Help please, they are dieing!

[Anonymous]

Well after hving some of my hens killed, by what I suspect to be a dog, we have replaced with some new hens. On Monday, when I let them out, the aracana was one of the first out, which is unusual, as she is normally quite timid and the last out of the coup. She just sat down in the corner of the run, which again is out of character. Icouldnt see any other signs of a problem, so made sure therewas plenty of food and water and went to work.
When I came home in the afternoon, to check on them, she was dead on the ground!!
This morning one of my drizzles is very lethargic and won't come out of the nest box. Same symptoms and her comb is very very dark. I have seperated her and put crushed garlic in the water. Again no signs of a sour or blocked crop, as with the aracana, it felt empty.
They are wormed with vermx pellets as per the instructions and the only thing I can see which is a concern, is that ther are some very watery droppings in the coup.
Help needed, as I realt can't face losing another of my birds!
By the way, all other birds are fine and showing no issues.

 

[podstable]

Just some initial thoughts, --coccidiosis / other G.I. infection , worms , mites , myco. Id treat for coccydia , worm with Flubenevet ( not a herbal wormer!!!) ,treat house /birds for mites . You may need to act quickly , ?visit to vet . ? contact person who sold you birds to see if they have any problems there at the moment. good luck , Ros

 

[Tim]

Yes, sounds like there's something serious going on and the job for a vet...

You could listen to their breathing - is there any wheezing / discharge / bubbles around the eyes. This can be the sign of upper respiratory infection / CRD / Mycoplasma infection.

Worms are still a possibility as podstable says and I would definately not rule this out. Flubenvet is a good choice. Coccidiosis usually shows blood in the droppings.

Trouble is there are so many diseases with similar symptoms it's very hard to guess what else you could do.

Keep us posted if you find any more symptoms...

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry you've lost one and another is ill.Hope she recovers.

 

[girlracer265]

sorry for your loss and hope the other gets well soon
one of my pekin growers was sat looking hunched yesterday so i isolated her, massaged her crop in case of crop impaction and gave her some natural yoghurt, she looked a little brighter earlier but when i looked this evening, things were not looking great, :|

 

[snifter]

sorry for your loss and hope the other gets well soon
one of my pekin growers was sat looking hunched yesterday so i isolated her, massaged her crop in case of crop impaction and gave her some natural yoghurt, she looked a little brighter earlier but when i looked this evening, things were not looking great, :|

Can I just metion that treating for crop impaction if its not actually impacted isn't something I would advise. Its not a pleasant procedure for the bird at the best of times. You should be able to feel quite clearly if the crop is impacted or if smelling bad it will be noticeable if you check up close.

The best time to check for crop impaction is in the morning after a bird has had the night to digest their food. If the crop is distended or swollen/hot to touch then its usually a good indication something is wrong with it and worth treating. Trying to check a crop in the middle of the day is a bit fruitless as the bird has usually eaten pellets and other foods so the crop will naturally be full.

 

[girlracer265]

thx for that snifter, some one on another forum i was talking tooo advised me to do it and how to do it, i will be more aware in future
anyway on the plus side she is looking much better this morning
i really hate it when chickens get sick as you know you have very little time to do anything and the younger the chickens, the less time you have

 

[Anonymous]

anyway on the plus side she is looking much better this morning

Really pleased your girl is better girlracer.