Disclolored Comb

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Harem keeper

Harem keeper

Hatching
6 Years
Sep 30, 2013
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I have 2 year old Plymouth barred Rocks one is I think near death. She has been ill for 2-3 weeks. Lethargic loosing weight and has a nasty comb see photo. The others are fine except one has small black spots on her comb. Treated the water with a probiotic and have been tilting the sick hen upside down to drain her crop of fluid. At one point she seemed to be recovered but now is back to hiding and tail down. Thoughts


??
 
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Nothing on anybody's waddle. I read that antibiotic on the effected areas and vitamins in food may help.
 
Looks like possible dry fowl pox to me, too. It could be a secondary problem associated with whatever is wrong with her, or the main problem that is weakening her. I would isolate the sick hen in a warm, clean place where you can observe her. Offer quality chicken feed and whatever else she will eat (scrambled eggs, mealworms, various fruits, etc.), and put some vitamins in her water if possible. You can also put antibiotic ointment on the scabs on her comb, if you want. I would also recommend giving her an antibiotic (like Tylan50 or oxytetracycline) to treat any secondary infections brought on by the stress of the (possible) fowl pox.

Is her crop squishy or enlarged? If so, then she could have sour crop and you're doing the right thing by draining her crop. If her crop seems pretty normal, though, I would stop draining her crop, since it is stressful and in that case, unnecessary.

I would also consider the possibility that she is egg bound or internally laying. You might consider palpating her externally (just squeeze around her body/abdomen looking for abnormal lumps) or feeling around inside her vent with a gloved, lubricated finger. At this point, though, recovery from egg binding would be pretty unlikely, since the egg (if present) would have been stuck and decaying in her body for a few weeks.
 
Thanks all for your input. I did purchase vitamins and gave her 3cc via syringe. She will not eat any more at this time not even the egg yoke. Her crop has been squishy. Hate to probe her at this point. I don't expect her to survive. I do want to be more proactive with the other two though. And I did find a black spot on one of the healthy girls wattle just now. Question, why would a mosquito bite manifest itself at this time of year (Washington PA) ?
 
Harem keeper said:
Thanks all for your input. I did purchase vitamins and gave her 3cc via syringe. She will not eat any more at this time not even the egg yoke. Her crop has been squishy. Hate to probe her at this point. I don't expect her to survive. I do want to be more proactive with the other two though. And I did find a black spot on one of the healthy girls wattle just now. Question, why would a mosquito bite manifest itself at this time of year (Washington PA) ?
Click to expand...

Fowl pox is spread by mosquito bites but also by infected scabs, which apparently can stay infectious for a good long while after falling off and laying in the dirt. All it takes is for the birds to come upon one. I am not sure about which species can carry fowl pox as I have not done a whole lot of research, but perhaps the scab came from a wild migrating bird. In any case, what I did read is that it generally is not fatal and it brings immunity with recovery, like human chicken pox, so the most important thing is keeping them healthy and strong as they fight through the illness. I would not give prophylactic antibiotics, but I would consider adding a supplement to the water and making sure their nutrition is up to par and the coop and run are as clean and dry as possible (the dry part is hard right now, where I am at least).

At this point I would just try to ensure that she is eating, drinking, and eliminating adequately, and staying warm as she tries to fight this and whatever else is going on. Keep us posted and good luck.
 
SunHwaKwon said:
Quote: It does look like Dry Fowl Pox. You can apply some Iodine to the scabs to help dry them up. Don't pick them off - they are considered "hot debris" so keeping the run/coop raked and clean will be helpful. Clean and sanitize water stations.

More concerning is her crop issue. If you are having to tilt her to drain excess liquid from her crop, she may have sour or impacted crop. Check inside her beak to make sure she has no plaques/lesions like canker or wet form of fowl pox. You need to treat her for her crop issue(s). This can cause the lethargy you are seeing. If you have a vet that will perform a fecal test that would be good as well - have them check for cocci and worms - sometimes there is an underlying issue that is causing impaction.

Do you notice any odors coming from her beak - does her breath smell yeasty?

Here's more information on Pox and crop issues - @TwoCrows article is very detailed and informative.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/07/fowl-pox-prevention-treatment.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/06/chicken-anatomy-crop-impacted-crop-sour.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html
Click to expand...
 
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Thank you, for the detailed reading material. So much to learn. I will do more investigation in her condition. I did have trouble this year with sparrows flying into the coop and that certainly could have been the source. Dry, clean and warm is not a problem to do. She can stay inside the coop 4X8 foot interior with 2 other Barred Rocks. I will post as news occurs.
 
Got up this morning and needed to euthanize the poor girl due to her condition. I will never get used to that. Another learning process for a newbe. Thanks
 
I'm so sorry
hugs.gif
 

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