| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Feb 22 2012 : 06:07:12 AM
Hi there farmgirls! I have a question concerning my chickens.
Yesterday I went to the coop in the evening to shut them in, and found one of my year old white leghorns lying on the floor of the coop. I thought maybe she fell off the roost and was stunned, but she was dead. She was in a sitting position, and had been dead for several hours.
I thought maybe it was just a "freak thing" and disposed of her.
But this morning when I went to the coop, another one of my white leghorns was still sitting on the roost, head cocked to the side, looking positively ill. I figure by the time I get home from my day job she may be dead too. :(
The only thing I have done any differently was I cleaned out the coop on Mon. (three days ago) and sprinkled some pine shavings on the floor. (The same pine shavings I put in my horse stalls, from a bag.)
I have (had) five leghorns, 2 rhode islands, a Polish rooster, and a batch of 6 5-month old babies one of the moms hatched out in the fall by herself. So far it is only the leghorns that are dead/sick.
I am concerned because I don't want to loose my whole flock and have to start all over again! I have looked around on line for a possible cause and have not found much info. Any ideas? Should I get the pine shavings out? Should I quarantine them somehow? Move them to a new location? I am stumped.
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Feb 24 2012 : 9:14:09 PM
Well just 2 birds died. They could not have starved to death in 2 days, right? Their crops felt full when I held them. I had never used pine shavings in the coop before; only straw. I wondered about them having eaten the shavings, myself. So far all my other hens and (and roo) are fine. Hopefully this is the end of whatever the problem was. Thanks for all your input...
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Feb 23 2012 : 05:18:32 AM
Ok I haven't heard from you yet but Prariehawk its the cedar shavings that are so toxic to birds not the pine, but the problem with pine shavings is...if the birds have never had it in their coops they don't know its not food & will eat some of it...well the stomach & gizzard can not break it down well so what happens is they become gizzard bound where it becomes a big mass in the gizzard & the gizzard can't break it up so very little to no food is passing thur the chicken....they eventually starve to death.
Now if they are used to being raised with the shavings they know its not food & may only get a little of it when they eat feed off the coop floors. sudden deaths are never really sudden deaths with a chicken..they are good at hiding they are sick til the end...one day look fine next day dead....unless its something like severe poisoning..or attacks by other animals...
In the last 2 weeks I have had 2 chickens fighting gizzard bound but its from them getting too long hay & frozen grass....one died after 4 days & the other is still alive after 2 days in the house but I know she will eventually go but at least she is in a calm safe place while she is alive.....
Ok one way to tell gizzard bound besides cutting them open...which I have done to learn all this...A gizzard will be the hard ball like object under their breast area....But while you are touching it you should feel it moving even a little bit off & on...if you are holding the chicken & the hard ball has not moved in 5 minutes at all you have a bound up gizzard...I have massaged the gizzard to see if it will soften a bit to show its working...sometimes this will work for a while but a tightly bound up gizzard can not for some reason ever get rid of the mass inside it...Its such a sad thing when it happens but if you kill yours to eat this is a good time to do it to the chicken.....otherwise you can make it comfortable & die on its own or put it down.
Another thing could be worms that have over taken the chickens system to the point of death....
Yes the over breeding is also a factor with short living chickens....I never let any eggs hatch that have the son of one of the hens as the main rooster. If I want hatched eggs I will get a new roo that has no claims to any of the hens to prevent defects or genetic problems...there is nothing sadder than a new born chick that you have to kill because of deforms...
.Also a compacted crop can cause death as the food sours & becomes toxic to the chicken...so if you ever have this type of thing again, check to crop..if the food still moves around you are probably ok but if its a hard mass & you open the mouth & smell rotten-ness it could have caused the death....anyway hope some of this helps...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622
http://theoldbatzfarm.blogger.com |
| prariehawk |
Posted - Feb 22 2012 : 3:29:41 PM
I don't know about chickens, but I know you should never use pine shavings with pet birds. They contain an oil that can be toxic to birds. I hope you don't lose any more chickens.
cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead O'Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Feb 22 2012 : 12:55:58 PM
with out seeing the chickens, and/or a necropsy, its pretty hard to give a reason, but I have heard that alot of people in the past couple of years are having sudden chicken death, they did a study in one area, and have found major inbreeding problems, which in turn is causing genetic issues, including weak hearts, extremly short laying lives and other organ failures...if there is no signs of disease or tramua, you may want to check into where you got your hens, and ask if they have an out-breeding program in their flocks...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Feb 22 2012 : 12:07:45 PM
before I can help you with this I need to know if this is the first time you used the pine shaving with these chickens.......Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622
http://theoldbatzfarm.blogger.com |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Feb 22 2012 : 06:43:50 AM
I also have always used pine shavings in my coop and not had an issue, so my bet would be its not the pine shavings. But something must be going on! Like Kris, I know there are a bunch of ladies here who can give you much better advice about sick chickens. Hang in there, I hope its nothing serious!
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Feb 22 2012 : 06:43:45 AM
Yes, they've been laying for months now - all winter. There were fresh eggs in the nesting boxes this morning, too.
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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| kristin sherrill |
Posted - Feb 22 2012 : 06:14:24 AM
I use pine shavings in my coop and never have had a problem. I have no idea what would have caused that to happen. But I bet there are a few ladies here that can help you soon. Are they all laying yet? You could check their vents to see if they have a stuck egg.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
