? blood in poo

[rachipetal]

I've got an 18 week old pekin who is the last of three hens we had about 12 weeks ago who had what we think was coccidiosis about three days after we had them. We treated them with coxoid and all three recovered really well. About five weeks ago one of the hens (a LS) suddenly became very ill (sleepy with drooping neck, not eating or drinking) and died within hours. Up until that morning she had been very well. The third hen decided to become a roo and is living happily with the breeder. My remaining pekin seems very slow growing although healthy untill the last few days when she's seemed very quiet, although eating and drinking well. He poos have become a little runny and she has had a dirty bottom for two days. She has also lost weight. She's eating and drinking ok, and at least once a day we separate her for a cuddle and to make sure she has a chance to eat loads.

For the last few weeks she's been sharing a coup with two new 13 week old RIRxLS hens. They get on really well. When the new birds arrived we were advised to treat all with coxoid for a week in case there were any coccidia in the ground. The two new birds seem really well, buy I've noticed some sticky dark red/brown stuff in their poo. The are fed on organic grower's pellets and I've put some medicated chick crumb in too, to give them a boost.

We also have two 18 month old pekins who free range with the others but are kept in a different coup so I can give them layers pellets. They are both very well, laying well, although one had gone broody on me!

The three pekins were wormed about three weeks ago and I will worm them again. Should I treat the younger hens for coccidiosis again, or is there anything else that could be causing these symptoms? Since the first birds were ill as soon as we got them (they were also too young to be off heat, but we didn't know that at the time coz we thought they were older and we trusted what we'd been told) I've become rather paranoid about chicken poo.

There are no poultry vets in our area so no chance of feacal testing or professional help.

Thanks!!!!

 

[CUDA]

What did you worm with?

 

[rachipetal]

We use verm-x. Someone suggested that it only reduces the number of worms, so I emailed the company who said that you can use it at double the dose for a case of known worms, so I did that about three weeks ago. It says that it does all internal worms. I will try a different wormer, incase its not working, or she's not getting enough.

Any suggestions on what I can feed her to give her a boost? She's getting growers pellets and I've added a bit of chick crumb to increase her protein levels. They also get maize in the evenings and most days will get a little treat such as boiled egg, pasta, or potatoe, or toast with marmite. They have garlic in their water and I've got ACV on order.

Any help at all will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!!

 

[CUDA]

Well, I prefer Ivomec for worming myself, I am not sure what is in the verm-x. You can see more on worming on my site HERE . Good luck!

 

[rachipetal]

I bought some flubenvet (sp?), that's all they had at the shop. Trouble is she doesn't want to eat anything. I've put some sugar in her water in the hope it'll give her enough energy to eat. I'm sure we're going to lose her. It's so frustrating when I don't know what to do. How can I tell if she's in pain?

 

[CUDA]

Make sure you separate her, then describe all the symptoms you see, and we will see what we can come up with. Make sure you look her over good for any out of the ordinary signs.

 

[rachipetal]

She's much worse. She just keeps falling asleep with her feathers fluffed up. She's lost weight and feels like a bag of bones, she's always been very bony, but she's the only young pekin we've got so I've nothing to compare with. Her breathing seems fine, no snot or anything. I can't find any evidence of lice or mites, nothing in her mouth and no other signs of injury or disease. Her poos are getting more and more runny, but she's not eating that's no surprise. It's like she's just too tired to do anything but sleep. Our other birds are all fine. She's been in a box in our dining room since yesterday so that the others don't bother her and I can see how much she's eating (nothing really today).

She came to us early in the year when it was still very cold, and there's a chance she was only six weeks old (we found out later). We realised that she was getting too cold and started bringing her in at night. The other two birds that came with her were two light sussex who had a case of coccidiosis about three days after we had them (bloody poo being the only symptom). We treated them all with coxoid and they all made a good recovery. One of the birds became very ill suddenly a couple of months ago and died within a few hours. The other decided to be a boy but is happy and well (not with us). My gut instinct is that she was never a strong bird and that will all she's been through, she's not strong enough to withstand much. It's really sad coz she's really really friendly and belongs to my two year old son.

If anyone can suggest anything I've missed, or if there's a chance it could be something that might affect my other birds, please, please let me know.

 

[jjthink]

I'm so sorry this is happening to her. Hopefully someone will come along with an idea to help her turn the corner.

In the meantime, what has her diet been since you've had her?

See if she'll eat some scrambled egg. (you can take one egg, add 1 tablespoon water, scramble with fork in a microwaveable cup for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Let cool to lukewarm and scramble up into bite size pieces....). You can also offer plain yogurt and anything else interesting you can think of to get nutrition into her. Small cut up pieces of fruit or veggies as healthy treats. If you can get live mealworms at a feed store/pet store, that may entice her.

Do you have Avia Charge 2000, a supplement that can be added to her water? If not, it can probably get there in a few days if you order on line. Trouble is, no one is likely to receive your order till Tuesdya because of the holiday...:|

JJ

 

[rachipetal]

Thanks for your support! She turned down scrambled egg this morning (very unususal for her). She had some yogurt a couple of days ago, although I don't think she had much. She usually has organic growers pellets, and a few days ago I added some chick crumb thinking the extra protein may help. Today I've given her cut maize, which is her favorite, but she hasn't got the energy to eat it.

Is there anything I can give her in liquid form that may help?

I've just checked on her and tried to get her to drink, it was really hard to wake her up.

 

[CUDA]

Does the poo have traces of blood in it? It really sounds to me that you have a worm problem that has gotten so bad, that the bird is too weak to eat anymore. Unfortunately there isn't much you can do when they get this weak. When they don't have the strength to stand or eat, it is near the end. I would suggest keeping a very close eye on how the breast area of your fowl feels, and their poo. I would also suggest you start a preventative worming program. You may want to find a different wormer also. I wish I could help you more with this situation, but I feel there isn't much you can do at this point. If you need additional information on worming, feel free to contact me.