11 Mo. Hen sick and not improving… please advise!!

[nuthatched]

I read that letting her soak in a warm bath with ACV may be good for any swelling due to an injury and the warm water would be good for the gleet if she was getting it.

I've never heard that before, interesting.
What's her diet? Limping is often a sign of nutritional deficiency.

 

[mamajschicks]

What is this chicken's history? When did you get her? How old was she when you brought her home? Where did she come from - hatchery chick from a feed store or from a private breeder or from a chicken swap meet?

How many other chickens do you have? How long have you been keeping chickens? Have there ever been any mysterious deaths in the flock?

Her history is I bought her and two others from a feed store… not sure if they were vaccinated for anything as I don’t know what hatchery they came from. I have had her for her entire life. I have a total 10 chickens. She is one of my three oldest hens @ 11 Mo. I have 7 other pullets that are all 5 Mo. old. I have had no mysterious deaths and my pullets all came from a reputable hatchery and they were all vaccinated for Mareks.
I am new to chicken keeping these are my first flock of chickens. I haven’t had any issues with any of my girls until now.

 

[azygous]

Thanks. Are there any other chicken flocks in your neighborhood or do you have friends with chickens that come by once in a while to visit your chickens and you visit their chickens?

 

[nuthatched]

She gets a mix of layer feed, feather fixer pellets, black sunflower seeds, red chili flake, oregano, thyme, garlic powder and parsley mixed together.

How much good food ( feed and pellet) vs extras (everything else) does she get? I'd cut out the herbs and spices, the won't help her and can actually harm her.

 

[mamajschicks]

Thanks. Are there any other chicken flocks in your neighborhood or do you have friends with chickens that come by once in a while to visit your chickens and you visit their chickens?

No I’m the only chicken lady of the bunch… lol but there are turkeys at our high school farm that my son cares for.

 

[mamajschicks]

How much good food ( feed and pellet) vs extras (everything else) does she get? I'd cut out the herbs and spices, the won't help her and can actually harm her.

Ok thanks for the advice. By extras do you mean scraps? I don’t really feed my chickens scraps… occasionally I give them some lettuce or cut up berries… but that’s it really

 

[mamajschicks]

I've never heard that before, interesting.
What's her diet? Limping is often a sign of nutritional deficiency.

Thanks for the input. I was giving her rooster booster in her water but have switched to hydro boost because it has pre biotics in it already. I did also try to give her rooster booster power cell because it has a b complex in it but I’m having a hard time getting her to take it. ( it smells like blood to me so I totally understand her not wanting to take it ). Still no improvement.

 

[azygous]

I have a sickening hunch this little girl may have an avian virus. However, let's not go there yet. There's a chance she may have injured her leg. Look carefully for any faint greenish bruising on the affected leg. Check all the way up to her thigh where the feathers begin. Check in between her toes for greenish bruising. I hope you find some.

This could be a symptom of vitamin B deficiency. Rooster Booster doesn't have enough B vitamins. Start her immediately on B-complex. Get at least 50mg strength 100mg is better. Complex has high amounts of all the different B-vitamins and they are all water soluble so you're not going to overdose her by giving her one tablet per day right into her beak. I would do that before throwing any heavy drugs at her without having any clue as to what's really going on.

I have a lot (too much) of experience with an avian virus in my flock. I documented a tragic experience with four pullets who succumbed to the active form of lymphoid leucosis a few years back. Read through it. Look for early similarities of symptoms to your girl. In case the B-complex doesn't produce any improvement over the next three to four weeks and her symptoms get worse, you may find it valuable to have this thread to compare to.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

 

[nuthatched]

Thanks for the input. I was giving her rooster booster in her water but have switched to hydro boost because it has pre biotics in it already. I did also try to give her rooster booster power cell because it has a b complex in it but I’m having a hard time getting her to take it. ( it smells like blood to me so I totally understand her not wanting to take it ). Still no improvement.

Get some vitamins, E and b complex, and brand from the grocerystore and give 1 E capsule and about a third of a B complex tablet every day for a few weeks. You can just pop it into her mouth or mix it into a treat.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

After separating her I noticed worms in her poop, so I got her and the rest of my animals on a dewormer (safeguard 5% pellets for 5 days) I haven’t seen any more worms in her poop she is still not putting any weight on her left foot.

livestock suggested that I try some dex (don’t remember the whole name) which is for I flamation and is a steroid to see if it would help with her limp. It had no effect. I gave her 1/2 cc everyday for 3 days.

Iv’e noticed that her crop is never full like it used to be… now I’m going to try Baytril and Corid to see if that will help.

Same pullet that was not laying eggs way back in August?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/br-hasn’t-laid-in-two-weeks.1595443/#post-27117752

How did you dose the Safeguard Pellets? That would be interesting to find out. Most people do not use those, they use Safeguard Liquid Goat dewormer and dose the bird orally by weight, much more efficient and don't have to rely on the bird eating something they may not eat.
What type of worms did you see in her poop?

I'd go with giving the vitamin therapy and see if she improves. I agree, she may have an avian virus at play as suggested, but it's worth giving the vitamins.
If she's not laid an egg or had had a history of problems laying eggs, I'd feel of her abdomen below the vent between her legs for any bloat or fluid.

You're going to try Corid and Baytril next. IF you give the Corid, then omit extra vitamins that contain B1(Thiamine).
Corid treats Coccidiosis.
Baytril is a powerful antibiotic.

This could be a symptom of vitamin B deficiency. Rooster Booster doesn't have enough B vitamins. Start her immediately on B-complex. Get at least 50mg strength 100mg is better. Complex has high amounts of all the different B-vitamins and they are all water soluble so you're not going to overdose her by giving her one tablet per day right into her beak. I would do that before throwing any heavy drugs at her without having any clue as to what's really going on.