andiesmeltzer
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Hello
I have a large flock of chickens that several hens are laying eggs with soft or squishy shells and their abdomens are swollen like water belly. Some are laying normal eggs, but still have swollen bellies and showing respiratory problems. Some are not laying at all, but should be.
We had switched to a feed mill about a month to 6 weeks ago for food and started giving a layer mash or soaked fermented pellets along with some scratch grains on the side.
Most are 6 to 9 months old and started laying in Oct. I have several that have not begun laying yet that hatched in Sept.
We do have roosters and have been feeding a 18 or 20 % flock feed from TSC and provide self serve oyster shell and grit stations.
They have not been getting any food scraps over the winter.
I initially thought it was just 1 hen with the problem, as she was in the nesting box all day on Fri. I brought her in the house, thinking it was water belly and tried to drain with needle, but nothing came out.
Yesterday, (Sat) I checked all of the girls and most of them have swollen squooshy bellies. Im talking over 50 hens.
Boys are not affected.
Idk if they have salpingitis or an infection that is being spread by the roosters, but it is most of my flock that have bloated bellies.
Combs are also not as bright as normal.
I started them ALL of our chickens on bactrim, in hopes that if it is an infection that is being passed around by mating roosters, that it will take care of.
Idk what else it could possibly be. I noticed the soft eggs or split open soft eggs in or under the nestboxes a few days ago, but we had run out of oyster shell and I picked more up at TSC on Fri...the day I discovered my first hens swollen belly. ( If girls should be laying, IDK how long ago this might have actually started as we had crazy frigid temps until about 1+ week ago)
They usually free range, but have been kept in their large run up until about a week+ ago. I started letting them out again..
No runny poops, no worms, no mites or lice. Water changed daily. Deep litter method in coop using shavings. I did change out the shavings to fresh yesterday in all the nest boxes.
Their bellies are fully feathered and not bald like how ascites usually presents. Their bellies arent bulging out real far, but feel like a balloon with fluid in. Not hard or solid feeling. They are breathing harder than normal.
I have multiple breeds of chickens. Marans, orpingtons, sapphire gem, starlights, swedish flower, 55 flowery hens, RIR, jersey giants, brahmas, easter eggers, etc
None of the chickens in this main coop are over 10 months old.
Could it be the fermented feed? Layer mash? Scratch grains?
For reference, my duccles that live in my house stopped laying 3 or 4 weeks ago when I switched to layer feed and actually began laying again when we put them back on 18% grower feed.
Something is affecting them all and Im terrified that this might not correct itself if it was maybe a grain issue. I stopped feeding the feed mill grain.
I'm at a loss!
Help!
I have a large flock of chickens that several hens are laying eggs with soft or squishy shells and their abdomens are swollen like water belly. Some are laying normal eggs, but still have swollen bellies and showing respiratory problems. Some are not laying at all, but should be.
We had switched to a feed mill about a month to 6 weeks ago for food and started giving a layer mash or soaked fermented pellets along with some scratch grains on the side.
Most are 6 to 9 months old and started laying in Oct. I have several that have not begun laying yet that hatched in Sept.
We do have roosters and have been feeding a 18 or 20 % flock feed from TSC and provide self serve oyster shell and grit stations.
They have not been getting any food scraps over the winter.
I initially thought it was just 1 hen with the problem, as she was in the nesting box all day on Fri. I brought her in the house, thinking it was water belly and tried to drain with needle, but nothing came out.
Yesterday, (Sat) I checked all of the girls and most of them have swollen squooshy bellies. Im talking over 50 hens.
Boys are not affected.
Idk if they have salpingitis or an infection that is being spread by the roosters, but it is most of my flock that have bloated bellies.
Combs are also not as bright as normal.
I started them ALL of our chickens on bactrim, in hopes that if it is an infection that is being passed around by mating roosters, that it will take care of.
Idk what else it could possibly be. I noticed the soft eggs or split open soft eggs in or under the nestboxes a few days ago, but we had run out of oyster shell and I picked more up at TSC on Fri...the day I discovered my first hens swollen belly. ( If girls should be laying, IDK how long ago this might have actually started as we had crazy frigid temps until about 1+ week ago)
They usually free range, but have been kept in their large run up until about a week+ ago. I started letting them out again..
No runny poops, no worms, no mites or lice. Water changed daily. Deep litter method in coop using shavings. I did change out the shavings to fresh yesterday in all the nest boxes.
Their bellies are fully feathered and not bald like how ascites usually presents. Their bellies arent bulging out real far, but feel like a balloon with fluid in. Not hard or solid feeling. They are breathing harder than normal.
I have multiple breeds of chickens. Marans, orpingtons, sapphire gem, starlights, swedish flower, 55 flowery hens, RIR, jersey giants, brahmas, easter eggers, etc
None of the chickens in this main coop are over 10 months old.
Could it be the fermented feed? Layer mash? Scratch grains?
For reference, my duccles that live in my house stopped laying 3 or 4 weeks ago when I switched to layer feed and actually began laying again when we put them back on 18% grower feed.
Something is affecting them all and Im terrified that this might not correct itself if it was maybe a grain issue. I stopped feeding the feed mill grain.
I'm at a loss!
Help!
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