[danmegal]

Very shocked to find in the henhouse last week one of my girls dead, no signs of ill health, lice, mites, egg or crop problems, so just put it down to natural causes. Tonight I have found another dead in the pen and appears to have just dropped down dead, certainly no signs of ill health when let out in the morning and has laid an egg today so any ideas what has killed my girls and should I expect it to happen again? Girls are my babies from july so 9 months old laying everyday.

[jinty1911]

Oh I am sooo sorry to hear your bad news      .  Have they maybe eaten/drank something that they should have? Maybe a neighbour out with weedkiller?   

[danmegal]

No don't think so as they are in a fixed run. My concern is disease of some sort!

[GrannieAnnie]

This may seem a strange question, but have you wormed they recently?

The reason I ask is that a couple of months ago we bought a small breeding flock so we could breed the shaver black hybrids.  after only 4 days one of the hens died.  the day before she had looked a bit hunched, but they do at times.  Anyway, over the next 2 months, we lost another 2, and then another one with the same symptoms.  Just hunched and lethargic over a day.

We took the fourth one to a poultry friendly vet, who put her down and dd a post mortem for us.  I was dismayed to find that she was riddled with worms.  Something we've never experienced before.  But these worms are different.  They don't come out in the poo alive.  But they lay their eggs in the chicken guts, then die and you don't see them in the poop.  the larvae then eat holes inside the chicken. 

But another hen may pick up some worm eggs I suppose, and it takes a couple of weeks in between for all this to happen again.

With yours being a week in between, that's why I thought about it.  Something to think about anyway, but I'm sorry you lost your girls.

[danmegal]

I read about the very same thing last night, something to do with eating woodlice. No I havent wormed then recently (which is irresponsible as I sell the blinkin stuff) but it is on my list of things to do, along with a thorough clean and disinfection of coop and run.

[GrannieAnnie]

Hope the others will be okay Dan!

[bantam novice]

Good luck and keep us posted

[Aunt Sally]

We took the fourth one to a poultry friendly vet, who put her down and dd a post mortem for us.  I was dismayed to find that she was riddled with worms.  Something we've never experienced before.  But these worms are different.  They don't come out in the poo alive.  But they lay their eggs in the chicken guts, then die and you don't see them in the poop.  the larvae then eat holes inside the chicken. 

Grannie, what worm did the vet say it was in the PM report ?

[danmegal]

The one I read about was something called tetrameres. The larvae develop in grasshoppers, beetles and woodlice for example and once eaten infect the birds stomach.

[GrannieAnnie]

I was so worried Auntie, I forgot to ask what it was and we didn't get a report.

Do you think they'd tell me if I phoned them up, or am I too late??  I felt so guilty, that it may have been my fault, but vet said that for the first one to die when we'd only had them 4 days, she had to have them already for the amount of damage they did.

I'll try to remember to call them on Monday

[Aunt Sally]

They should have their report on file grannie and you've paid for it so they should tell you what they were over the phone.

[joyfull]

yes the vets will have it on record - when they did an autopsy for me I was able to ring up and ask questions about it

[GrannieAnnie]

Thanks Auntie and Joy!  I'll ring them on Monday!

[Aunt Sally]

Thanks Grannie