At a loss...

trinacsj24

In the Brooder
Jan 31, 2016
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So for the past 2 weeks one of sussex has been acting weird.
No signs of respiratory issues, eveytime I think it's her crop it is completely empty the next morning.
Going blind in one of her eyes. Wings hang lower then usual. Loosing weight. No bugs. Not laying eggs yet. I think she pooped out grass this morning.
 
Try a multi-vitamin supplement. Seems like something is missing in the feed, or maybe she's not digesting well. Pro-biotics can help with that as well.

What kind of feed are you giving to her? Is the crop watery-feeling, or bloated?

-Stevie
 
Her crop is extended and feels over full. But it does feel like scratch.
She is still on the medicated chick feed. But I give them all scratch as a treat when they are out grazing.
Yesterday her poop was mostly water, but today it had grass in it.
 
I would be checking for signs of sour crop. Could be a bacterial infection of the crop, preventing good digestion. From experience, the crop can be empty, and still be harboring bacteria. Penicillin can be used, but it's usually pretty tough to get rid of, and can effect the health of the hen as well. Important bowel bacteria is usually killed as well when treating for sour crop, but can be replaced with pre and pro-biotics.

Other than that, it sounds like she's not digesting well, and it could be just that she's sick with a virus or getting over something of the like. I would wait and see, and if it worsens, I would do penicillin and lots of vitamins.

For now, I would highly recommend getting some pro-biotics and see if that doesn't help.

-Stevie
 
Okay I will work on that.
Here is a pic of a poop she did about 10 minutes ago
400
 
So for the past 2 weeks one of sussex has been acting weird.
No signs of respiratory issues, eveytime I think it's her crop it is completely empty the next morning.
Going blind in one of her eyes. Wings hang lower then usual. Loosing weight. No bugs. Not laying eggs yet. I think she pooped out grass this morning. Can you post photos of her, the eyes, how she lays down and uses the wing or a video of how she acts?
How old is she?
How does she act, since you think she is going blind, is she "missing the food"?
Do you have a base line weight for her?
What type of food/treats do you give and is a source of grit available?
Were they vaccinated for Marek's?

A chicken will eat to fill their crop before bed time, the crop should be empty or nearly empty the next morning.
Green poo can be an indication of not eating enough, poor nutrition or illness/disease.
 
Last edited:
400


This is her during a bath.
She does lay down weird at all. I havr noticed that even though she is older then the chicks I introduced a month ago since her sisters passed away she has been pushed to the bottom of the pecking order by the other girls.
I have 5 3 month Olds I just introduced. And four 7 month Olds(which she is one of),and 3 of which started laying and she hasn't yet.
Her wing aren't to the ground, the feathers just hang lower on her body all the time. They get their choice of pellet feed, medicated feed, and scratch. All 3 are available because there are so many different ages in my group.
I have forgotten to ad grit I will do that today. Sometimes she misses the food and other times not.
 
I would also worry about possible Mareks disease, or maybe coccidiosis. Were the other you added to the flock vaccinated for Mareks? Mareks can cause loss of weight, drooping wings or lameness, sometimes eye problems, and tumors. Coccidiosis can also look like this because of extreme weakness. It can be common in multiple age flocks from different sources. She looks sleepy like a chicken with coccidiosis looks. Corid from the feed store can treat coccidiosis in the water for 5 days. Worming might be good after that. Mareks symptoms can occur in 3 or more weeks after being exposed to a carrier who may not show symptoms.
 
Was she vaccinated for Marek's?
How many chicks have you lost, what is the timeline on that?
Can she walk, or does she lie down most of the time, is she unsteady when she walks?

Since she isn't laying eggs, I would feed the chick starter, limit the scratch/grains/treats to no more than 10% of her daily intake. (provide grit for her)
The green poop is a concern so providing good nutrition may help. Offer some vitamins/electrolytes in her water. Nutri-Drench or Sav-A-Chick are usually available at the feed store.

For feeding the rest of your flock, provide them a grit source free choice, just put some in the run and let them pick up what they need.
Since you have different ages in your flock you may want to consider using an all flock/flock raiser feed, it's easier than having to buy multiple products and the birds not in lay don't need the extra calcium. Provide oyster shell free choice, those that are laying eggs will take what they need, the others will leave it be.
 

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