Chicken bald back

[JS1]

This is probably a coincidence and it's just that all my girls are getting to be on the old side, but I'm just checking in case there's anything else I could be doing for them.

 

My small flock is a mix of pure breeds, aged between five and six years, and three ex-caged birds, who'll be around four (had them nearly three years).

 

A couple of weeks ago, one of the ex-caged girls was poorly and I thought she was on her way out. I instituted standard therapy for old girls (tuna, yoghurt, avipro) and watched to make sure she wasn't being picked on etc. Anyway, she seemed to pick up and although she's still not on top form, she's running round with the others and is eating and drinking quite happily.

 

So far so good, but to my surprise, my six-year-old Araucana started displaying the same symptoms, hunched up, miserable, feeling thin and 'papery', although she'd been laying a couple of days before. Within a day she had died. Nothing obvious, no stuck egg, mites, crop problems or anything. But hey, she was six, so I thought it was just her time.

 

Then today another of the ex-caged birds honestly looks like she's on her way out - hunched up, even refusing the special diet etc, closed eyes etc. I know she's had an exceptionally long life for an ex-caged girl, but am concerned in case there is some infection going round. Before I contact the vet, I wondered if anyone had any ideas. I'm obviously concerned for the remaining girls (two other ex-caged girls, including the poorly one, and three pure-breeds).

 

For info, they are in a cube with plenty of space (on grass) for free-ranging within an electric fence. They were wormed with Flubenvet about a month ago (I do it routinely) and there's no sign of red mite or other nasties.

 

Any thoughts? Thanks if anyone has read this far!

 

Updated to add that Con has just died.

[Luvachicken]

What a sad post

I'm sorry you have lost some chickens in a short space of time.

I don't know the answer to your problems but would think that it could be either old age OR you have a bug going round.

I suppose the only way to find out is take the remaining ones to the vet for a check over.

 

Sorry I haven't been much help, but for me the vet is always the easier option, but having said that, 4 and 6 is quite old for a chicken so perhaps old age is the more likely reason.

[kopperdrake]

It sounds like they are well looked after in terms of worming etc. In our experience, what we term the 'chicken menopause' seems to be the riskiest time for our old ladies. It's the usual egg peritonitis that's the culprit or the moult before Christmas. Sometimes the older ladies struggle regaining all of their feathers after a moult, and just don't seem to have the reserve of energy to build the new feathers. That's when they get special treatment in terms of extra protein, like mealworms. Other times they get through the moult, only to get ill with the start of egg laying, with a soft-shelled egg breaking inside them. Sometimes you can see it happen, if it's close to the vent, sometimes its internal and you don't notice until it's often too late In your situation I would take the poorliest to the vet to make sure it's nothing contagious. If it's peritonitis from a broken egg, the vet may be able to help with the infection, and hopefully she'll start laying decent eggs after. When our chickens get through this will they won't they lay period in their life, and just stop laying, it's actually a relief, as they can live out their lives with one major issue less. We have one now, Jackie, an old Light Sussex that stopped laying last year, and now just watches the young ones running around from the comfort of whichever pile of grass she's decided is her throne for the day

[JS1]

Thanks very much for the kind replies. Len (the previously poorly ex-caged girl) was first out of the Cube this morning, but I doubt we'll be getting any more eggs from her even if she gets over this. We now have five girls and I've given them all strict orders to stay alive all day. I was anticipating a bit of a clear-out this year on account of their ages, but was just a bit alarmed at losing two in the one week.

Will keep an eye on the situation and consider taking Len to vet tomorrow.

Thanks again.

[Luvachicken]

How have you been getting on ?