krakill
Hatching
Hi all - new member but not new to the site. I read posts here all the time & have learned so much valuable info. Now I need your help.
I have 14 chickens - 8 bantam (including 2 twin roosters) & 6 regular size (including 1 rooster) - they all share one very large coop & fenced area with no problems. My roosters (fortunately) live in harmony
However, for the last few days, one of the bantams seems very lethargic and I can literally feel his breast bones when I pick him up. He will peck around & eat (& feels full like normal after eating), but his wings & tail are very droopy. He was always a very friendly bird, often falling asleep on my lap, but today I laid him on my chest while I was in the hammock & I literally had to keep checking him to make sure he was still with me, if you know what I mean.
Initially I thot he might be dehydrated as we recently switched to a nipple watering system. I have never seen him utilize this system & when I put a dish in front of him, he will drink half of it in one sitting. However he does not seem to display the symptoms that I have read on this site for that particular problem.
I am now thinking maybe parasites. I have looked at his poop - which was very mucousy - but see nothing. The local vet said he will not do a stool test on a chicken
Is there another way to (quickly) determine if & what type of parasite? Or is there a med that is a catch all?
I know I will need to treat them all but in the meantime, I'm really nervous for my little man. Any & all advice will be more than appreciated!!
Thanks so much, from one chicken lover to you all.
~Karla
I have 14 chickens - 8 bantam (including 2 twin roosters) & 6 regular size (including 1 rooster) - they all share one very large coop & fenced area with no problems. My roosters (fortunately) live in harmony
However, for the last few days, one of the bantams seems very lethargic and I can literally feel his breast bones when I pick him up. He will peck around & eat (& feels full like normal after eating), but his wings & tail are very droopy. He was always a very friendly bird, often falling asleep on my lap, but today I laid him on my chest while I was in the hammock & I literally had to keep checking him to make sure he was still with me, if you know what I mean.
Initially I thot he might be dehydrated as we recently switched to a nipple watering system. I have never seen him utilize this system & when I put a dish in front of him, he will drink half of it in one sitting. However he does not seem to display the symptoms that I have read on this site for that particular problem.
I am now thinking maybe parasites. I have looked at his poop - which was very mucousy - but see nothing. The local vet said he will not do a stool test on a chicken
I know I will need to treat them all but in the meantime, I'm really nervous for my little man. Any & all advice will be more than appreciated!!
Thanks so much, from one chicken lover to you all.
~Karla
