~10 Week Old Polish Pullet Lethargic, No Other Symptoms Yet, Help?

Yoshii

Songster
11 Years
Jan 28, 2008
109
6
134
Central Alabama (Chelsea)
Hi all, long time no question.

This morning, I go out to check on my flock to find my Polish pullet, Dizzy, acting very lethargic. I've immediately isolated her inside, in a cage with 20% chick starter, and water with some ACV in it. So far, she's shown no other symptoms at all, and she hasn't excreted yet for me to check for blood (cocci) or yellow-ness (worms). She was acting %100 right as rain yesterday, and none of my other birds (one 10 week old Polish cock, and about 15 various breeds of 5-week olds) are showing any symptoms of illness.

Generally, just holding her head in (*sigh* yeah. Kinda vulture-ish), drooping her tail and wings, and acting disinterested. No crying, not acting in pain at all, and still drinking, though she didn't seem remarkably interested in her food. She'd peck at it but not a lot.

Possible things of note;

It was just two days ago that I integrated the younger chicks into the two Polish's pen. No babies were acting sick at all. No stress or fighting resulted from the integration, aside from very minor and expected pecking and such.

When I first noticed Dizzy was acting all droopy, I immediately picked her up and checked her vent. Normal, no discharge or crawly things, and not to be graphic (well, we're all chicken owners here), but it seemed as though she'd gone and the stool'd gotten caught in the fluff right around her vent. Completely normal stool, brown, solid, white urate, no blood.

Was raised on nonmedicated feed. Go me -_-.

Crop is normal.

Comb and wattles seem normal, eyes clear.

Any ideas of my course of action? Seems like time is of the essence here. Would treatment for worms or cocci stress her out or harm her if she doesn't have these ailments? Thanks!
 
I've heard you've had some excessive heat- any reason to think she is more sensitive than the others? You may have caught some condition early, good for you in separating her. I think you will figure this out over the next day or so. Is she the kind of bird who would stand in a shallow bowl of cool water if over heated?

Do you have a reason to think cocci are now present? She be obvious soon, if present. Did you feed the new chicks with medicated starter mash?
 
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If you don't think it is heat stress, It could be when you introduced the chicks they may have had a cocci that they were use to but was new to Dizzy, and now her gut is reacting to them. I would give her some Corid. It won't hurt her, and follow up with yogurt after treatment. I have had chickens with cocci with no blood in stool but were off, and weak and disinterested. Corid normally helps right away. If you think it is heat stress do not dose her cause it might cause more stress.
 
I, unfortunately, didn't start the new chicks on medicated feed.

Possibly bad update. She finally excreted, and it doesn't look good. Not black, no blood, but it's vaguely greenish, runny, and the urates are runny and tinted a little yellow. Anyone know if this sounds like cocci?
 
The greenish runny poo is probably because she has not been eating enough. Scramble up some eggs and hand feed her some. If I have a really bad case of cocci I will give a few drops of Corid in the mouth (not Sulmet), to make sure they are getting some. Best Wishes
 

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