Easter Egger wobbly, almost drunk looking.

[perchie.girl]

Wormed? No bugs? Is her crop filling and emptying daily? Will she eat a wet feed mash? If all this is good, my first tx is usually for coccidiosis for 5 days. My animal disease lab vet stated to me that cocci numbers increase in backyard situations and can actually give chickens a larger amount of cocci without making them sick just unthrifty because they get used to it. He recommended treating for cocci 2x a year. This statement is from the head vet of the Florida ànimal disease lab in Kissimmee Florida. They do all my necropsies and he's okay with phone calls.
After that if no improvement, I treat with an antibiotic. I feel that if the chicken may die, I can see a vet, do nothing, or give a general antibiotic that covers e. coli, clostridium, and staph. Aspergillosis is a common silent killer but there's hardly a treatment that works.

Many may not agree with my system, but based on knowledge attained and my necropsy results, this is what I do.

Hi lady ... Long time.
deb

 

[CatCohen]

Peanut was lethargic just a few days before she died. She did eat some and did not show any of the same symptoms. My husband looked out his office window and she was on the ground. Died in my arms a few hours later.

Bunny is very uncoordinated. She hasn't been moulting...they did that earlier. Her last egg was sometime around November 15. She has been fine, except that she won't let me pet her. Even the others when they don't want to be pet will still go into the "Is there a rooster around" position every time I can pet them.

I have her in a box in the house. I covered the box to keep it dark so she can rest. Going to the feed store now to pick up meds. No new chickens in our flock.

Thank you everyone again for all the help.

 

[CatCohen]

Just be aware.... Essential oils that are good for people may NOT be good for chickens.

You are getting excellent advice here from Very experienced people. who are concerned about your birds welfare. You stated you didnt know what a crop was... I understand being new to this whole chicken thing.... and how fast an emergency can make you grab at info as quickly as possible.

You still haven't said what you are feeding your birds.... This is important to know if you are going to get constructive help.

from my end *(i am not an expert in diseases) but I do live in the desert. And am quite familiar with scorpions. Unless you have a variety I am not familiar with the only really venomous scorpion we have are the Bark Scorpions.... Which can be found in the Sonora Desert and fringes. I am on the fringe of the Sonora desert here in California.

http://bransonswildworld.com/arizona-bark-scorpion-2/

Most offer up a sting the equivalent of a Bee sting... or a bit more....

deb

The girls are fed organic feed with no soy. I cannot have soy so I would rather be safe than sorry. We had to go to the feed store a few weeks ago and get pellets, also organic, because the co-op delivery was late.

In addition, they have eaten moringa leaves (we grow several trees) basil, oregano, lettuce, etc. all from our organic garden.

We had a hen stung one time. We thought she was going to die, had no idea what happened. Brought her in the house (Our girls are always with us if they are sick or dying) and the next morning she was fine. Sort of like my husband and I when we were stung. We live in the Phoenix desert.

She did not eat the lettuce I gave her last night. I decided to bring her in around 11 pm. I got her feed this morning and she has gone after it like crazy, although very uncoordinated.

I am keeping a towel on her box to keep it dark and hopefully she will sleep. I am also headed to the feed store to pick up vitamins and antibiotics.

 

[Lolacan]

If she has advanced to paralysis and is very uncoordinated at eating, I would also look into Marek's, as well as a scorpion bite.

 

[perchie.girl]

If she has advanced to paralysis and is very uncoordinated at eating, I would also look into Marek's, as well as a scorpion bite.

Yep... Many of the experts on the subject are right here... posting on this thread

 

[perchie.girl]

Phoenix is surrounded by the Sonoran desert... The Sonoran Desert covers about a quarter of Arizona. If you follow the Mexican border till the Sonoran desert stops in California thats where my places is I am approximately at the same lattitude as you.

 

[CatCohen]

Does anyone know how much tetracycline to give a chicken? The container I purchased contains 250mg of tetracycline but the dosing info is for fish. Got it as a "just in case." Also picked up vitamins. She seems better.

The owner of the feed store looked at the videos I took and says it seems more like a sting.

 

[Lolacan]

I hope your feed store guy knows vast experience about chickens. Mine do not. I've found that they don't.

Casportpony is good with dosages.

 

[casportpony]

Does anyone know how much tetracycline to give a chicken? The container I purchased contains 250mg of tetracycline but the dosing info is for fish. Got it as a "just in case." Also picked up vitamins. She seems better.

The owner of the feed store looked at the videos I took and says it seems more like a sting.

When giving it in the water I would use 250 mg per quart. If giving orally I would use 20 mg per pound maybe? Not sure If I would give it once or twice a day. Let me know what you decide and I'll do more research if you want.

 

[CatCohen]

UPDATE - Bunny is hanging in. We put her outside and away from her sisters for a day. But when I lifted her mini-cage, she ran out and up into the coop. So we left her overnight. Next day she was out of sorts, so back in the house she came.

She lost 2 1/2 ounces since Sunday (went from 2 lbs 7 ounces to 2 pounds 4 1/2 ounces in 3 days) She does try to eat but she is still uncoordinated.

Giving her the tetracycline at the dosage recommended by our vet. Our vet doesn't really do chickens, but he is a personal friend and helps as he can. Anyway, put some in the water of the other 3 as a preventive and I give it to her via mouth 2 times a day. I am also giving her oil of oregano as suggested by someone on this thread. I watered it down and give it by dropper.

My husband mentioned today that she may have an ear infection. So I put some oil of oregano (with coconut oil because it is a "hot" oil) into her ears.

After holding her for several minutes, I am itchy as heck. Is that an indication of what it might be? Should I shower her off just in case? Also, poop report - her poop is sometimes solid, sometimes a bit watery. But it has some white stuff in it. Today less white stuff than yesterday. Any ideas on that?

We determined it is not a scorpion sting because both my husband and I have been stung as well as a hen (survived) and it doesn't tend to last this long.