Chicken died tonight

[Blackpuddingbertha]

One of our chickens died this evening. She'd been loosing feathers around her bottom for a week or two but no recognisable reason why - no pecking, no lice/mites etc. Also a bit sporadic on laying this last week (but again, not unusual as all young birds). Perky and happy running around the garden yesterday. This morning however she was hunched and not moving much; not eating or drinking. Left her for a bit then checked her over this afternoon - big squishy balloon-like crop so checked books and treated her for sour crop. Lots of fluid came out of her mouth - all pretty yukky. Popped her back in the run after but when we checked a couple of hours later she'd collapsed; by the time I'd got DH to go down in order to 'dispatch' her so not to let her suffer any more she'd died.

Chicken experts amongst you - does this sound like just sour crop? If not, what else could it be? If it was sour crop, what typically causes this so we know how to avoid the others suffering similarly. Was there something else we could have done?

We've only had them a month but got very attached and DDs were quite distraught tonight. Can currently hear DD2 down the monitor talking to her toys about it in bed .

Do you worm and treat with insecticide? What were her droppings like and was she drinking a lot of water (would account for the fluid filled crop)?

northern fowl mite info here

might account for the loss of feathers and drinking.

Droppings were normal until today then she looked a little dirty around the bottom. Don't think she drank anything today. Wormed regularly and everything shiny new and as spotless as I can keep it. No evidence of any beasties in the coop or on the girls.

Sorry you lost one of your girls. Chickens are fragile things and sometimes you dont get to the bottom of what has caused them to die. worth thinking about hiddenhomes points but sometimes you can do your best and you still lose them.

What do you worm with? Losing feathers around the bottom is indicative of either mites or worms.

Using Verm-X on a three day a month cycle. They were wormed when I got them a month ago and they were on day three of this month's cycle. I'm heading back to the see the 'chicken lady' later this week and will talk through with her. We want to get a couple more but obviously want to make sure whatever caused her to get ill isn't going to affect the others.

Verm-X isn't a wormer. It's a herbal concoction designed to make the gut more hostile to intestinal parasites, but it won't actually kill the worms. People mistake it for a wormer, but it's not. You need to get some Flubenvet powder and sprinkle a 1/4 of a teaspoonful on their food each day for seven days. After that, wait two weeks, then repeat. Do this 6 weeks thereafter.

For external parasites, use Ivermectin and northern fowl mite responds to Permethrin spray. Ivermectin also kills internal parasites, including gape worm. It knocks pretty much everything out. Get a spray from your vet or order through Amazon (it's cheaper).

Please don't bother with either the Verm-X or mite powders. Neither of these work (I know to my cost)

6 weekly thereafter, that should read.

Thank you - will get some Flubenvet. So far no sign of any external beasties but will follow your recommendation on that if needed. Would a bad infestation of worms kill a bird though or am I still looking for another cause?

Hi Bertha, just posted on the other thread, one of my girls died last night too. No apparent reason whatsoever, she was bouncing and running about yesterday morning, laid an egg the day before yesterday, bit bald but moulting and new feathers coming in so nothing that I could see. Bit sad as she was my favourite and the friendliest of our four. But in my experience (did used to keep a lot more than 4) they do just suddenly give up the ghost and even if you know what the problem is by the time they start to look ill its too late.

Hi Chix - we're not having much luck are we?

Have ordered some Flubenvet from the local vet so will pick that up tomorrow and do some proper worming. Going to my 'chicken lady' tomorrow so will quiz her about RIP chicken.

Parasites, both internal and external will kill a bird. Two of my cochins died not long after getting them from a scruffy breeder. I was a novice and gave them Verm-X and powdered them, but they died due to an infestation I managed to save the third one with Ivermectin spray and she's still going, but doesn't lay anymore. Parasites are very dangerous, people underestimate just what they're capable of