Sick chickens, PLEASE HELP?!?

[GBov]

So we put my flock and my brothers father in laws flock together.

All was just fine, a bit of fighting but not a problem.

His brother dumped 30 biddies on us, still no problems other than the food bill skyrocketing.

Then GOF (my grand old fellow) bought three pittiful hens at a farm swap and tossed them into the coop with all the rest without asking me.

By the time I saw them it was too late.

Now we have swollen eyes, difficulty breathing and one dead and one on its way out.

What do they have and what can I do about it?

Have googled it and am still looking but nothing seems to fit.

 

[2 bun-owner]

I no nothing about chickens so I'm no help
But hope it gets better for you and that you
Don't loose your whole flock.

 

[Marinea]

It's almost impossible to pin this down without tests, but it's likely either a bacterial infection (treatable with antibiotics), or fungal (not treatable at all).

I would cull (and burn) the affected chickens. In the hopes that it's not fungal, I would treat with a course of antibiotics (erythromycin in their water is what I would do). If it is fungal, it can spread quickly- and there is no real treatment. Clean out their pen, change their food and water, and hope for the best.

So sorry this is happening.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

should always quarantine.

 

[Secuono]

Go to PCOV in FB group or the website and search there or search backyardchickens.com, tons of info about this and what to use to treat.
With so many birds, cleanliness plummeted and disease flew right up. I can only keep 20-25 max birds in my coop or illnesses become unavoidable.
Lots of OTC chicken meds at TSC and other farm stores. Treat hard and long, clean, clean, clean! Then give them more space or start eating them once the drugs leave their systems.

 

[GBov]

should always quarantine.

Yep, but it was simply too late! By the time I realized he had done it, it was done.

*sigh*

The chicken house is very large but numbers are too high. Again, not due to me but to my GOFs blasted brother dumping heaps of half grown biddies on us.

Was GOING to sell them off to help pay for feed costs and get the numbers back to a proper level.

Not happening now :roll:

Getting Terramycin tomorrow so I hope it helps.

If my quail get it too I really will start banging my head against the wall!

 

[2 bun-owner]

Best of luck. Yes quarentine is a must ( out of your
Control I know) with any animal. I'm in the quartentine
Process right now actually.

I sure hope your whole flock doesn't get
Whatever the others are dieing from.

Lesson learned!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

GBov, you need to sit down with that man of yours and get him to agree to leave the major animal care and keeping decisions to you. Try to phrase it in such a way that it is a positive thing- he works, you have the time to do the research, etc.

I'd also try to limit new critters until you get a handle on whatever diseases you have that are causing your issues, not only for the sake of the animals, but for your own sanity as well. Healthy critters are enough work as it is, without having to be medicating everybody.

I don't have any advice on the chickens- I have been lucky so far that my flock has been healthy, so haven't researched diseases.

Good luck! :clover:

 

[Cottie]

I'm a firm believer a multitude of chicken problems can be solved by free-ranging.

Do they have eye discharge? Poop changes? Vent changes? Feather problems? Did you open the dead one up?

Marinea is probably right. There are so many things that affect chickens that look very similar.

 

[GBov]

Thank goodness I started free ranging them a couple of weeks ago. At least the dead one got a taste of freedom.

Two of the sick ones had fly eggs all over but none of the rest had flys at them. No idea what singled those two out other than they were black and the other sick ones are red.

NO MORE CHICKENS are coming in EVER! Once this thing has run its course we will eat all but 15 survivers. 15 is a fine number for a family flock.

I really wanted silkies and wiendots (sp?) but not now

Put ACV and cayanne pepper in the water tonight and will get the tet. tomorrow and we shall see how many pull through.

I keep telling myself that my own farm is closer all the time, total control of my very own land is actually in sight now so problems like this just have to be got through, one step at a time.<br /><br />__________ Wed Oct 09, 2013 6:40 pm __________<br /><br />I didnt open up the dead one, it had been dead many hours when I found it. Yuck!

 

[AmysMacdog]

Oh no I'm so sorry about this. I hope your chickens don't get whatever they had. Good luck! I hope you can get to your own farm soon!
Wyandottes (I think thats how you spell it LOL)

 

[MaggieJ]

So sorry you're going through this, GBov. So frustrating and infuriating to be on the receiving end of other people's stupidity. Hope you get your own place soon.

 

[GBov]

Oh no I'm so sorry about this. I hope your chickens don't get whatever they had. Good luck! I hope you can get to your own farm soon!
Wyandottes (I think thats how you spell it LOL)

That is indeed how its spelt! The two with the fly eggs are Wyandotte crosses we hatched out. We hatched 6 and they were doing really well but htey have been hit harder than the rest of the birds by this what ever it is.

Fully expect at least one to be dead in the morning

But live stock sometimes becomes dead stock. Esp. when we get it wrong.

Several have recovered though, all on their own so there is hope.

Every time my garden fails or stock gets sick I am bloody grateful we dont depend totally on them for our food, we would be right stuffed if we did! :shock: :lol:

Thanks so much for the simpithy (blasted spell check has died on me too! :roll: ) guys, it really means alot!