Sick grower - losing water from vent + pain when it poos.

[paintedpoultry]

Any suggestions please. Have sick 10 week old cochin - been ill for a week and I have it in isolation - it is doing fairly solid poos but also losing clear liquid from vent - vent feathers are soaked in it. When it poos it makes a noise like a hyaena which I assume is a pain noise.

Do not think it is coxxi as no sign of blood. The bird is a bit humped up and depressed and is still eating but not much. Have treated for 5 days with Coxoid and this has had no effect.

Thinking about sending off a sample for analysis or trying with antibiotics. The most striking thing is the hyaena-like noise it makes when it poos or when the waterly liquid comes out of its vent.

Any suggestions please. 2nd bird outside also showing symptons so need to act quickly.

 

[Chickaroo!]

Awwww, poor thing! I would have no idea what could be wrong but I'm hoping someone else reads this post soon and can help you out!

 

[VetsJetsnGuns]

I have the exact same problem, minus the hyena noise.

8 week old cochin, solid poos, watery mess at vent, slow constant drip. Eating and drinking normally. (so far)

Only bird affected so far. Isolated.

TeresaH what did you do? What happened?

 

[Jenski]

TeresaH and VetsJets, I am sorry to hear your chix are sick. I do not have direct experience with anything like you are describing, so I will not offer a diagnosis. Hopefully you will hear back from one of our experts.

In the meantime, you may try to provide supportive therapy so the birds do not get too dehydrated from the diarrhea ~ vitamin/electrolyte supplement in their water would be safest, and make sure they are getting plenty of food and water.

As I understand it, penicillins will only help with bacterial infections; if you have something like rotaviral enteritis (or another viral infection) going on, the only real treatment consists of supportive care so the bird's natural immune defenses can go to work as best they can. That is a long way of saying you will want to get a good diagnosis before treating for anything.

Again, hopefully we can get an expert in here who can give you more info.

Have birds been vaccinated for anything?
What are you feeding?
Are birds in with older birds?
Also - what is your weather like?


Jen in TN

 

[VetsJetsnGuns]

Quote:
Merek's and Coccidosis Vacines
Non-Medicated Organic Layer (after 4 weeks of organic starter and McMurray's Quick Chick vitamin water supplement)
No- all birds are same age- 7 or 8 weeks
80's during the day, and relatively dry. Coop does not overheat.

Just gave the bird a crushed hardboiled egg. It has a dust bath, grit, and more organic layer available. There's also some organic brown rice. (they seem to really like that)

Put Quick Chick vitamin/electrolyte back in water, and will give epsom salt bath tonight, followed by thrrough cleaning and vaseline around the vent. I can't tell what is swollen vent and and what is sticking poo right now. Next batch of water will be pedialite. Considering putting apple cider vinegar in with pedialite.


I have 29 birds (darn mcmurray and thier 25 bird minimum order and free exotic rooster and substitutions and unexplained additional rooster) and this is the only one showing any signs of anything. Except for the messy rear end, he looks healthy, active, hungry, and normal.

I give mcmurray credit, though.. So far, everything's still alive, this is the only sick one, and the colors on them all are really starting to look good.

 

[VetsJetsnGuns]

gave the epsom salt bath- let him soak for almost 30 minutes- took that long to get all the mess off his backside.

The vent area itself looks pretty bad. He was pecked a little before I isolated him- I'm not sure exactly why. There's some scabbing and swelling around the vent, but I think I got most of the poop off. I coated the area liberally with vaseline, and set him on a towel near the heat lamp.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

This is the only thing I could find that resembles your baby's symptoms. What do you think??



Infectious Bursal Disease
Synonyms: Gumboro, IBD, infectious bursitis, infectious avian nephrosis
Species affected: chickens

Clinical signs: In affected chickens greater than 3 weeks of age, there is usually a rapid onset of the disease with a sudden drop in feed and water consumption, watery droppings leading to soiling of feathers around the vent, and vent pecking. Feathers appear ruffled. Chicks are listless and sit in a hunched position. Chickens infected when less than 3 weeks of age do not develop clinical disease, but become severely and permanently immunosuppressed (see Table 2 ).

Transmission: The virus is spread by bird-to-bird contact, as well as by contact with contaminated people and equipment. The virus is shed in the bird droppings and can be spread by air on dust particles. Dead birds are a source of the virus and should be incinerated.

Treatment: There is no specific treatment. Antibiotics, sulfonamides, and nitrofurans have little or no effect. Vitamin-electrolyte therapy is helpful. High levels of tetracyclines are contraindicated because they tie up calcium, thereby producing rickets. Surviving chicks remain unthrifty and more susceptible to secondary infections because of immunosuppression.

Prevention: A vaccine is commercially available.

 

[VetsJetsnGuns]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I'm not sure. He's very alert. He's by himself, so there's not a lot to stimulate him, but he perks up and watches everything I do when I'm around. I wouldn't call him listless. He's pretty vocal- peeping a lot. (sounds like normal peeping) The bird eats normally. Immeadiately eats anyting new you give him...

I'm going to start him on pedialite tomorrow.

How long till I can put him back with the rest of the flock? Are there visual cues?

 

[justusnak]

Hmmm, im not sure about this.but you said you was giving rice? I know when my pups were smaller, and would get loose stoold, the vet reccomended rice as a stool stiffener. The last littler of pups we had, ( 5 yrs ago) We lost the mother just the day after her delivery. The vet reccomended HONEY as a stool softener, to help me get them " going" Sounds like your little ones are have a hard time going...so maybe a little honey in the water.? My poms got a teaspoon a day...and they were about the size of a week old chickie.....so at least a teaspoon, in the water. Just a suggestion. Good luck to the both of ya!

 

[VetsJetsnGuns]

An update: basically, not much change.

the clear liquid continues to leak from the vent, and dries to a white bird poop looking substance. This still appears to be the only symptom.

I'm still not getting any particular noise or indication that the pooping is painful/uncomfortable.

the chicken continues to act normally. He eats a lot and poops a lot. He's also growing; he's the same size as the other cochin who's with the flock. He started clucking today, and generally remains vocal. I gave him a couple of grapes the other day, and he quickly ate them.


I've been giving the chicken epsom salt baths to minimize the white build up. Should I trim the feathers from arouund the area?

His water is half pedia lite and water, with McMurray's quick-chick vitamins mixed in.

I'm considering giving the chicken poly-vi-sol. It's NOT cheap, and I've not found a store-brand version of it.

I have not heard from the Thresea, who started this thread.