3 sick chickens with 3 different sets of symptoms

Meg B

Hatching
Mar 24, 2020
6
1
5
In the past day and a half, three of my girls have begun to exhibit different symptoms of illness. I can't help but feel there must be a connection between the problems, though the chickens seem to be presenting their illness very differently.

Biscuit, a Buff-Orpington
- bright green runny poop
- lethargic
- wheezing
- crop filled with fluid
I thought it might be sour crop, so I attempted to treat that yesterday, but the poor girl died, shortly after showing symptoms.

Brian (yes, a hen), a Rhode Island Red
- lethargic
- crop very firm
- runny poop (not green)
- maggots near vent (yuck!)
- drinking water (I added some Corid)
I discovered the issues today and have begun attempting to treat flystrike. She seems a little bit better, but since my other girl died yesterday I'm wondering how these issues might be connected.

Sweet Pea, a Rhode Island Red
- lethargic
- her crop feels like it has tiny bits of gravel in it. When I gently massaged it, she began exhibit symptoms like Biscuit (wheeze, collapsing) so I immediately stopped and after a few minutes she seemed to improve a bit)
- her body has begun leaning to the left, as if she has a neurological problem or is dizzy/faint
- eating and drinking very little
Given the other two girls, I am very worried, but have no idea what treatment I might start.

Two other chickens- seemingly very healthy

Recent changes:
The chicken run is near a fence that had been covered in very mature ivy and had a thick layer of old plant/pest debris). I had the ivy removed and I wonder if there could have been something released in the air/soil as a result of the ivy removal.

I also recently planted new seedlings in the garden (vegetables) and added some nitrogen to the soil near the plants. The chickens were all the backyard roaming at the time of this garden-work.

Thank you so much for helping me to think this through. I appreciate your ideas for what I might try.
 
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Biscuit wasn't eating... That's what the green poop means... It's just bile which means malnutrition. The malnutrition probably caused the lethargy. The wheezing is something they do when they are close to death. Have you checked the others for mites, etc. That could have been a problem. How old was she?
 
Brian-
https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/Here is a good link on flystrike and how to treat it and what meds to you.
The runny poop and lethargy are probably from the fly strike. If it gets bad the maggots eat the chickens dead skin it's very painful for the bird and as gross as this may sound the more dead skin they eat, then more skin dies, the maggots can eventually start eating them on the inside.
 
Sweet Pea-
Monitor her poop, you dont want it to get to the bright green poop. Try giving her something like scrambled eggs to see if she will at least that.
I would also start giving her some vitamins and some antibiotic like Tylan. Also, check her for external parasites. If she deteriorates any more you might have to tube feed.
 
Biscuit wasn't eating... That's what the green poop means... It's just bile which means malnutrition. The malnutrition probably caused the lethargy. The wheezing is something they do when they are close to death. Have you checked the others for mites, etc. That could have been a problem. How old was she?
Thanks so much for your response. She was about 6 years old. I did check the other girls for mites and didn't see anything, but I've added diatomaceous earth to their run just in clase.
 
Sweet Pea-
Monitor her poop, you dont want it to get to the bright green poop. Try giving her something like scrambled eggs to see if she will at least that.
I would also start giving her some vitamins and some antibiotic like Tylan. Also, check her for external parasites. If she deteriorates any more you might have to tube feed.
Thanks for this advice about Sweet Pea. I'll get her some Tylan. For vitamins, is there a kind you recommend? I've checked all the birds really carefully for external parasites, which is how I found Brian's very hidden problem. Brian is all cleaned up now and seems to be on the mend. Phew!
 
Brian-
https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/Here is a good link on flystrike and how to treat it and what meds to you.
The runny poop and lethargy are probably from the fly strike. If it gets bad the maggots eat the chickens dead skin it's very painful for the bird and as gross as this may sound the more dead skin they eat, then more skin dies, the maggots can eventually start eating them on the inside.
This was exactly the protocol I followed and I'm so glad to say that it seems to be working!
 
Thanks for this advice about Sweet Pea. I'll get her some Tylan. For vitamins, is there a kind you recommend? I've checked all the birds really carefully for external parasites, which is how I found Brian's very hidden problem. Brian is all cleaned up now and seems to be on the mend. Phew!
I've been looking at all the Tylan options and I've found Tylan 200 injectable without a prescription and Tylan 50 water-soluable (preferred) available only with a prescription. We're on a shelter-in-place order so I don't want to ask my vet to do a housecall. Do you think the 200 could be okay?
 
I've been looking at all the Tylan options and I've found Tylan 200 injectable without a prescription and Tylan 50 water-soluable (preferred) available only with a prescription. We're on a shelter-in-place order so I don't want to ask my vet to do a housecall. Do you think the 200 could be okay?
Yes, I think it should.
 

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