Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[henmama347]

Hi there

 

It's a very long time since I posted, so I've had to start again with a new login.

 

We've had a run of really bad luck and have got so distressed now that we need some advice as to what to do about our hens.

 

Back in April we got two new hens to supplement the three we had. The existing three were two gingernut ranger (style, not from omlet) and a Buff plymouth rock bantam. The two new hens were a light sussex and a buff orpington. Both of these were quite young, but we were reassured by the seller that we'd be ok to introduce to the existing hens. We did so and spent the first day watching them closely, outside pretty much every half hour and they seemed fine. After we left them for an hour we went back outside to find the two new hens pretty distressed. The light sussex had retreated behind one of the wheels of the cube, but her vent was sticking out and had taken quite a peck. We separated the hens immediately and put the existing ones in a makeshift run. The first night they were fine and we were lulled into a false sense of security. The next night, after discussing how we might be able to better protect them at night and resolving to do something the next day, we had a visit from a fox at around 3am. Cue very distressed, but not dead hens and two very distressed owners, not to mention the questions from the three year old the next day about whether the fox might dead her too. At least she didn't discover the bodies or see too much of the feathers.

 

So, we kept the two new hens, who were very little still, for a few more months and in June collected three rare breeds - a wernlas olive, a gold laced wyandotte and a replacement buff plymouth rock bantam. Within less than a month, the wernlas olive became lame on one side and soon died. We got a replacement for her, a welsummer.

Within less than a month, both the welsummer and the wyandotte have also died. Both of these hens seemed off colour for a day or so, but then died within no more than a couple of days of seeming fine. None of these hens every laid an egg. The bantam has been laying eggs for a good month or so and seems fine, but has been pecking at the other hens enough for us to separate her over the last couple of weeks (in a much more robust enclosure).

 

Yesterday, the buff orpington seemed to be a little off colour to my husband, and today she's got really bad, shivering and very quickly unable to stand. I fear we'll lose her too.

 

The only thing that we can identify as an issue is that we have not used poultry grit with our hens for the last five years. We did initially, but it never seemed to be used and we stopped. Also, the layers pellets we use, from Countrywide, contain grit and suggest that it is a complete food, so we didn't realise that this was an issue. We're both now distressed as to whether or not the hens have some kind of disease that we can't seem to identify, or if we have been negligent in not providing the hens with grit. They live on bark and have pretty regular access to grass and a veggie patch. The two remaining, seemingly healthy (so far) hens now have some grit, layers pellets, apple cider vinegar in the water and we're giving them lots of mealworms.

 

Please help!!

[laurmurf]

Some of your symptoms sound like Mycoplasma and this can be carried by chickens and passed onto others - it's particularly virulent in stressed hens and introducing new hens without a gradual process is very stressful to all the hens involved. It's also the possible explanation you've had no eggs cause stressed or poorly chooks don't lay. These problems won't be caused by a lack of grit.

 

From reading your experiences it doesn't sound like you have isolated any of the new hens you bring home - do you quarantine any new ones? The guidance is quarantine for 2 weeks.

 

I think you need a trip to the vet ASAP to get some Baytril/antibiotics to cure the very poorly hen. The medicine goes into the water or can be put in a chicken mash which all will eat or drink so all will benefit. This will prevent the rest getting very poorly too, hopefully.

 

-I would suggest that you don't introduce any more new hens for a good period of time.

-When you do get any more you should quarantine the new hens for 2 weeks

-Only introduce hens to each other when the younger ones are at least POL - about 18 weeks +. Younger and they won't have the confidence or wit to run away from an older bully.

-When you introduce the new hens to the old ones take it very slowly - i find intros take between 6-10 weeks depending upon the nature of the hens.

-Don't believe anyone who tells you to put them all in together and let them sort it out... not unless you want very distressed or cannabalised hens. When an old timer says this its probably because he has a very large flock and a cockerel or two: the large number makes a newbie less noticeable, there's more space to run away and the cockerels control the worst of the violence against newbies. Garden flocks are nothing like this set up and chickens are vicious... think dinosaurs with feathers.

-Once a fox knows you've got chooks then he'll be back, but it sounds like you have a much more secure second enclosure.

 

Good luck with the poorlies and i hope your flock gets better soon!

[Tweety]

Very good advice from laurmurf. The only thing I can add is that I would take your hens off bark - it is not a suitable material on which to keep chickens.

I do hope that the vet can sort out your poorly girl.

[Chucky Mama]

Good advise already, especially about quarantining. I would be a little concerned about Marek's Disease which is not good news if they do have it.

 

"The route of infection is usually respiratory and the disease is highly contagious being spread by infective feather-follicle dander, fomites, etc. Infected birds remain viraemic for life.

The virus survives at ambient temperature for a long time (65 weeks)

Signs

Paralysis of legs, wings and neck.

Loss of weight.

Grey iris or irregular pupil.

Vision impairment.

Skin around feather follicles raised and roughened."

There is no treatment

[henmama347]

Thanks for the advice both. Would we be able to just go to the vet and ask for the antibiotics or do we need to take along one/all of the hens?

 

Also, might add to the theory that it is mycoplasma, two of the hens were gasping as they became poorly. I think it could be what they've had.

 

We've introduced quite a few different hens over the years, but mostly have ended up with a quarantine type arrangement, guess we need to think about that once we've got over this and sorted out what to do next.

 

I've heard mixed reviews about bark. A couple of people hav recently said they don't think it's suitable, but omlet positively advertise it as a good way to keep them. We've cleared out the bark for the moment, but had bought some more to put in. Will hold off for the moment.

 

We've been away on and off for the last few weeks on holidays, with neighbours helping out with the chooks, so not been able to give them the attention they deserve.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

You poor thing, you really have had it bad . I've no experience of either disease but I hope you manage to diagnose and treat them (if possible ).

[Chucky Mama]

Thanks for the advice both. Would we be able to just go to the vet and ask for the antibiotics or do we need to take along one/all of the hens?

 

You would have to take one or two along so that they can get an idea of what they are treating. They can't prescribe without carrying out an examination.

[Redwing]

Bearing in mind that Wernlas chickens are fully vaccinated that cuts out a few possibilities

 

For the run woodchip is fine, bark is not

[henmama347]

Hi there all.

 

Thanks for the support so far. We lost the fourth hen, a beautiful buff orpington, but still have the remaining two left. They took a trip to the vet yesterday. He thought they looked fine, didn't attempt to diagnose what had happened to the previous hens, but agreed when I suggested that antibiotics might be a good preventive measure. He prescribed Baytril and also suggested that I worm the hens, even though I have given them verm ex in the last couple of weeks. He gave me panacur granules that seem to be intended for dogs and cats... I haven't yet given them the wormer, but have started them on the antibiotics. So far so good. I also bought some proper hen wormer and a ground sanitiser that goes with it. We've cleared out all the bark and will sanitise the ground today. Other half disinfected the cube and feeders etc yesterday, so we're hopeful that we might have contained things, but I guess only time will tell...

 

Was pleasantly surprised that the trip to the vet including the drugs came in at less than £20. He also said that they could do a rudimentary postmortem if we should lose either of the remaining hens, for about the same cost as a consultation. He suggested that there is also the option of sending the carcass off to be fully pmed but that it is very expensive. Does anyone have experience of a "vet" pm rather than a specialist one? I'm hopeful that we won't lose these last two hens, but if we do, I don't want to introduce new hens into the garden if we're harbouring something nasty that's hanging around...

 

Still, feeling quite positive now..

[Chucky Mama]

The panacur will be fine for your hens but it doesn't cover all worm species. I would be surprised if this was a worm issue but if you have only ever used a herbal supplement in an attempt to deal with worms, I would suggest that you use Flubenvet which is the only UK licensed wormer for hens. Your vet may be right in saying that your 2 remaining hens are OK. They can only really go by the symptoms presented at the time of examination. To do a proper pm samples would need to be sent of to an external lab and may or may not get you any further in finding out what is going on. A standard vet pm would reveal physical causes of death and if they have a severe worm issue but precious little else and viral and bacterial causes would not be evident without samples being sent off.