Bloated chicken?

[MysteryChicken]

You said he was being fed apples? Would that be with the cores? Apple seeds contain cyanide. I'm not sure how many he'd need to eat to have an effect, but would he have had access to the seeds? With him being unsteady on his feet, I'd worry about him getting ahold of something toxic or having a vitamin deficiency, not to mention his age being when many of the nastier poultry diseases can manifest.

I feed my bird whole apples, seeds, & all.
The cyanide actually acts like a dewormer, it's not concentrated enough to harm the birds, but can rid them of some worms.

Ducks are more sensitive to cyanide, & arsenic, which used to be an ingredient used in early formulas for treating Coccidiosis infection. This caused many ducks to die during treatment.

 

[citychicks99]

If this is what you have, it should be fine. It's starter/grower feed, just make sure it's not old. Look at the date on the bag.

I threw the bag out but I bought it last month so it should still be good. Before this though, we were using leftover feed from a friend. We had no idea how old it was. So many mistakes I made as a first-timer.

 

[citychicks99]

It's been a little over a week since I've been giving them the poultry cell. He seems perkier and he's not falling backwards anymore but his legs are still trembling when he walks. I also noticed that he tends to have watery poop a lot. Here's a pic I just took. My initial thoughts were coccidiosis still? Or Marek's? Anything I should try next?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The trembling may be neurological. Could be Marek's disease or some type of developmental/genetic issue.

You've de-wormed him right? I can't remember now.

Crop is emptying overnight now too right?

 

[citychicks99]

The trembling may be neurological. Could be Marek's disease or some type of developmental/genetic issue.

You've de-wormed him right? I can't remember now.

Crop is emptying overnight now too right?

I haven't de-wormed them. I put 2% diatamacaeous earth in their feed last week. Would that suffice?

Last I checked, it was emptying. I'll check again tomorrow morning. Is it ok to leave grit in their coop overnight?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I haven't de-wormed them. I put 2% diatamacaeous earth in their feed last week. Would that suffice?

Last I checked, it was emptying. I'll check again tomorrow morning. Is it ok to leave grit in their coop overnight?

The crop emptying is good!

Yes, you should be able to leave the grit in the coop overnight, it's granite, so it won't ruin.

DE in feed may help with grain weevils in the food, but unfortunately it's not an effective de-wormer.
It's best to get a fecal float to see if worms are a problem, but sometimes that's not an option.
Fenbendazole (Safeguard) is a good de-wormer to use. You can find it in stores like Tractor Supply.

Worms are very likely not the cause of his leg tremors, tremors are more of a neurological symptom, but if he's got worms, then those can affect his overall health.

 

[citychicks99]

The crop emptying is good!

Yes, you should be able to leave the grit in the coop overnight, it's granite, so it won't ruin.

DE in feed may help with grain weevils in the food, but unfortunately it's not an effective de-wormer.
It's best to get a fecal float to see if worms are a problem, but sometimes that's not an option.
Fenbendazole (Safeguard) is a good de-wormer to use. You can find it in stores like Tractor Supply.

Worms are very likely not the cause of his leg tremors, tremors are more of a neurological symptom, but if he's got worms, then those can affect his overall health.

Today, their poop looked pretty yellow and foamy so I'm going to try giving them Safeguard. There's a couple options of Fenbendazole for dogs, horses, and goats. I could probably put this in their water. How much should I use and for how long?

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...-safe-guard-canine-dewormer-2-gm?cm_vc=-10005

EDIT:
I just saw this from http://www.poultrydvm.com/drugs/fenbendazole:

Caution. Fenbendazole shouldn't be given to pet poultry who are actively growing new feathers, such as those in the early stages of growth or during molting. Fenbendazole shouldn't be given to chickens with suspected Capillaria infestations.

The cockerel is molting and growing new feathers so it looks like I shouldn't give it to him. Any other thoughts as to what to do?

EDIT:
I just found this thread about cecal poop and I saw other normal-looking poop so maybe it's normal?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/yellow-foamy-poop-please-read-and-help-me.1222718/

 

[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.