The Poultry Keeper

CCB · Joined: 22 May 2008 Posts: 3

Having a devastating chicken experience, 1 died yesterday only off colour for a couple of days not eating. Another now listless but at least still eating, poos are yellow and white. Of 6 (or now 5) in total only 2 laying properly other laying eggs without shells. Plenty of grit/mixed shell, organic layers pellets and a small amount of corn? Am trying to get pure oyster shell to mix with grit as have been told this will help.

All bought at easter on POL and layed well for a few weeks. Sad

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

with the symptoms you're describing it sounds like either pullorum disease or fowl typhoid - both are caused by a salmonella bacteria.

If this is the case then surviving birds will become carriers - if you plan to extend your flock at any time you need to seriously consider a cull.

There is information on both diseases here
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disbact.htm#pull

CCB · Joined: 22 May 2008 Posts: 3

Can I treat this with medication from the vet so I don't need to cull? Question

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

It can be treated and the infected chickens will recover, but they can act as carriers and any new chickens will go through the same illness, it can also come back out in times of stress.

If you are planning to expand your flocks then the best thing you can do is cull these - if these are pets and precious then think about not expanding your flock.

Unfortunately I believe it is too big a risk to new birds to introduce them in a known diseased flock.

Of course I could be wrong with my thoughts, I'm not a vet - but it is what it sounds like to me. if you have a poultry vet you can take them to then do that, you might get a diagnosis. I'm sorry to sound so harsh over this but salmonella bacteria are nasty things, you really don't want them in a flock, especially of layers.

Pekinout · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1188 Location: Cornwall

Pollorum symptoms are white diarrhoea, gasping, poor appetite and lameness, doesnt sound like the chicken has that.

And Fowl Typhoid is a bit of a drastic diagnosis with such scant information. FT can be treated with amoxycillin but it's usually contracted by egg eating, or faecal/oral (eating infected pooh). I wouldnt say it was Fowl Typhoid.

It could be something and nothing. I'd worm them first, then if they don't improve take them to the vet. In the extreme it could be gumboro, in which case it can be treated with antibiotics and multivits, or Angara disease (usually only found in broilers).

But without a full description of the chicken's symptoms its hard to tell what's wrong with them.

I certainly wouldnt scare a new chicken owner with a diagnosis of something sinister when it could be no more than worms.

There are well over 140 chicken diseases, and unless you're a trained vet or taken a full course in poultry diseases and ailments, it's impossible to say without seeing the chicken what's wrong with it.

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

Point taken - I had a look through some of the most common diseases and picked up on what I thought could explain the symptoms.

I agree I was probably premature with my thoughts, and am trying to refine my disease searching skills and knowledge.

Yellow diarrhoea is always a bad sign in my experience though, which is what made me err towards something serious as opposed to something that would sort itself out in time.

Pekinout · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1188 Location: Cornwall

I could see where you were coming from, but new chicken owners have no experience of chicken or their care, and could panic if they thought they had some horrible disease in their flock lol

Still good diagnosing though, and I agree, yellow pooh can be a sign of something sinister, but not always.

CCB · Joined: 22 May 2008 Posts: 3

All 5 remaining chickens appear to be well again, I am just finishing worming them and keeping my fingers crossed that there was just something horribly wrong with Gertie as she was just beginning to lay eggs