Hi All,
I need some help! One of my chickens has shown several different symptoms in a progression over the last few days. Below is info, I have been researching everything under the sun and I cannot figure out what she has. I don't want to over treat her for the wrong thing. Advice is much appreciated!
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Ellie is a 2 year old Silver-Laced Wydotte. She is on the smaller size and I believe had a respiratory infection when she was much younger before I got her that stunted her growth. She is one of my smallest chickens.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Tuesday this week I went out to the enclosed run to feed the chickens, etc. and Ellie was still in the coop on her roost. I picked her up and brought her outside. She sort of walked around a bit and then sat herself back down on the dirt. I knew something was wrong. I brought her inside into a "chicken hospital dog crate". Mind you Ellie broke her leg about a month and a half ago and she was crated for a few weeks and slowly made her way back out into the coop. Her leg is basically fully recovered now, but I am guessing this may have weakened her immune system and made her more susceptible.
Once I brought Ellie inside, I checked her crop (this is AM so should have been empty) it felt like it still had food in it as well as water balloon-y, sour crop feeling. I lost a bird last year to crop impaction so I removed all food and and provided only pro-biotic water. I treated for sour-crop with a couple different natural mixtures- fennel seed extract and a formula of cayenne lemon juice, cinnamon etc. that is listed in an article on this website. The next day her crop was no longer water balloon-y, just slightly impacted. So I cleared the sour crop. I next worked to clear the impaction, which was very small. Some olive oil and massage as well as tube feeding to insure she was staying hydrated & getting some nutrients because her poop has basically been all diarrhea (watery, yellow & white with bits of brown). The next day her crop was cleared. Her poops started to get a little bit more solid. I thought I was in the clear, kept monitoring her but put her out on the roost at night. Checked on her in the morning and she was still lethargic. Brought her back in and monitored her behavior, food intake, water, and stool. She would eat a little and drink a little. Tube fed her again a bit as she was showing signs of dehydration. Yesterday and today she started having more "solid" poops, but by that I mean she still has watery white/yellow diarrhea, but now she is also pooping brown partially digested poop with pieces of corn and other undigested feed in it. She is still lethargic and is basically spending most of her time sleeping. She is eating a bit more, but again her food is passing undigested. I suspected maybe round worms and have put round worm treatment in her water the last two days. She hasn't seems to make any drastic improvements. This morning when I went to check on her and bring her back in from her time out, she was again lethargic and sitting on the ground. She was rapidly shaking her head at times almost like a spasm and had started to do some gaping/yawning. I looked up gape worm, round worm, and some different fungal infections. Nothing seems to fit all of her different symptoms. I don't want to keep treating her for different things she may not have and compromise her system even more while she is already weak. I have taken chickens to the vet before, but the vets in my area aren't livestock vets and rarely know what to do. I end up wasting my money and have lost birds anyways from mis-diagnosis or just guessing from the vet. Any advice would be so helpful!
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Since Tuesday, and her symptoms have changed slightly, please see above.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
All of my other birds are fine, no symptoms. Happy and healthy as far as I can tell.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Not sure, I am wondering if the feed I have is old or contaminated? It is not affecting my other birds, but since she already had a weakened immune system from broken leg I am wondering if it is affecting her. There has been small black insects in the last two bags I bought. When I looked it up, sounded like it could be weevils from old feed? I am planning to replace feed tomorrow.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
She is eating and drinking partially on her own, but also I have been tube feeding her baby bird mixture with water to ensure she is hydrated because what she has been eating has been passing undigested and has been minimal overall. I have also offered some wet oatmeal and grit.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Poop is runny diarrhea like, yellow/whitish part diarrhea and rest is brown, but mixture of wet brown and undigested food now.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
See above for description. First treated for sour crop, cleared. Then impaction, cleared. A de-wormer that kills round rooms, tape worms, pin, hook, and whip in the last two days. Tube feeding to keep her hydrated.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I want to treat myself, I have had poor experience with the only bird vet in my area and they do not have good knowledge of chickens and have basically just guessed the last two times I've brought chickens in and spent $1-200+ dollars.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
Stool picture attached is of the towel I removed from her hospital crate from earlier today and late yesterday. Matter is drier in picture, but white/yellow part comes out as very wet diarrhea typically.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
She is in a dog crate as hospital with a towel, clean water, and food now in a quiet place inside. Allowing her to roost at night with fellow flock mates.
Thank you for your help!!!
I need some help! One of my chickens has shown several different symptoms in a progression over the last few days. Below is info, I have been researching everything under the sun and I cannot figure out what she has. I don't want to over treat her for the wrong thing. Advice is much appreciated!
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Ellie is a 2 year old Silver-Laced Wydotte. She is on the smaller size and I believe had a respiratory infection when she was much younger before I got her that stunted her growth. She is one of my smallest chickens.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Tuesday this week I went out to the enclosed run to feed the chickens, etc. and Ellie was still in the coop on her roost. I picked her up and brought her outside. She sort of walked around a bit and then sat herself back down on the dirt. I knew something was wrong. I brought her inside into a "chicken hospital dog crate". Mind you Ellie broke her leg about a month and a half ago and she was crated for a few weeks and slowly made her way back out into the coop. Her leg is basically fully recovered now, but I am guessing this may have weakened her immune system and made her more susceptible.
Once I brought Ellie inside, I checked her crop (this is AM so should have been empty) it felt like it still had food in it as well as water balloon-y, sour crop feeling. I lost a bird last year to crop impaction so I removed all food and and provided only pro-biotic water. I treated for sour-crop with a couple different natural mixtures- fennel seed extract and a formula of cayenne lemon juice, cinnamon etc. that is listed in an article on this website. The next day her crop was no longer water balloon-y, just slightly impacted. So I cleared the sour crop. I next worked to clear the impaction, which was very small. Some olive oil and massage as well as tube feeding to insure she was staying hydrated & getting some nutrients because her poop has basically been all diarrhea (watery, yellow & white with bits of brown). The next day her crop was cleared. Her poops started to get a little bit more solid. I thought I was in the clear, kept monitoring her but put her out on the roost at night. Checked on her in the morning and she was still lethargic. Brought her back in and monitored her behavior, food intake, water, and stool. She would eat a little and drink a little. Tube fed her again a bit as she was showing signs of dehydration. Yesterday and today she started having more "solid" poops, but by that I mean she still has watery white/yellow diarrhea, but now she is also pooping brown partially digested poop with pieces of corn and other undigested feed in it. She is still lethargic and is basically spending most of her time sleeping. She is eating a bit more, but again her food is passing undigested. I suspected maybe round worms and have put round worm treatment in her water the last two days. She hasn't seems to make any drastic improvements. This morning when I went to check on her and bring her back in from her time out, she was again lethargic and sitting on the ground. She was rapidly shaking her head at times almost like a spasm and had started to do some gaping/yawning. I looked up gape worm, round worm, and some different fungal infections. Nothing seems to fit all of her different symptoms. I don't want to keep treating her for different things she may not have and compromise her system even more while she is already weak. I have taken chickens to the vet before, but the vets in my area aren't livestock vets and rarely know what to do. I end up wasting my money and have lost birds anyways from mis-diagnosis or just guessing from the vet. Any advice would be so helpful!
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Since Tuesday, and her symptoms have changed slightly, please see above.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
All of my other birds are fine, no symptoms. Happy and healthy as far as I can tell.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Not sure, I am wondering if the feed I have is old or contaminated? It is not affecting my other birds, but since she already had a weakened immune system from broken leg I am wondering if it is affecting her. There has been small black insects in the last two bags I bought. When I looked it up, sounded like it could be weevils from old feed? I am planning to replace feed tomorrow.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
She is eating and drinking partially on her own, but also I have been tube feeding her baby bird mixture with water to ensure she is hydrated because what she has been eating has been passing undigested and has been minimal overall. I have also offered some wet oatmeal and grit.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Poop is runny diarrhea like, yellow/whitish part diarrhea and rest is brown, but mixture of wet brown and undigested food now.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
See above for description. First treated for sour crop, cleared. Then impaction, cleared. A de-wormer that kills round rooms, tape worms, pin, hook, and whip in the last two days. Tube feeding to keep her hydrated.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I want to treat myself, I have had poor experience with the only bird vet in my area and they do not have good knowledge of chickens and have basically just guessed the last two times I've brought chickens in and spent $1-200+ dollars.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
Stool picture attached is of the towel I removed from her hospital crate from earlier today and late yesterday. Matter is drier in picture, but white/yellow part comes out as very wet diarrhea typically.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
She is in a dog crate as hospital with a towel, clean water, and food now in a quiet place inside. Allowing her to roost at night with fellow flock mates.
Thank you for your help!!!
