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.

 

[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/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No I wouldn't use the dog dewormer, it's still Fenbendazole, but I'm not going to figure up the dosing for those little gram packets LOL If you are going to use Fenbendazole then get the goat dewormer or horse paste. Fenbendazole is given orally by weight.
So dose would be 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.

Fenbendazole could cause some fret marks on feathers of molting birds, never heard of it not being effective in treating Capillary worms, but then again that site pulls info from all over the web.

Anyway, if you don't want to use Fenbendazole, use Valbazen instead. You can order it online. Dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days.

 

[dawg53]

My experience with Fenbendazole is that it WILL effect feather regrowth. I've had it happen. Feathers are grown inward, curled and/or stunted. However, they grown in normal after the following molt w/o the use of Fenbendazole. Valbazen (Albendazole) has no effect on feather regrowth.
Both wormers eliminate capillary worms and many other types of roundworms.

 

[Eggcessive]

When reading the Poultry DVM site, keep in mind, that it is not an official site for veterinarians. It contains a lot of misinformation and incorrect dosages, incorrect vitamins for certain leg conditions, and recommendations. I do occasionally link it if I feel like they are explaining an illness in more simple terms than a link such as Merck Veterinary Manual which can be very technical for lay people. But it is not connected to any poultry college or official authority. Like many sites on the internet, it may contain inaccurate information.

 

[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?

 

[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.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

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.

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.

The chick starter is fine! I would feed that until the pullet comes into lay, then if you want to, you can switch to layer feed or feed an all flock type feed. Provide oyster shell in a small cup inside the coop when the pullet starts laying eggs.

You feared he was getting too big too quickly? That is a cockerel, so he's going to get big. Do you happen to remember what breed he's supposed to be?
Feed them free choice means you make feed available during waking hours - they will eat what they need.

If your only feeding twice a day, they may be hungry and trying to find other things to eat which may be why the crop is not emptying. Re-check the crop first thing in the morning to make sure it's emptying completely.

I would not vomit him again. You risk aspiration. See that he's drinking and eating well. See what the crop is like tomorrow.

No, I would not bring them inside - why? Chickens can do perfectly fine outside. How cold is it?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Check his crop early in the morning while he's roosting to see if it's empty. Checking during the day you are not getting an accurate account of function - he's been eating/drinking.