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Sick chicken with droppy tail and floppy comb

post #1 of 5
2/17/10 at 4:27pm
Thread Starter 

I have a 9 month old barred rock who has been having diarrhea (yellowish white).  She also has had a droopy tail and a pale floppy comb.  We checked with the farm store where we got the chicks and the "chicken guru" thought it was some sort of bacterial bug in her GI track.  He recommended we treat her with Sulmet (sulfamethazine sodium) for one week.  We did this and she showing no signs of improvement.  Any ideas of what else it could be?  I don't want the rest of the flock to get sick.

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post #2 of 5
2/17/10 at 5:45pm

Need more information.

What is she eating?
Have you checked for mites or lice?
Is she laying?
Any change to her diet?  Added or taken anything away?
Is her crop swollen?

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post #3 of 5
2/17/10 at 8:28pm

welcome-byc

grrrr...feed stores....grrrr Cocci is pretty rare in older laying hens (what you would use Sulmet for).

Like purpletree says.....need more info, is there discharge from her vent? Does not sound like something contagious at this point.

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post #4 of 5
2/18/10 at 8:11pm
Thread Starter 

She still seems to be eatting somewhat well.  We're feeding them Organic Pride Chicken Feed.  We also have a large garden and have been givinig them lots of greens - she gets right in there and eats the greens with the rest of them.  No change, this is how we've fed them from day one.  I gave her plain yogurt last night as I read several posts indicating this was good for the GI track.   No change today.   

New to chickens, how do I check for mite and lice?

She has not layed an egg in weeks.  Egg bound maybe?  I checked her abdomen but it does not seem hard.

Her crop is not swollen, but it is very floppy.  She seems to be shacking her head a lot like the floppy crop is bothering her. 

Thank you for the help!!!

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post #5 of 5
2/18/10 at 8:57pm

Does her crop feel mushy, even first thing in the morning? If so I would suspect sour crop--you will probably want to do some research on that, an epsom salt flush is usually recommended.

Here's a recent thread with much info on sour crop:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=284227&p=14

If her crop seems okay--she could be eggbound, but it seems it would have gotten worse by now. Look her over very carefully, around the vent, under the wings, next to the skin, for mice or lice. Check her vent for any discharge. Does she appear to be molting at all (check under roost for feathers), is her comb pale? Has she ever been wormed?


Edited by chookchick - 2/18/10 at 9:14pm
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