all who comes in contact with it. She said if everyone would picture in their mind the hens and the roo all living a happy healthy pain free life eating bugs, scratching around, laying eggs, mating, and just all around happy life of a chicken and send just those healing thoughts whenever they think of your birds then it just may happen. But the doom and gloom is just going to send them into deeper depression and illness. Is she right, who knows is it worth a shot, I think so, it can't hurt. She didn't think you should stop other treatment she just thought we should pool our thoughts and minds into sending positive imagies to the hens and roos at your house and at anyone elses house (I thought of you too kitty) who is having problems. She also asked me to extend her heart felt sorrows at the problems you are having and said she would send healing thoughts to all of the houses having problems. I thanked her and told her I would let ya all know. Keeping all in my happy chicken thoughts and prayers (which she said works so don't stop them, but just to keep pictureing the hens and roos happy and healthy)

Thanks for letting me share hang in there. Oh ya she said bug picnics can't hurt and bugs are pretty reasonable at the fish bait shops or your or local manure pile LOL

 

[gumpsgirl]

This is worth a shot, Zoo. Sending happy chicken thoughts your way, Cyn!

 

[speckledhen]

Speckledhills, we did a 10 day round of antibiotics on Zane and did put DMSO on his foot to increase circulation. We have since run out of it, but can get more at the feedstore in a few days. As far as lymphoid leukosis as the cause on the girls, some symptoms fit and some dont (no abdominal swelling), but then again, the same symptoms fit for several things, so it's hard to say. Their age is a little old for that disease, I think. I did show some info on that to my DH and I may be able to convince him to call the poultry lab after the holiday to at least rule it out.
The poison/mouse thing, I dont know. We never put out poisons for mice specifically because of the chickens and dont live right up against our neighbors so if they poisoned a mouse, it probably wouldnt make it all the way to my place for the birds to get hold of.

 

[seriousbill]

Speckledhen, I've been following this and didn't have anything to offer except my condolences, but this morning I had a thought, because of d.k.'s post on paleness. You know, this may sound out in left field, but I can't help but note the striking similarity of what you describe to an outbreak of blackhead I fought a few years ago in my turkey flock. Now, bear with me here, because I know that chickens don't usually succumb to blackhead, but they do get it, and the paleness, weakness, the lethargy, the slow fading, REALLY sounds like blackhead. If you wanted to try it, you could get some metronidazole tabs from the vet (as I remember, they're not too expensive). You just break them into small pieces and feed one each to your sick birds. If it's blackhead, they'll turn around overnight. Like a miracle. I don't want to give false hope or empty suggestions either one, but I thought I'd share this thought. It might just be crazy enough to be right

 

[speckledhen]

Janet, thank you for chiming in on this. That sure isn't anything I would have thought of. I read a bit about it. I don't have turkeys, but I know free range chickens do on occasion get it. Anything is possible here.
Here is a list of symptoms of blackhead that I found:

Depression.
Inappetance.
Poor growth.
Sulphur-yellow diarrhoea.
Cyanosis of head.
Blood in faeces (chickens).
Progressive depression and emaciation

I don't see the yellow diarrhea or the blood in the feces, thank goodness. I do see green poop, but naturally, with decreased food, that would be the case. Would I see straining on the nest and/or cessation of laying with this?

 

[seriousbill]

Cessation of laying, yes, I'd think so, although my turkeys were adolescent and hadn't started laying yet at that time. I don't know about straining on the nest. The main symptoms I noticed were overall malaise, paleness, gradual loss of mobility, lack of appetite. The whole thing was very slow. They didn't have discoloration of the head or anything odd about their feces, except runniness and general lack thereof from not eating, really. One thing I learned from that was that blackhead symptoms do vary a bit. I realize it would be very odd for older chickens to come down with it. I do realize that. But, still, it just sounds so familiar.