4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[kelschooks]

Hi all

 

Please help as I am worried I will lose all my chooks! About a month ago we lost one of our 4 ex-batts that we got last July. From advice I got from this forum it seemed to be egg yolk peritonitis. This went on for 3-4 days and then I took her to the vet to be PTS as she was obviously very unwell. She had a fat, swollen belly but generally was quite thin, she was waddling and had very very lose "squirting" poos. She would squat done and then have trouble breathing. The vet did not confirm or deny EYP as he hadn't heard of it. Then last Sunday I noticed another chook was looking sad, just sitting, not interested in anything, yellowy lose poo. She was not waddling and didn't have breathing trouble. Her crop was a little puffy and fluidy perhaps but no swollen belly. I had to work a night shift but expected to make a vet appointment Monday morning however when I came home she was dead. I thought this was just bad luck and coincidence as I know EYP is not catching and she didn't have quite the same symptoms as the other chook and deteriorated much more rapidly. There was also a few weeks gap between losing the 2 chooks.

 

Yesterday we collected 5 new ex-batts from Linda (Little Hen Rescue, thank you Linda) but this morning I have gone down to find another of my original girls (Olivia)looking hunched, full crop (that's not usual for the morning is it?), looks very sad and doesn't want to come out. I am sure she is going to go the same way as Matilda last week. I am now thinking this can't be coincidence (can it? are they just getting to old age all of a sudden?) and am really worried that this is something that is going to spread to the last of my original girls and even my new girls. To be honest my vets fully admit that they are not well-versed in dealing with chicken problems although I have made her an appointment for tomorrow with one of the vets who does keep his own chickens so that's a start. Clutching at straws my final thought was could there be anything in the garden that they are eating that is making them sick but I'm sure we haven't had anything new in there are they have been perfectly healthy up until a month ago. I am beginning to feel like a failure as a chicken keeper.

 

Any advice gratefully received.

 

Kelly

x

[Budgies]

Sorry to hear you're having this problem Kelly and I have to say it sounds alarmingly similar to my experience, although my girls were Omlet originals and not ex batts.

 

I had one with peritonitis and the other with a blocked crop and a suspected blockage elsewhere in her digestive tract - we could feel a walnut sized lump underneath her too. We never got a final diagnosis for her and sadly they were ill at exactly the same time and had to be PTS on the same day.

 

I'm beginning to wonder if some virus is causing all this - infectious bronchitis in particular can go to their active ovary and cause peritonitis, but I'd never noticed my girls sneezing and they were vaccinated against it (although I don't know how long the vaccine is active for).

 

I hope you get better treatment with the other vet - not to have heard of EYP is pretty poor in my opinion - many of the ex-batts succumb to this.

 

The only piece of advice I can think to give is reduce treats, because being overweight massively increases the girls' chances of developing peritonitis. If you feed mixed corn/maize/pasta/bread, I'd cut it out for the time being.

[Plum]

Can't give any advice but just wanted to say I'm sorry for all the bad luck you are having at a time you should feel great about your new girls. Hugs

[Egluntyne]

It does sound like some sort of virus doesn't it.

 

I'd keep the new girls well away for the time being.

 

I hope Olivia picks up.

[Happy Hennie]

Hi Kelschooks,

The symptoms you've mentioned would all fit Lymphoid Leukosis - it's cause by a retro virus and is surprisingly common in backyard chickens. I've lost five, all ex batts and all displaying similar symptoms. LL is often referred to as big liver disease because the liver becomes enlarged. Mine have had soured crop, swelling between the legs (the liver area), lack of appetite, been lethargic, fluffed up, wings droop, one has developed EYP, runny poos.... finally becoming water and green. LL causes tumours to grow throughout the body so symptoms can be very diverse and confusing. The EYP was probably a result of the LL.

The good news is it's not very contagious and is easily killed in the hen house with dilute bleach. The virus doesn't live long and is killed off by sunlight. The incubation period is about 2 weeks. Not all hens "catch" LL, and even those that do can live many months happily. Focus on building up their immune systems - vitamin supplements, ACV or Grapefruit Seed Extract, yogurt, grated apple, additional protein.

I hope I am wrong about your hens and wish you and your girls all the best.