Lymphoid Leukosis.?

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chickyboomboom

chickyboomboom

Chirping
8 Years
Jun 14, 2011
117
3
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So after a lot of research I'm starting to think my white Leghorn has LL. She is 5.5 months old. If anyone has had experience, I would really appreciate some feedback.

She started acting strange on Sunday. Lethargic, sitting a lot, and had not laid for 4-5 days then Monday I noticed she was panting and took her to the vet. $100 later there was not much of a diagnosis, other than the obvious.

Vet sent us home with a broad spec antibiotic thAt we should administer 2x for 10 days. This is the end of day 5 and my poor henny is not showing improvement. She's eating very little so she has gotten very skinny. Very lethargic, has greenish white watery poop. Comb is all flopped over and pale. So sad. Poor girl. She pants constantly as well.

She's been separated from the flock since Monday. None of my other 4 hens show any symptoms whatsoever (all 4 are diff breeds) so this is why I think she may have LL that was geneticAlly passed from her mom.

I would think that after 5 days of antibiotics, if it was something curable, she would have improved by now. Not sure if I should wait out the 10 days if she is just suffering.

I am aware that the only way to know for sure is a necropsy, but I just don't have the finances for that. Our vet treats chickens as "exotic" animals, so cost for a visit is higher than for a dog. So ridiculous, chickens are the most domestic animals on earth! EXOTIC?

Also, I've never culled a chicken or anything else. So i have no idea what to do if she doesn't pull through or just die on her own. Any suggestions.? Can I drop her off at the Humane society?
 
Wow expensive vet bill for a chicken, when I brought mine in to our vet they changed me 17 dollars and they offered to do a free necropsy if the chicken died, they said they learn by hands on so there would be no charge.

Have you checked to see if she is having laying issues, egg bound?? broad spectrum antibiotic should have worked if she had something I would assume. I know when I got my antibiotics for my girls it worked within 2 days but I had to keep them on it for 7 days.

I had a couple that were rather challenging, same symptoms, so I made the choice that since I wanted to keep them, I would care for them, I had them in dog crates on my kitchen table and every half hour I would give them an eye dropper of sugar water or as much as they would put up with me giving it to them. I also gave them warm baths in case they were egg bound but I couldn't feel anything down below that suggested egg bound. their crops were empty, but in case they had something stuck in there I gave them Olive oil. Once they were hydrated enough they began showing interest in food but only liquid foods so I gave them apple sauce and yogurt. I always keep baby food in case a chicken gets ill. I would put the food in a shallow dipping bowl and dip their beaks in it, sometimes it took several times before they would open their beaks up and get a taste and then they would eat a tiny bit. All my chickens recuperated with my perseverance, it was really slow going at first but they pulled through, mine were so far gone they couldn't even lift their heads or open their eyes. Once I had them eating he baby food with only one dip of the beak (I would hold it in front of them and gently coach their head down into the bowl until the beak touched the food) I began taking chicken grower and mixing it with warm sugar water. Because chicken food has the vitamins they require I thought this was better for them. I also got polyvitamins, the ones without the iron in it, and I would give them a few ml each day until they began to eat on their own. within a couple weeks they began trying to wobble themselves back up and once they could stand I would put them outside to try and walk, they rejoined their flock a month later when I was sure they were walking adequate enough not to be picked on by the others and not being able to get away.

I hope you find some solutions in that link I sent you.

Good luck,

Ema
 
I know little about LL, but I had a leghorn acting similarly. I finally put her down, and did a necropsy. Turned out that at least in my case, I had an internal layer.
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She had stopped laying eggs, was standing around dejected, green poop, skinny, pale/purple comb. Unfortunately with chickens several illnesses have similar symptoms! Antibiotics did not help my girl, as she still had egg yolks backing up in her abdomen.

Mine lasted for months like this and would occasionally perk up and look normal again, but I finally had to put her down. I did it with the broomstick method and hated to do it, but I don't think our humane society would do it.
 
thanks for all the replies! I don't know what I would do without this forum. The support and information is really appreciated.

The vet has ruled out eggbound. I also gave her a warm bath Monday because I suspected eggbound as well but I didn't feel anything.

Vet did say that she could be an internal layer... this is starting to sound like the problem. She did just start laying two weeks ago and then all of the sudden stopped. Then about a week later she started acting weak.

I think I have the same problem as featherz chicken... oh so sad! She's my 4 year old daughter's chicken and she just loves her.

Ema, thanks so much for your help and all the info you sent. $17 for a vet bill! WOW! I got ripped off. I need to find a poultry vet, but so far I've had no luck. Vets around here consider chickens to be exotic pets. RIDICULOUS, so they charge and arm and a leg to see one. If she wasn't my daughters beloved chicken, I wouldn't have taken her to the vet, but I needed to do everything I could to see if she could be saved. I really can't afford to do that anymore!

Okay... so coming to terms... puting her down. How do I do this? I have no idea how. What is the broomstick method? what is the easiest way for a newbie? And then, how should I dispose of her? Freeze her and then wait until trash day?

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Quote:
I agree, sounds like an internal layer. Our vets here are the same as yours. They arnt much help and all they see are $$$ in their eyes. The good ones are too far to drive. I use a .22 to cull, it is easy, quick and painless for the bird. I bury them deep, way in the back part of my yard far away from the coops in case they are dug up by a another animal. I've never had it happen yet. You could place her in a plastic bag, double wrapped and freeze her til trash pick up if you wish. There are other ways to cull her, you'll get different ideas and suggestions in that regard. Good luck.
 
Thanks Dawg, you've been such a big help as well. Don't have a .22! But yes, I need other ideas to put her down.
 
Quote:
The broomstick method you can search for on here, there's even a youtube, but essentially you place a broomstick/rake on the ground, gently place birds neck under the stick, step on each end of the stick with both feet and pull up on the chicken's feet.

Method demonstrated: **Warning** graphic and will require you to sign into youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR55rMaBQfs

Now of course you could keep her around a bit longer to see if she improves. I probably waited too long to put my girl down, as she would occasionally perk up. Sometimes an internal layer will have a swollen belly - mine did not. On necropsy she had lots of 'cooked egg' material in her abdomen and oviduct, which means she was internally laying for sure. She would also have 'egg yolk' looking diarrhea on occasion.
 
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Thanks featherz. Good to know. I put her in with the rest of the flock again, since I'm pretty sure what she has isn't contagious. She doesnt have a swollen belly either. We're going to finish the antibiotics off (5 more days) just in case it's something else... and then after that, we'll make a decision depending on her condition.

She's perked up a little being with her friends again, eating a little more, but still not her usual self. I'll keep hoping! We've got a new hen in charge now, since she's resigned as top of flock, but the other girls are being super sweet to her (thus far).

I will probably do the broomstick method if it comes to it, since I don't have a gun and I don't think I could wring her neck.
 

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