Help my chickens are dying !

[SilverDesertRain]

Hi

I purchased 3 mixed breed pullets who just have started laying eggs from a semi free-ranged farm. They were all healthy at the time of purchase. Soon one of them died suddenly after 4 days without any prior symptoms. After that I purchased 3 more pullets and 1 hen (a year old) from a battery farm. Now the previous 2 started to have respiratory symptoms and one of them died. The last one also got sick and is very weak now and will die soon. I have been using streptomycin for the past 3 days now. I have noticed one of the new pullet is also started to have these symptoms. The battery hen on the other hand is doing well and seems very happy.

The symptoms start with the chicken becoming weak and closing its eyes along with nasal discharge and ? cough.

My birds are confined to a coup about 220 x 147 x 150 cm, the floor is garden soil and the coup is place between trees where is gets good light but no direct sun. The temperature outside is about 35 C

So what is going on? Will they all end up dead? Is my setup OK?

Thanks in advance...

[RonL]

Hi SDR. Welcome to Poultry One.

Sorry to hear your problem. It could be a few things. Possibly Chronic Respiratory Disease. Do you know what was in their area before? Any other poultry? Could be they're picking up some type of pathogen from their coop/run area. Or they brought it with them. The antibiotic should be used for 10 -14 days. Keep us posted ......

[SilverDesertRain]

Thanks RonL

The old pullet from the first batch died, so now I have the 3 pullets from the semi free-ranged farm and the hen from the battery farm. There were turkeys, ducks, peasants and other birds in the farm but different cages and fences.

If one of the new start dying then I will wait till this thing passes away or all of them die before buying some more chickens.

[dragnlaw]

Hello Silver, I too welcome you to PoultryOne.

Sorry to hear about your troubles, very frustrating not knowing! May I suggest, it might be worth sending the next one for testing? If there is something where you are keeping them, or if it is something that one of them brought in, or a comination of both; you are going to need to know what it is in order to combat and prevent it from happening again.

Good luck and let us know.

May I ask where you are? 35 C is pretty warm for the Northern Hemis.. at least right now. (That's approx. 95 F for my southern neighbours)

[SilverDesertRain]

Thanks dragnlaw

I'll just wait and see...but most probably one of the first batch chickens was carrying something...it died without any symptoms.
The place is fine I guess because I have some Guinea pigs and they started as 2 and now they are 11 in less than a year.

As for 35C, well I live in Oman, a country next to Dubai in the middle east.

[dragnlaw]

My kids had g pigs and thought it was funny to put the male with the female overnight and not tell me..... grrrrrrr.... watch out ! you'll have more than 11 soon! LOL

but seriously, I would not let the health of the guinea pigs mislead you into thinking things are OK for the poultry. They are far more susceptible to lungs infections. Guineas are really quite hardy little things.

[dragnlaw]

I am going to correct myself. The chicks will be susceptible to different things than the guineas.

[RonL]

SDR. Your coop should accommodate up to 8 hens. Can you get a poultry antibiotic? Also, water soluble vitamins may build up their stamina. Its a good idea to wait if they continue to get sick. If it is CRD and they survive (which most do), then they will be carriers and may pass it on to new birds. Keep us posted on your birds ........

[SilverDesertRain]

Thanks guys

By the way the new pullets are all healthy till now, I got them on 9th of April.
I am still using the chicken antibiotics in the water.

[dragnlaw]

Good going, just remember what Ron said, ONLY give the antibiotics for 10 to 14 days. Which ever is recommended on the package. Giving longer won't help.