Crap, not again! Please help!!

[RRLaney]

Alright I'm getting frustrated! I try so hard to take good care of my chickens and it seems like there's always something wrong with one of them!
So we have a case of dry fowl pox going around, all the chickens seem to be doing fine with it. But today I'm thinking one of my little ones is sick or something. She is about 14 week and old and is showing no signs of fowl pox. She wasn't vaccinated at 10 weeks.
Yesterday she was perfectly normal until bedtime, when I went to go lock up the coops I noticed she was wasnt inside and i found her hiding way underneath the other coop. Normally if we poke a broom down there they come running out, but she's didnt budge. It took me an hour of laying on the ground in the dark before I wasn't finally able to pull her out. This morning she didn't leave the coop when I opened it up. Eventually I took her out and found her an hour later in exactly the same spot I left her in in middle of the yard. It's really windy today and she's tiny so I thought maybe she was just scared or cold. I brought her inside and fed her a little tuna and pumpkin. She seems to have a perfectly normal appetite. She fell asleep on my lap for a while and then i put her back out in the yard. Now she still hasn't moved all day. I'm so worried. This is my favorite hen, she's always so sweet and cuddly! What do I do?!

 

[RRLaney]

Update: she is sneezing now. And she's keeping her right eye closer even when she's awake and looking around with the left

 

[minihorse927]

Is she thin? Lethargy and fluffed up feathers typically indicates coccidiosis at that age. Check her closely for mites or lice also. They are small so look very closely

 

[minihorse927]

Open her mouth and check for lesions or bumps. She may be developing the wet form of fowl pox

 

[RRLaney]

Is she thin? Lethargy and fluffed up feathers typically indicates coccidiosis at that age. Check her closely for mites or lice also. They are small so look very closely

Thanks. I don't see lice or mites, just looked closely with a flashlight. We all use DE and poultry protector spray to prevent those things.

I don't know if I'd call her thin. She's always been tiny and doesn't look any different to me. Her feathers always look like this too. She seems to be eating, but I haven't seen her poop yet today.

She's squirmy so I didn't get a good look at her mouth but I'm not seeing anything that looks like lesions or discharge.

Should I just treat for coccidiosis? Or do I need to take her to a vet?

 

[minihorse927]

If a vet is a option for you that is going to give you the best chance. If vet was not an option I would treat for cocci and watch for wet pox for sure. Does she have any nasal discharge or anything indicating respiratory other than sneezing?

 

[RRLaney]

If a vet is a option for you that is going to give you the best chance. If vet was not an option I would treat for cocci and watch for wet pox for sure. Does she have any nasal discharge or anything indicating respiratory other than sneezing?

No, just the sneezing. Seems like the sneezing is getting worse though. There's a chicken vet nearby I can try to get in to see them tomorrow. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, do I need to keep her separated from the rest of the flock tonight? Anything else I can be doing to increase her chances of survival?

 

[minihorse927]

No, just the sneezing. Seems like the sneezing is getting worse though. There's a chicken vet nearby I can try to get in to see them tomorrow. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, do I need to keep her separated from the rest of the flock tonight? Anything else I can be doing to increase her chances of survival?

Yes separate her from the flock. Keep her warm and now sure she is eating and drinking tonight. I would take her first thing in the morning. Wet pox is bad bad news and you don't want to put it off any longer than you have to.

Best wishes for you and her. Let us know what they say.

 

[RRLaney]

Yes separate her from the flock. Keep her warm and now sure she is eating and drinking tonight. I would take her first thing in the morning. Wet pox is bad bad news and you don't want to put it off any longer than you have to.

Best wishes for you and her. Let us know what they say.

Will do. Thanks again for all your help. I made an appt for noon tomorrow, it's the earliest they had. shes been drinking a little bit of water with electrolytes out of a syringe. Will try to get her to eat a little more before bed too! I'll let you know the verdict tomorrow afternoon.

 

[RRLaney]

Best wishes for you and her. Let us know what they say.

We didn't make it to the vet. She died last night
This is the second chicken we've lost, don't know why but this one is beating me up a lot worse than the last one. Poor baby Cat!
The last hen that died was 9 or 10 months but she had similar symptoms, really lethargic mainly. But she looked like she had some sort of prolapse so we thought maybe it was an egg laying issue. Little Cat wasn't laying yet so I have no clue what did it, but I'm on high alert to make sure nobody else gets sick with this.