Hen not feeling well, need help diagnosing.

[Kuntry Klucker]

It could be cocci and you can either buy Amprol, and give on tsp per gallon in drinking water, or you can give her some medicated chick starter,
which has Amprol in it. It could also be a lot of other things, but Amprol is very mild and will not hurt her. Can you give some more symptoms?

Thanks for your post.
Her symptoms are...
- sitting low to the ground, kind of fluffed up like she is cold
- closing her eyes a lot
- she kind of has a slight limp which is new. ( I see no signs of injury though, which is strange)
- She kind of hangs in the pen while the others are out playing in their chicken yard
- Looks like she does not have much energy
- She seems to want to eat when I bring out treats, so I guess that is good.

Our weather has been very wet (mostly rain) and cold. Does cocci thrive in these conditions?

I use the deep litter method, I can clean out the coop if that might help. But I usually just add fresh litter then do a big cleaning in the spring.

Also, do you think that worming them might be a good idea? I wormed them last in March so it has almost been a year.

They just came out of a hard molt, could that have any affect on her health?

Thanks

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I guess what I really need to know is, should I treat for possible cocci,
or just go ahead and worm the flock seeing that it could be worms?

What do you think?

 

[Beaky Buzzard]

Sorry...Someone told Gatorade was ok for chickens.What if you diluted it.?? I don't think its cocci.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Do you think it would be a good idea to worm the flock? Something is up but I am not sure what. I wormed last
time in March, so it has almost been a year.

I could clean the coop again, I use the deep litter method so it would take a lot of their warmth too.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Pick her up and check her carefully all over. Check closely for mites/lice. Feel her carefully around her lower abdomen, see if she feels bloated there at all. Check out a hen who is acting normal so you know what a normal hen feels like. Internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis with resulting ascites, tumors, all are possibilities if you note that her abdomen feels swollen.

There's just really a lot of possibilities. Sometimes it's just not possible to figure them out. If you want to give some electrolytes you can use some Save-A-Chick in their water rather then Gatorade. It may perk her up some but it is not going to address whatever is going on with her.

And yes, cocci do thrive in wet conditions, you can treat for cocci if you want to rule it out. You sure won't do any damage by running a course of Corid. At least you'll know one way or the other if that's what it is or not. I had a two year old hen come down with a case of it once so it's not impossible.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Pick her up and check her carefully all over. Check closely for mites/lice. Feel her carefully around her lower abdomen, see if she feels bloated there at all. Check out a hen who is acting normal so you know what a normal hen feels like. Internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis with resulting ascites, tumors, all are possibilities if you note that her abdomen feels swollen.

There's just really a lot of possibilities. Sometimes it's just not possible to figure them out. If you want to give some electrolytes you can use some Save-A-Chick in their water rather then Gatorade. It may perk her up some but it is not going to address whatever is going on with her.

And yes, cocci do thrive in wet conditions, you can treat for cocci if you want to rule it out. You sure won't do any damage by running a course of Corid. At least you'll know one way or the other if that's what it is or not. I had a two year old hen come down with a case of it once so it's not impossible.

OK, I will check her out thoroughly tomorrow. I did not see anything the before but maybe looking again will reveal something.

So, they can get cocci at 2 years old. That is good to know. If it is a good idea I will do a course of Sulmet and see if I see
any changes in her. Would it be a good idea to just treat the whole flock with the sulmet? That way I can get everyone.

Thanks.

 

[cafarmgirl]

OK, I will check her out thoroughly tomorrow. I did not see anything the before but maybe looking again will reveal something.

So, they can get cocci at 2 years old. That is good to know. If it is a good idea I will do a course of Sulmet and see if I see
any changes in her. Would it be a good idea to just treat the whole flock with the sulmet? That way I can get everyone.

Thanks.

They can get coccidiosis at any age if they come into contact with a strain they are not immune to. My bird picked it up when we brought in some fill dirt to fill holes in the barn/pasture area.

I would use Corid rather then Sulmet. It's much easier on the birds and it treats more strains of cocci then Sulmet. Look for it in the cattle section of the feed store or Tractor Supply. It's labeled for calves. Comes in liquid or powder. I don't know the dose for the liquid, a search of this forum should turn it up. The powder is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water for 5 to 7 days. Make it up fresh every day. And yes, you can just treat the whole flock.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

They can get coccidiosis at any age if they come into contact with a strain they are not immune to. My bird picked it up when we brought in some fill dirt to fill holes in the barn/pasture area.

I would use Corid rather then Sulmet. It's much easier on the birds and it treats more strains of cocci then Sulmet. Look for it in the cattle section of the feed store or Tractor Supply. It's labeled for calves. Comes in liquid or powder. I don't know the dose for the liquid, a search of this forum should turn it up. The powder is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water for 5 to 7 days. Make it up fresh every day. And yes, you can just treat the whole flock.

Ok, I will get corid, thanks so much. Just to make sure that I get everything, how soon after the course of Corid should I worm them?

It could be worms that are the culprit as well. I wormed last in March, maybe I need to worm again. Or should I wait on the worming?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Ok, I will get corid, thanks so much. Just to make sure that I get everything, how soon after the course of Corid should I worm them?

It could be worms that are the culprit as well. I wormed last in March, maybe I need to worm again. Or should I wait on the worming?

You could wait a week or so after you do the Corid. Give them some probiotic's maybe and some vitamins. What do you use for deworming? Valbazen is a good one.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

You could wait a week or so after you do the Corid. Give them some probiotic's maybe and some vitamins. What do you use for deworming? Valbazen is a good one.

Ok, that is good info. I was not sure how soon after the Corid was a good time frame to worm since I am not sure what it is. I use Safeguard wormer.
Used it last year and had great results.

Another opinion I had from another chicken keeper was to do a weeks worth of vits and electrolights before I introduce any meds to them.

That might be a good idea too. They are coming out of their first hard molt so it could be that some took it harder than others.
It has been very cloudy and rainy here, so sunshine has been lacking. This is our first hard winter, last winter was so warm
it could hardly be classified as winter. So I have nothing to compare to when it comes to hard winter behavior in a flock.

Thanks for your input, in was vary valuable.