Sick girls

patricia · **Joined:** Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:47 pm **Posts:** 6

My girls are sick and I don't know why! although they are eating well and I buy the best food for them, the feathers especially on the tail end and the neck look like they have been stripped of the plumage, the chest of them is boney and can easily feel the breast bone, they look really skinny. I don't have any idea what is wrong. They are not fighting amongst themselves so the plumage lose is not due to that. I have just lost one and the others seem to be going the same way????? Thank you for any help

Egglive · **Joined:** Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:58 am **Posts:** 267

There could be more than one problem there Patricia. If they have lost feathers they might be moulting. Chooks do that once a year and grow a new set of eathers. They use a lot of their body resources to do that and it can be stressful for them. They stop laying while moulting. At that time they are vulnerable to other illnesses. It seems fairly common for birds in moult to get parasites and colds.

The symptoms you describe are really very vague, so it's impossible to say exactly what's wrong. However, it would be a good idea to worm and dust the birds to ensure they don't have parasite problems. I would also boost their diet with extra protein. A bit of tinned catfood, some chopped boiled eggs, a little mince - would all be good treats for the birds at the moment. I would also put them on a bird vitamin supplement.

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

sounds like they have one of two things - either Coccidiosis or a wasting form of Mareks - I am working on Cocci as it is the more common =
question = is their poop normal or runny? have you noticed any blood in it?? is it frothy??

Egglive · **Joined:** Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:58 am **Posts:** 267

Coccidiosis is caused by an infection of the intestinal tract and has specific symptoms. It is a common disease of very young growing chicks that have not yet developed the acquired immunity that all chickens eventually need. Some older birds can get it if they are introduced into a new environment and come into contact with a strain that they have not yet been exposed to. Very sick birds can also get it at an older age due to suppressed immunity. Immunity is maintained by repeated sub-clinical exposure. Generally speaking, it's a disease of young birds.

A common sign of coccidiosis is blood in the droppings, or diarhea. Any sign of bloody droppings?

How old are the birds?

How long have they been in the same pen?

If they are older birds that have been in the pen for a while and have no signs of coccidiosis, then it's not the primary problem.

If they do have it, then the appropriate food for them depends on the age of the birds. High protein foods are not rough on the intestine, but they require different enzymes to be produced for digestion to take place. One of these enzymes in particular has an effect on the reproduction rate of the Eimeria.

More information is required to know what's going on here. It is by no means clear that the primary problem is coccidiosis yet. One way to find out if you're concerned is to have a vet put a fecal sample under a microscope. The oocysts can be easily seen and the vet can determine whether the numbers are within a normal range or not.

My concern with these birds is that there are other wasting diseases that may be at work.

patricia · **Joined:** Fri Apr 16, 2010 1:47 pm **Posts:** 6

Thank you all for your responses, I will visit the vet and start with dusting powder and worming and also add to their diet as suggested.
They are in a very large pen area and have a separate nesting area attached. I also let them out every few days so they have over an acre.
I don't know how best to describe the condition apart from wasting away slowly. I have been told that being in the sub tropics chickens get a disease from the soil ??? I don't know if this is true.
If it is that they are moulting, how long does this go on for ?
They are all around 2 years old.

Thanks again, you have all been a great source of information and knowledge to this novice.

2_Drakes · **Posted:** Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:58 am

Mature hens have one complete moult a year, usually from late march or early April to end of June or early July

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