19wk Chuckoo Maran not recovering!

[HomeFarmlove]

Jane had a hard time with the heat last week. She was panting and not eating much. We did all kinds of things to help her, many advice taken from on here that worked for all the other birds but not her. She seemed to hurt her legs while she was stumbling around a bit when she became dehydrated (at least that is what we thought happened). One is not too bad but the other is still very weak. We checked out the B2 deficiency possibility, but it did not seem like that. Her nose is dry, no sounds when she breathes. So not likely gape worm. She is still having her mouth open even when it isn’t hot. She doesn‘t walk, just hobbles a bit. We have her in her own pen keeping her comfortable. She will eat a tiny bit of egg, and maybe cucumber...but she does not seem to eat very much or drink much. My husband wrapped her weaker leg. I am worried she is suffering and I do not know what to do next. We appreciate your advice. Thank you.

 

[Lovem all]

I am so sorry, i don't know how to help you but my advice is make her as comfy as possible, make sure she get separated out and maybe some cold fruit like watermelon as a treat. Don't keep her in a hot place and help her hold her wings off her body if need be.

 

[HomeFarmlove]

Thank you for your sympathy. The temps are quite cool yesterday and today. So we are not having to deal with that. I have been giving her bits of egg, cucumber and watermelon. She will only eat a bite here and there and drink when we hold the container to her. She doesn’t act parched though. She just drinks a little. Thanks again.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My husband let our flock out this morning at 7:30, as usual, I seriously just went out to give treats and check waterers and just to see them and I found one of our girls dead. There are no Mark's on her body, she doesn't seem to be pale. She was just dead in the run next to the coop. All the others are fine. Now I'm scared I'm going to start losing hens. Any advice? I check them regularly for mites or anything of that nature. Yesterday she was behaving like her normal self.

She seemed to hurt her legs while she was stumbling around a bit when she became dehydrated (at least that is what we thought happened). One is not too bad but the other is still very weak. We checked out the B2 deficiency possibility, but it did not seem like that.

She is still having her mouth open even when it isn’t hot. She doesn‘t walk, just hobbles a bit.

does not seem to eat very much or drink much. My husband wrapped her weaker leg. I am worried she is suffering and I do not know what to do next.

Can you get a video of her movements? Upload to youtube and provide a link.

I'm sorry she's not any better. Did you ever try giving be vitamins?

It very well could be Marek's, hard to know unless you lose her and have a necropsy for confirmation.

You can try offering vitamin therapy to see if that makes a difference. 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex.

If she seems to be suffering, then putting her out of her misery may be best. Refrigerate the body and send it to your state lab so you know what caused her decline. https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm


https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/heat-wave-in-wa.1407082/post-23103439

 

[HomeFarmlove]

Thank you. I will try to get a video up here. Where do you get vitamins for chickens? We are new to chickens and do not know how to ”put them out of their misery”.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can use human vitamins if you wish. Vitamin E and B-Complex can be found at Walmart or stores like CVS.
Poultry Vitamins like Poultry Cell can be found at Tractor Supply.

Sadly, putting a bird out of it's misery is part of chicken keeping.
For me it depends on how old the bird is. If they are a chick under 3 weeks or so, then decapitation. Older than that, cervical dislocation is the method I use.

 

[HomeFarmlove]

Here is a video on Youtube with Jane. Hope it helps.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is her crop emptying overnight?
Do you know if she was vaccinated for Marek's?

Her eye looks a bit swollen, have you noticed bubbles in the eyes or watery eyes?

She's not well for sure. Look inside her beak just to make sure there's no lesions, canker or mucous.
If vet care is an option, they may be able to help.
Chickens have so many conditions sometimes it's hard to nail down what's affecting them unless you lose them and necropsy is performed.
With the leg issues and the difficulty breathing, she may have more than one thing going on like Marek's with respiratory disease. Some respiratory diseases like NewCastles can also affect balance and legs, but that is really not seen in most states unless you happen to be in California where they had an outbreak last year.

 

[HomeFarmlove]

Thank you again for your help. We have called around to many places and the soonest she can be seen is the end of the month. Her mouth seems clear of anything that looks odd. She was vaccinated for Mareks. She hasn’t had bubbles or watery eyes. She is getting weaker and her eyes are closing more. Her crop seems empty, but my husband thinks the crop is hard (he says the crop is on the left side of the chest).

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The crop is on her right side. If it's hard, then I would re-check that first thing in the morning to see if it's emptied.

If you are feeling something hard/a lump on the left side of the breast, I'm not sure what that might be - a tumor possibly.

I'm very sorry that she's declining.