Chicken mystery

[ozarksnick]

Howdy y'all.

Long time, no write. But I've got a mystery for you.

Tonight about five pm we went out to check on our hens and to give them a treat. They all seemed fine.

About seven or so we went out to let them out of the pen to roam a bit. And one of the birds would not move. She just sat where she was, wouldn't follow the other birds. She was panting as though she were overheated, even though they've had fresh water all day. And her comb and wattle had turned a very light shade of pink as opposed to the normal dark red. These are black australorps by the way.

Anyway, I massaged her abdomen and could detect no sign of an egg block. So we put her in the dog taxi and left her in a dark area and a couple hours later she is dead.

Anyone have any idea what could've happened?

[AzLoneRider]

Sounds like she may have had a heart attack..... especially if she didn't display signs of sickness prior to this.

[AlchemyAcres]

She just sat where she was, wouldn't follow the other birds. She was panting as though she were overheated, even though they've had fresh water all day. And her comb and wattle had turned a very light shade of pink as opposed to the normal dark red.

Just a guess.....
Those symptoms and considering the fact that it came on suddenly...... sounds very much like anaphylactic shock.
Ingested and/or stung by a bee, hornet or wasp?


~Martin ???

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I see you are from MO. Are you near water? Are you having any issues with those biting gnats? They are really bothering chickens in this area. *I know many people who are loosing large percentages of their flocks from the biting. The flooding this year has made the gnats much worse.

I spray mine daily with vanilla or listerine to try to keep the gnats away. *I also keep many of them in a "bug proof" building. *I had to clean out the open henhouse and pen to keep my chickens away from the gnats.

One guy at the livestock auction last week said he lost all but three chickens to gnats because he had his near some standing water where they were too thick. *Here is a link to a story on them. *I don't live in that area, but further south towards the river. They are like that here too. That's why chicks are selling so well as are fertilized eggs. Many people have lost chickens and need replacements.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271436,00.html

[ozarksnick]

Well, we are currently in southeast Kansas. But no, I do not believe we are having any problems with these gnats. Thank you for the suggestion though.

I see you are from MO. Are you near water? Are you having any issues with those biting gnats? They are really bothering chickens in this area. *I know many people who are loosing large percentages of their flocks from the biting. The flooding this year has made the gnats much worse.

I spray mine daily with vanilla or listerine to try to keep the gnats away. *I also keep many of them in a "bug proof" building. *I had to clean out the open henhouse and pen to keep my chickens away from the gnats.

One guy at the livestock auction last week said he lost all but three chickens to gnats because he had his near some standing water where they were too thick. *Here is a link to a story on them. *I don't live in that area, but further south towards the river. They are like that here too. That's why chicks are selling so well as are fertilized eggs. Many people have lost chickens and need replacements.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271436,00.html

[annabella1]

Any chance she got a hold of some mold. Sounds like it could have been paralysis from mold poisoning.

[ozarksnick]

Well, I don't know. It's possible, but I don't think it's very probable.

Thank you all for all the replies.

[cookfor4]

I see you are from MO. Are you near water? Are you having any issues with those biting gnats? They are really bothering chickens in this area. *I know many people who are loosing large percentages of their flocks from the biting. The flooding this year has made the gnats much worse.

I spray mine daily with vanilla or listerine to try to keep the gnats away. *I also keep many of them in a "bug proof" building. *I had to clean out the open henhouse and pen to keep my chickens away from the gnats.

One guy at the livestock auction last week said he lost all but three chickens to gnats because he had his near some standing water where they were too thick. *Here is a link to a story on them. *I don't live in that area, but further south towards the river. They are like that here too. That's why chicks are selling so well as are fertilized eggs. Many people have lost chickens and need replacements.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,271436,00.html

Thank you Thank you for posting this!
We have lost 7 chickens in the past month, no more have died, but we have been trying to figure out for weeks what was happening, and I think this is it!
They did'nt respond to the medicine the vet gave us, but no more have died in the last week or so.
They were having trouble breathing, it would get very labored, then they would die. Not any other signs really, they would shake there heads alot, but no runny beaks, or loose stool or anything. It was so weird...
But this fits! It's right in the same area as well. We are north east of St. louis.
Thank YOU!

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I lost a salmon faverolle hen today. I even have mine in a building, but a few gnats still seem to get in to them. It seems to bother the younger ones more than the older ones. That was only the second full-grown hen I lost. I pray the rains will stop, so the gnats will be gone.
I had to put the kids in a closed building too rather than on the pasture.

We didn't even go to the mbaba swap in waterloo a few days back due to the gnats. I didn't want to loose any birds. They are just terrible, and it seems to rain a couple of days or more every week.

[mtwildflower]

MOM27- What if you hang some no pest strips in your chicken coop? and maybe even put some around the floor in a wire enclosure where the chicken won't bother it. I know I wouldn't be crazy about having that toxic gas in there, but I'd rather do that than lose my chickens. The exposure won't harm your chickens, especially if you just keep the strips in place until the overall gnat problem works itself out.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I have a fly strip in that shed. There are thousands upon thousands of gnats out right now, mostly outside in both shade and sun. The wet ground keeps them breeding. They are tiny things, about flea size, and they swarm anything alive. It helps immensely to keep the hens in a shut building with a screened window. But the gnats swarm the door (and humans) so that everytime you open the door some get into the building. This is the second year they have been a problem, but last year they were gone after about 3wks. This year they are just thick. There are some people who are loosing a lot of poultry, especially if they are kept outside. The gnats bother everything, but the small poultry seems to fare the worst. And they bite. Everyone is hoping the gnats will die out. I want to get the ladies outside in the sun, so they will lay a lot more.

I put the kids inside too just to keep the gnats away from the horns that were debudded. They swarm mules and big goats too, but they don't kill them. I have some pymethrin (spray) for the bigger animals and dogs.