I have 25 chickens from Southeastern Mass. Sick! I need help

Hi, everyone. I have 25 mix breeds from Ma. I noticed on Tuesday that one of my rooster was walking a falling over. I could very easily catch him, but before it was almost impossible to catch him unless I wanted to get my self hurt. Now, I have two more that are just sleeping at all hours out in the middle in the yard(free range)at all hours of the day, and I can just pick them up like they didn't even know I was holding them.


Please if you have any anything comment back.


Thanks, Alex

have they been near anything poisonous it sounds similar to the affects of rat poison but i am probably wrong TF and catscan will know wat to do they will probably be here in a bit

Yes. I put down lawn fertilizer on Aug 28. They wernt on the lawn for a good 3 days after I put it down. After that I was back to school and only could stop them in the afternon from goming on the lawn. But the weird thing is, is that the first chickens on the lawn that I always chase off aren't sick.

How long have you owned them? Any other symptons?

MollyD

I have had my flock some since 2004. MOst are 3 years to 2 old. A couple are 1 year.

just going off what Tamara has said, try some apple cider vinegar and minced garlic in their water. She suggests Braggs. Not sure on the amount tho.

In that case cembalisty33 the odds are that they've managed to poison them selves. Some individuals are always more susceptible than others .

Try feeding them lots of dandelions to help detoxify. Make sure they're real dandelions which have a smooth feel to them. There is a weed that mimics it but has a rough texture.

MollyD

This message was edited Sep 13, 2008 12:54 PM

cembalisty33,

This must be a real troubling experience to go through and worse of course for the chickens. I hope like heck they recover. I can only imagine the "self flagellation" ... so don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. I can only imagine how sad you must be. Best wishes to all.

Kelly in Moxee

sounds like some sort of poison though not rat anymore i dont think it would be lawn fertilizer but i am no expertalso if they are realy realy lethargic and weak som water with sugar in it LOL there is a lot of stuff u can put in water isnt there

Lock them away from the lawn. Try a tincture. Distilled Water, 50 ml. 20 Drops of Organic Dandelion. 20 Drops of Marshmallow Root. Administer .5 ml individually with syringe. Repeat every few hours until symtoms improve. Check for signs of fever. If indicated, give tepid baths between drops. Prepare water with ACV and garlic. 2 TBSP each per gallon.


%%%%%%%%%%ATTENTION FOWL OWNERS%%%%%%%%%%
Please use you chicken droppings to fertilize your lawn. At NO TIME is it safe for fowl to graze on treated grass.
~~~~~~*********************************************************************~~~~~
CF

I could not remember my old account. Its cembalisty33. There still weak and one really I have to feed it water by hand. : ( Please if you could explain waht I can do so I can easily write back. ASAP.

they need to process the poison out of their system as wuicikly as possible. feed them dandelions, whether fresh, in tea or tincutre form. marshmallow root or myrrh will also help... anything "detox" or "cleansing" or to "promote healthy livers"...

some poisons do not hurt birds. it really depends. some will survie and others own't. best of luck to you.

I need to fert my yard and my birds do graze on it. I dont have enough poop to do my entire yard, can I use cow manure. I am trying to get rid of stickers in my yard. I have been digging them up but soon you will see that can get way to much. I have a very very big yard.

manure is fine...

The hens will be in heaven with manure--I think horse is even better because so many seeds pass through them undigested--but maybe you have better insect colonization with cow?

lol nope just got the cow manure for 1 buck a bag, actually it is steer manure.

I had to put one of my chickens to sleep today. (My moms a Vet). Now I have two one sleeps and her neak is kinda hard and puffed out. The other hen, when I picked her up today water came out of her mouth. Help!

All I can send you is good wishes. The Goddesses of Flock and Feather are due on shortly though. Keep posting.

Molly--does it sound at all like Marek's?

Just the walking and falling over symptom. None of mine had the water coming out of the mouth or anything happening with the beak :-( Gosh that sounds so serious.

MollyD

It can attack different organ systems.

When they are "sleeping" or can't get up--how do they hold their legs?

Walk slow. When I tryed to get one the hens to come to me she started to come like she was excited then stopped like it hurt for her, and closed her eyes like sleeping.

Infectious synovitis?

"Symptoms include lameness, hesitancy to move, swollen joints and footpads, weight loss, and breast blisters. Some flocks show signs of respiratory problems. Dying birds may show a greenish diarrhea."

i think it still sounds like poison. gets in every organ. and if you dont' nip it in the rear NOW, then they will be wekended and succumb to all sorts of things.

they lose their appetitie and don't drink, get dehydated, then can't move. i took a video recently of my hen with this same problem. if you can, please check for tmeperature under the wattles [can be casued from heat stroke or dehydration], soak her in tepid water, and please go to a health food store to gfet those herbs.

also, sinc eyour mom is a vet, there could be an antidote, like thre is for pets who get too much frontline, etc...

its gonna be a lot of work to save them. and then they may not be their best for a while. wish i could be there to help.

Hello can i weigh in on this some poisoning is systemic and with it being allmost a week it may just be slowly moveing thru thier system. I've experienced mereks and with mine they first stumbled and then some began to recover after a few days while others were completely paralized and never recovered. I'm on the side of poisoning as it has slowly done its damage has moved thru thier system affecting them in different ways. The ones that are not showing any signs either didn't eat as much or not at all. The sleeping is weakness kind of like when we have a cold your tired because the virus is effecting you and this is why they are sleepy. Thier bodys may be trying to fight off the invaders in thier bodys. The only advice i can tell you is keep them warm and dry and take care of them in anyway you feel they need it and let them rest and pray. I will have you in my thoughts and sending healing vibes your way and i will be watching and praying that they will recover. Listen to all here and we will pull you thru this difficult time. Love and prayers *Harmony*

I'm not disagreeing with poison--but why only the ones that went out later? If it was just fertilizer it would have been more toxic to the first group. If it was fertilizer/pesticide combined, maybe they ate insects that had been killed by the pesticide?

i have seen poison affect some and not others. it is random. [catscan, don't take it personal, it just looks like EXACTLY what i have seen]. since her mom is a vet, she should be able somehow to test one for marek's. i always rule out other health issues before assuming it is poison. after all, the correct treatment often requires a correct diagnosis. but SOMETIMES, treating the symptoms will give them enough relief to recover...

Well of course I am mortally offended! You have disagreed with ME!:0)

I can see randomly affected chickens, but it seems like it was two distinct groups--both on the fertilized lawn--one group not affected, the other affected. Were they generally kept separated? There may have been another source of poisoning, one that only the second group was exposed to.

I love "Forensic Files".

Yes i agree with you on that Cat
I read an article Where a man sprayed his garage for roaches and his chickens ate them and died. Must however be something in thier enviroment that has been missed as we all know chickens will eat allmost anything. The mereks i had only crippled they still ate and drank water and the ones that recovered had no after affects. With the slow movement the weakness and what seems like loss of nervous system function i'm still on the side of poison.

Yes Tamara i agree with you also.

No, my flock is open to any where in my yard, woods, next door, but some stay and don't go in areas just like us as humans if we have a disliked place. I will have my mom read over these posts keep posting Thank You!!

You're Welcome. So, Harmony, shall we beat up on porr catscan tonight?

Hey I'm tryin to keep my nose clean.

Tf--I know where you live--and I haven't mailed the chocolates yet.

edited to say, i was referring to another catscan, um, over on the BYC zoo forum. just a terrible nutty individual who letrs her cats eat her chickens...

This message was edited Sep 15, 2008 7:51 PM

Nice try.

Chocolate!! Got my fingers in my ears and my legs wrapped around Ellies if she has chocolate shes up all night.
Tam are you serious?

HP, naturally not. i just have the jones fo rsome brazilian choclate. she could have mailed it a week ago and it still would not be here soon enough. so, we will have to find somebody else to pick on. id ont even go to byc, just covering my tracks...

and isn't catscan just the greatest person, a traveler, well-read, heart of gold for animal kind..... blah blah blah, and loves the chicken fairy, yes she DOES!

tf

Yeess? Go on.

and so smart, and a great friend, the best worker her boss has, very dependable, witty,,,,,, nice,,,, ummm. oh, has a pleasant voice without that california accent... nice.... loves the Chicken Fairy.... ummmm... LOVES the Chicken Fairy....