11 week old pullet sleeping a lot, acting different.

kgrose

Hatching
Feb 19, 2016
7
0
7
My 11 week old buff orpington pullet has started acted differently today. She usually sticks pretty close with my 11 week old lavender orpington cockerel. So today she would follow him around and just lay down and fall asleep on her side when he would stop walking. When he got too far, she would go to where he is and lay down again. She has slept most the day today, whether it be outside in the sun, in the shade, or in the coop. Like usual, my lavender orpington has stayed close to her, but today when I go to check on her, he's being pretty protective of her and even pecked me once when I went to pick her up. Usually he is super friendly. She has been eating, drinking, dust bathing, and eating dirt and bugs as usual. However, she has been moving a bit more slowly, laying around a lot, and sleeping often. Her poop looks normal, it has a good white cap on it.

Anybody have any ideas? I have no idea what to do for her or what is going on with her.









 
I would treat both birds with Corid for Coccidiosis. You can get Corid from Tractor Supply, your local feed store, or order it online.

Dose:

1.5 teaspoons (NO LESS) of the 20% powder per gallon of water
OR
2 teaspoons of the 9.6% liquid per gallon of water

Give for 5-7 days, make sure it's the ONLY water they can access during this time, and treat them both. Coccidiosis doesn't always show with bloody poops.

I would also check her for mites and lice from top to bottom. Part the feathers around her vent and see if you find cayenne pepper scurry for cover or clusters of white eggs around the base of her feathers. Those blood-suckers can knock a chicken back.

You can treat external parasites with Sevin dust or topical drops like Ivermectin if you find any on her. I'd check both birds, even if you don't find any on her.

Let us know!

MrsB
 
So I just checked the vent, and it's clean and looks perfectly normal on both chickens. Also, they are on a medicated feed. I put them on medicated when they were a month old because I lost two baby chicks unexpectedly and got scared. So I thought medicated would be best.
 
Medicated feed doesn't always prevent an outbreak of coccidiosis. I would treat them with the Corid (amprollium,) and it is not necessary to switch feeds since the amprollium in the feed is such a low dose, that giving the Corid won't harm them. Coccidiosis is the most common illness in chickens this age as they are building up resistance to it. Your vet can check a stool sample just for sure, but I would not delay starting treatment.
 
Last edited:
Medicated feed doesn't always prevent an outbreak of coccidiosis. I would treat them with the Corid (amprollium,) and it is not necessary to switch feeds since the amprollium in the feed is such a low dose, that giving the Corid won't harm them. Coccidiosis is the most common illness in chickens this age as they are building up resistance to it. Your vet can check a stool sample just for sure, but I would delay starting treatment.

"Would" or "wouldn't?"

I'm just checking to make sure!

MrsB
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom