Bloated chicken?

[citychicks99]

My 8-week old chicken (the one in the front) looks pretty sick to me. She looks bloated, you can't see her neck, and she's been having trouble holding herself up when she tries to stand up. I thought she had coccidiosis a few weeks ago and gave them both Corid. The poop in their coop looks pretty normal. The coop is pretty small so my bf thinks maybe she isn't building enough leg strength to hold herself up since she doesn't have a lot of room to run. What are some things I should check for? I've never had chickens before but she doesn't look right to me.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would go ahead and treat again for coccidiosis. Dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid, or 1.5 tsp of the powder, per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Sometimes Corid may not be enough to treat certain strains of Corid. Sulfadimethoxine and Albon can also be used to treat coccidiosis when Corid doesn’t help. If you have a vet that could do a fecal float to confirm coccidiosis it would be good. But I would not wait to treat her. You can give undiluted Corid orally in addition to the water 1/2 tsp twice a day to give her a boost.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

My 8-week old chicken (the one in the front) looks pretty sick to me. She looks bloated, you can't see her neck, and she's been having trouble holding herself up when she tries to stand up. I thought she had coccidiosis a few weeks ago and gave them both Corid. The poop in their coop looks pretty normal. The coop is pretty small so my bf thinks maybe she isn't building enough leg strength to hold herself up since she doesn't have a lot of room to run. What are some things I should check for? I've never had chickens before but she doesn't look right to me.

Poor guy. (He’s a cockerel) Hope you get it figured out and he starts feeling better soon!

 

[citychicks99]

Haha we had that suspicion but wasn't sure.

I was nervous about shoving anything down his throat so I mixed 1/2 tsp corid with water into his food and tried to mainly feed him even though the other chicken kept trying to have some too but I made sure he got most of it. I hope he feels better soon.

Could this be an issue from food or is it a disease? I make sure they have enough feed every day but I was away for a few days and when I came back I saw that my brother hadn't been refilling their feed but just giving them apples.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The coop is pretty small so my bf thinks maybe she isn't building enough leg strength to hold herself up since she doesn't have a lot of room to run.

Could this be an issue from food or is it a disease? I make sure they have enough feed every day but I was away for a few days and when I came back I saw that my brother hadn't been refilling their feed but just giving them apples.

What do you normally feed?

I would feed them free choice.
Do they have access to grit (crushed granite)?

Could be some dehydration going on there too, I would make sure he's drinking the Corid water really well, make sure the crop is emptying.

Show some photos of how much space they have and where the feed/water is located. You only have 2 birds?

 

[citychicks99]

What do you normally feed?

I would feed them free choice.
Do they have access to grit (crushed granite)?

Could be some dehydration going on there too, I would make sure he's drinking the Corid water really well, make sure the crop is emptying.

Show some photos of how much space they have and where the feed/water is located. You only have 2 birds?

I usually feed them DuMOR organic starter chick feed that I get from Tractor Supply. I read online to keep feeding them chick feed until they're ready to lay eggs, around weeks 16-18 and they're around 8 weeks old so is this still good to feed them? Is free choice a brand or do you mean letting them roam around on their own looking for food? I do make sure to always leave grit around.

You might be right about the dehydration. I read that it was okay to leave their water outside but I didn't know what time they wake up so I usually open the door around 8AM but it looks like they get up really early. I wanted to keep their coop dry but I'm going to have to get a rabbit bottle waterer and put it inside their coop to make sure they always have access to water if they need it. I usually leave a feeder hanging inside the coop and keep it filled but since it looked like he was getting too big too fast I've been just giving them some feed twice a day. I read that's good to ferment their feed so I'm going to start trying that and I notice that they love wet feed.

Yes, I only have 2 birds. I didn't notice this yesterday and you can probably see in the picture but his crop does look very full. I watched a video on how to empty it, so I would tilt him over and very gently massage his crop, making sure to bring him back up every now and then for air, until it empties out his mouth... then I would feed him a yogurt and Pedialyte mixture to make sure he gets some good bacteria back in. Is there anything else I should do? It's kind of cold today. Should I bring them inside and wrap him in a towel? I wouldn't feel right leaving the other one out by herself.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

I usually feed them DuMOR organic starter chick feed that I get from Tractor Supply. I read online to keep feeding them chick feed until they're ready to lay eggs, around weeks 16-18 and they're around 8 weeks old so is this still good to feed them? Is free choice a brand or do you mean letting them roam around on their own looking for food? I do make sure to always leave grit around.

You might be right about the dehydration. I read that it was okay to leave their water outside but I didn't know what time they wake up so I usually open the door around 8AM but it looks like they get up really early. I wanted to keep their coop dry but I'm going to have to get a rabbit bottle waterer and put it inside their coop to make sure they always have access to water if they need it. I usually leave a feeder hanging inside the coop and keep it filled but since it looked like he was getting too big too fast I've been just giving them some feed twice a day. I read that's good to ferment their feed so I'm going to start trying that and I notice that they love wet feed.

Yes, I only have 2 birds. I didn't notice this yesterday and you can probably see in the picture but his crop does look very full. I watched a video on how to empty it, so I would tilt him over and very gently massage his crop, making sure to bring him back up every now and then for air, until it empties out his mouth... then I would feed him a yogurt and Pedialyte mixture to make sure he gets some good bacteria back in. Is there anything else I should do? It's kind of cold today. Should I bring them inside and wrap him in a towel? I wouldn't feel right leaving the other one out by herself.

Don’t make him throw up! That can lead to aspiration and kill your bird!

 

[Eggcessive]

Free choice feed is having feed available all of their waking hours. Water should be available as well. If you change a type of water you must have both types available until they are used to them. I use 1 1/4 gallon water bowl for pets inside my coop, and it stays dry. This is helpful in freezing weather since it is electric. A 1 gallon regular waterer kept over half full, is also a good type to use, since they are harder to turn over.

 

[citychicks99]

Don’t make him throw up! That can lead to aspiration and kill your bird!

What should I do then?

 

[Eggcessive]

The crop fills up during the day, and should normally be empty by early morning before eating and drinking. That is when to feel of the crop to check it. If you suspect a crop issue, here is a good article to read:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/