Hello,
Long post, I apologize....
I have a mixed flock, half are 2 years (ish) and half are about 10 months old. One of my 10 month old olive eggers is sick and I'm having trouble figuring out what is going on. I was on vacation for 2 weeks and when I returned, I found this hen to be very lethargic. Normally she would not let me catch her but she was just sitting outside the coop with her eyes closed and let me swoop her up so I knew something was wrong. She felt thin, and her crop felt empty. SIDEBAR - I should also add that while I was gone a hawk killed one of my hens and so I had the house-sitter lock the flock up in the coop/run (normally they free range all day) until I got home to figure some protective measures out. They were locked in the coop/run for 8 days.
I have isolated the sick hen in the house in a kennel where it is warm and quiet. At first I thought maybe the stress of the attack and subsequent incarceration had sent her into this state. Then I thought maybe her beak was overgrown (it was), and she couldn't pick up her food so I trimmed it for better alignment. It has been 4 days now and she is somewhat perkier but still can't eat on her own. I have been spoon feeding her layer feed softened in warm water, syringe feeding her water with honey (when she seems really low on energy) and canned cat food. She spends most of her time standing or sitting in the kennel with her eyes closed. If I go in there and wake her up she will walk around and look interested in the food. She definitely wants to eat, and she makes the motion like she is pecking at the food but falls short of actually grabbing it, or sticks her beak in the cat food/crumbles but doesn't actually grab the food, then looks confused and gives up. Almost like her vision is off. She can drink water on her own out of the waterer.
I thought maybe she was lonely so I put her out with the flock to observe her yesterday and she perked up substantially, but she was high stepping, so now I am thinking its a neuro problem. SIDEBAR - she also pooped while she was out in the front yard and it was this yellow cheese curd looking poop with foamy clear and white liquid and a tad of white and bright green. I didn't get a pic because I couldn't find my phone of course (it had gotten buried in hay). Reminded me of what people describe as a lash egg. (so I got a shovel and removed the poop and dirt from the area). She pooped four more times while out there which were either chocolate brown color or white/clear (all very tiny - maybe some diarrhea now too?). She was scratching and pecking at the ground while out in the yard, but she also stumbled a few times like her balance is off and got startled a few times over the other birds doing normal bird stuff. The other birds look like they are confused/scared of her when she does this.
SO I guess my questions are this:
Can it be Mareks even though she is vaccinated?
Would salpingitis cause any of these symptoms?
Could it be a vision problem without being Mareks?
If it is suspected Mareks should I cull and send for necropsy to state?
She doesn't have any lice/mites. I "dewormed" with an herb mix and cayenne pepper a few times last year. No signs of trauma/wounds on her.
Any suggestions would help
Half my flock are vaccinated (younger ones) and the other half are not.
Long post, I apologize....
I have a mixed flock, half are 2 years (ish) and half are about 10 months old. One of my 10 month old olive eggers is sick and I'm having trouble figuring out what is going on. I was on vacation for 2 weeks and when I returned, I found this hen to be very lethargic. Normally she would not let me catch her but she was just sitting outside the coop with her eyes closed and let me swoop her up so I knew something was wrong. She felt thin, and her crop felt empty. SIDEBAR - I should also add that while I was gone a hawk killed one of my hens and so I had the house-sitter lock the flock up in the coop/run (normally they free range all day) until I got home to figure some protective measures out. They were locked in the coop/run for 8 days.
I have isolated the sick hen in the house in a kennel where it is warm and quiet. At first I thought maybe the stress of the attack and subsequent incarceration had sent her into this state. Then I thought maybe her beak was overgrown (it was), and she couldn't pick up her food so I trimmed it for better alignment. It has been 4 days now and she is somewhat perkier but still can't eat on her own. I have been spoon feeding her layer feed softened in warm water, syringe feeding her water with honey (when she seems really low on energy) and canned cat food. She spends most of her time standing or sitting in the kennel with her eyes closed. If I go in there and wake her up she will walk around and look interested in the food. She definitely wants to eat, and she makes the motion like she is pecking at the food but falls short of actually grabbing it, or sticks her beak in the cat food/crumbles but doesn't actually grab the food, then looks confused and gives up. Almost like her vision is off. She can drink water on her own out of the waterer.
I thought maybe she was lonely so I put her out with the flock to observe her yesterday and she perked up substantially, but she was high stepping, so now I am thinking its a neuro problem. SIDEBAR - she also pooped while she was out in the front yard and it was this yellow cheese curd looking poop with foamy clear and white liquid and a tad of white and bright green. I didn't get a pic because I couldn't find my phone of course (it had gotten buried in hay). Reminded me of what people describe as a lash egg. (so I got a shovel and removed the poop and dirt from the area). She pooped four more times while out there which were either chocolate brown color or white/clear (all very tiny - maybe some diarrhea now too?). She was scratching and pecking at the ground while out in the yard, but she also stumbled a few times like her balance is off and got startled a few times over the other birds doing normal bird stuff. The other birds look like they are confused/scared of her when she does this.
SO I guess my questions are this:
Can it be Mareks even though she is vaccinated?
Would salpingitis cause any of these symptoms?
Could it be a vision problem without being Mareks?
If it is suspected Mareks should I cull and send for necropsy to state?
She doesn't have any lice/mites. I "dewormed" with an herb mix and cayenne pepper a few times last year. No signs of trauma/wounds on her.
Any suggestions would help
Half my flock are vaccinated (younger ones) and the other half are not.