Sick Chicken

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I recently lost two chickens in one day. Was rather quick, as one chicken was acting funny one day and was dead the next. That afternoon, I got home to a hen sitting in the shavings on the bottom of the coop. She was really lethargic and unresponsive. I moved her to my isolation pen and 5 minutes later I find her dead. From my observations they appeared to have developed muscle weakness in the neck as their heads lolled toward their backs. The first one was also observed to have super loose bright mustard yellow stools. A couple long time chicken raisers near me said that it was probably e.coli for mine and I should start the whole flock on Tetracycline. Into that cycle for 3 days now and I have seemingly happy healthy chickens, at least for now. I hope your baby makes it!
 
Keeber said:
I recently lost two chickens in one day. Was rather quick, as one chicken was acting funny one day and was dead the next. That afternoon, I got home to a hen sitting in the shavings on the bottom of the coop. She was really lethargic and unresponsive. I moved her to my isolation pen and 5 minutes later I find her dead. From my observations they appeared to have developed muscle weakness in the neck as their heads lolled toward their backs. The first one was also observed to have super loose bright mustard yellow stools. A couple long time chicken raisers near me said that it was probably e.coli for mine and I should start the whole flock on Tetracycline. Into that cycle for 3 days now and I have seemingly happy healthy chickens, at least for now. I hope your baby makes it!
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Thank You she seems to be getting better. Her wheezing is slowing down but its also spreading to other chickens. I really think its like the chicken version of a human cold. My chickens are pretty healthy because they free range. It started with my cuckoo Maran pullet and then spread to my Jersey Giant and now to my buff orpington and my black langshan.
 
I have been reading a copy of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and I think I may have jumped the gun on my course of antibiotics. The more and more I think about the symptoms, I am rethinking what folks were telling me about e.coli and really thinking botulism. From the limping around when coaxed, the sitting still, and the eventual inability to open their eyes/limp necks, all the syptoms point differently. I figure I need to finish the course to be a good steward and not make things worse.

I don't think that chickens really get colds. I'm not super experienced with them, but I wholeheartedly agree with Eggcessive about the Tylan 50. If you have a Tractor Supply around, I believe that they still carry Tylan 50 and 200 over the counter. One of our only options without a RX.
 
Keeber said:
I have been reading a copy of Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens and I think I may have jumped the gun on my course of antibiotics. The more and more I think about the symptoms, I am rethinking what folks were telling me about e.coli and really thinking botulism. From the limping around when coaxed, the sitting still, and the eventual inability to open their eyes/limp necks, all the syptoms point differently. I figure I need to finish the course to be a good steward and not make things worse.

I don't think that chickens really get colds. I'm not super experienced with them, but I wholeheartedly agree with Eggcessive about the Tylan 50. If you have a Tractor Supply around, I believe that they still carry Tylan 50 and 200 over the counter. One of our only options without a RX.
Click to expand...

I dont get sick chickens very often and when I do it's usually what I call the sniffles like what my Jersey Giant has. I had an Easter Egger from my original group of 5 had caught the sniffles and sneezed just like my jersey giant but none of the other four had caught it and was better the next day. This is the first time that it's spread from chicken to chicken. I really think I have a bad draft in my chicken coop along the back wall where the majority of my chickens sleep.
 
I have a 2 year old Silver Laced Wyandotte hen who has been acting very odd. She is lethargic, her wings and tail droop slightly, and she sometimes makes an odd stuffy noise, but her eyes and nose are clear. She is normally skittish, and won't let me go up to her, but now I can pick her up and do all sorts of things without a fuss. She is still eating as of yesterday, and I just gave her a drink. She will try to run away from me sometimes, or will perk up for a moment and run, but she is sort of wobbly, and just loopy. I don't believe she is egg bound, but she is really skinny under all those fluffy feathers.
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