[Prod]

I have not had a good year this year  however I carried on and I bought some hens from a reputable breeder.  I kept them in quarantine for 4 weeks and then put each breed in separate pens.  In the last 2 weeks I have lost 3 hens very suddenly.  They are well fed, I do, and give them all they should have i.e ACV etc. They have all been wormed and I cleaned their coops every other day.  The only change I have made is that I have started using Easi chick bedding in one coop & adding Stalosan powder to all my coops bedding. Two came from one pen and the other from a separate pen.  I check them all when I let them out for 'odd behaviour' and either check it then or when they are roosting. They were all about the same age and coming into lay and I did notice that they seemed to be going in and out of the coops quite a few times  but no eggs as yet.  Anyone any ideas Thanks

[helens-hens]

Very sorry to hear about your 3 hens. I use the plain Easibed  in the hen house and covered run - not sure what the difference is with the Easichick product.

Stalosan is supposed to be non toxic. I only use it in the run occasionally when it has been very wet. Are you actually using it in the hen house where they roost?

[Prod]

Yes  I put in the coops as per the instructions & it is supposed to be non toxic.  I use a turkey baster (the type with a removable rubber ball on the end. I use for DE too as I find it makes it economical to use and you can get into any corners etc. easily. I have 5 coops which are all wooden and, touch wood, I have never had red mite.  It is very frustrating losing a bird that appears absolutely fine one day and literally drops  dead the next.  As I said the only common factor is they appeared to looking for somewhere to lay.....

[helens-hens]

Hi Prod

I am just wondering if having Stalosan in an enclosed area like a hen house or nest box may not be such a good idea. I know when I pull the top off my tub of Stalosan, there is a strong smell similar to chlorine. Chickens do have very sensitive respiratory systems (one reason why it is important to keep the roosting areas clean) and it may not be the best thing for them. Outside in a run is different.

Stalosan is more of a disinfectant and I don't think it would help against red mite anyway (the DE is better for that and I also use Poultry Shield when doing a thorough clean out).

[helens-hens]

Further to my post a couple of minutes ago though, I had a quick look at the main Stalosan website where it is suggested that Stalosan can be used directly in nests etc so maybe ignore what I just said!

I'll put my thinking cap back on again!

[Prod]

Yes that's what I read.  I have also been reading from a lot of other forums/websites and there seems (to me anyway) to be  a common link in that people are losing otherwise healthy hens just before or after they lay for the first time or appear to be trying to lay which is what I have noticed with my 3.  I have various pens/coops and at least 4 cockerels  but it is only the young hens that seem to be affected, I have some which are almost 3 yrs old  and they are all fine (touch wood).  I know it sounds daft but I can recognise which egg comes from which bird (especially as I am getting so few at the mo) and yesterday there was a new egg which could only have come from a Maran of which I had 2 cuckoos until this morning. We also live in a very remote area and are 1500ft above sea level in the Brecon Hills and it seems we have our own micro climate as, when we drive into town, it can sometimes be the exact opposite of the weather at home.  because we are so exposed I have plenty of little shelters, some natural, some not  for them to use if it does get too windy or wet (as it is today)

[barley]

just a thought you haven't seen or got any thing near them that could be causing a fright ?

chickens can drop dead from fear

[helens-hens]

There seem to be 3 things in common here: sudden death, the hens looking for somewhere to lay and the Stalosan.

I am no expert but my mind keeps going back to the Stalosan. As you'll know when hens go into a nestbox they tend to move the bedding around, sometimes flicking bits of it on their back etc. Could doing this cause the stalosan powder to be disturbed sufficiently enough to provoke some sort of allergic reaction in some birds?

Though Stalosan is non-toxic, I wouldn't fancy inhaling it. As mentioned before it has a strong smell of chlorine and though I am a non-swimmer I have heard people over the years complaining of burning sensation in the eyes after being in chlorine treated swimming pools. I know this is a bit different but perhaps food for thought?

[splash101]

You have had a rotten year, which means next year can only be better.

Easibed and Easichick are the same product just in different bags.

Is there any sign of injury or blood in their poop or have they been eating the bedding causing a blockage? Any overhead predators spooking them?
Any eye or nasal discharge? I would have thought that if stalosan was causing a problem, there would be symptoms first. Sneezing, coughing or discharge that you would normally associate with allergies.
I assume they all have the same water supply?
Any possibility of human interferance?

I have been using easibed for years without problem but that doesn't mean to say others haven't had a problem.

When our young ones are ready to lay, they do go in and out of the coop / nest boxes many times a day sometimes for weeks before they actually lay their first egg. So thats quite normal.
I still have a young one that hasn't started to lay yet but she is in and out all day and when there is another hen in there laying, she stands watching at the pop hole.

It does seem strange that they are going suddenly and just the younger ones.

I am at a loss though so no real help unfortunately.

[Prod]

Thanks for the advice & info & I can see your logic. We are quite remote so there is no noise out of the ordinary and, although I go to the field 2 or 3 times a day I haven't seen anything unusual.  I am going up to Cheshire tomorrow coming back on Boxing day.  I cant ask anyone to look after them for me so I have transformed my 12 x 8 tool shed to accommodate one group and the pair of call ducks. The others will have to share an existing coop which is a converted  6x4 shed, insulated and waterproofed as I can definitely vouch for today as the weather is appalling, my field is like a quagmire. So when I put them in I will use the shavings I normally use and no Stalason.  My  'field' is a corner of a much larger field which came with the cottage when I bought it and is separated from the house by a farm track so, although it is not directly adjacent to my house, it only takes a minute to get there.  On a change of note my neighbour, who owns the main field, has offered to 'loan' me a larger area  so there will be even more space for them to free range next year.

[grinling]

Stalson should not  cause any problems and is intended for poultry. The makers would have tested very well before being allowed to market them.
If you have a poultry vet, even a commercial one, and another bird dies have it autopsied.
We have a kestrel taken up residence in the farmers field, but unless it took an interest in the bantams mine take no notice.
Ask the breeder if they have had any problems themselves (breeders tend to change cockerals to prevent interbreeding)
How many hens per cockerel and were these hens in with cockerals...too much attention?
Any outward signs, comb colours etc?

[joyfull]

I second the taking the next one (if there is a next one) to a poultry vet for an autopsy. Their deaths wont be caused by the Stalisan F as it is a poultry disinfectant powder, I myself use it in the coops and nest boxes of my coops.

[Sassy]

Idoubt there is any chlorine in Stalosan as it breaks down naturally with no residue

[Prod]

Got back from Christmas break and 2 more 'ill'  isolated them but one (green legged partridge fowl)  died this morning so I took it to the vets They have given me enough Baytril to treat the remainder and are doing an 'autopsy' for free.  I really don't know  what to do next.  I have lost so many this year and some are rare breeding stock it has literally cost me £hundreds.  I know you will all say '"Don't" but I really feel like throwing in the towel.....

[AlecF]

I agree with grinling that you should contact the breeder. I lost a new pullet very suddenly within a few days of purchase and returned to him for the autopsy, which at least didn't cost me anything. He reported that it had died from an embolism, and replaced it.
One other thought as it has been unseasonably mild and damp - check your ventilation. I wonder whether something that may be adequate under normal conditions might lead to lung conditions under very damp. mild weather?