Buff pullet wobble

[charlotteda]

Hi y’all, I keep only a few hens. They have a fenced in run, a 6x8 house to roost in and I let them out the free range most days. I have a buff pullet that has me puzzled. I purchased her last Summer. She was said to be about 6mos old. Probably true because she laid an egg on the way home lol.

She has not grown much. Nor laid much this summer. None of the chickens have it’s been so dang hot! She drinks and eats well. Last week I noticed her acting strange. As if she couldn’t stand, I thought one of the bigger hens may have hurt her. When I picked her up I noticed her breast bone was very prominent.

I know she should be culled. But she has such a sweet personality. I’ve found out that the guy I got her from was in breeding his flock. I have wormed everyone this week with wasine and added electrolytes to the water.

Anyone have any suggestions? I’m an experienced chicken person as far as general care, but not sickness. She is not like this all the time.

I tried to share a video but not sure it’s working.
https://fpdl.vimeocdn.com/vimeo-pro...86-0x9cd951ec0c9fad7df271ef7d110c06efe3109980

 

[azygous]

The video was great. It showed a lot. Does this hen have a swollen belly by any chance? The wide stance leads me to suspect ascites (fluid retention) from a malfunctioning liver.

The symptoms could be caused by an avian virus, and tumors may be causing the lameness and her organs may also be affected by tumors. The little bit you mentioned about the breeder leads me to suspect he may have this avian virus in his flock and your hen was infected in her egg.

I have such a virus in my flock, although my flock is closed. No chickens leave. I just recently euthanized a one-year old hen that had been hatched within my flock. She had laid a couple months, then she had a bout of reproductive infections that halted her laying, then the virus likely caused tumors on her heart and other organs, and she became unable to stand or get around and her circulation was terrible. It's always so sad to have to put down a little hen, and such a young one.

If you wish to know for sure what's caused this, after culling , you could get a necropsy on her body. It might be worth knowing if an avian virus has taken up residence in your flock.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm sorry your sweet girl is doing poorly. It is always hard when it is a favorite.

A number of thoughts here.

Heat can drain some birds very quickly if there is also an underlying problem. The two act in concert to emaciate those weaker in the flock.

The inbreeding you mention is not necessarily a bad thing in birds. Many lines are "line bred" for 3 to 4 generations, then cross bred between lines. Some lines have been maintained for years. It's only when you breed weak genetics to weak genetics that troubles arise. (As seen in often coveted "faddish" new breeds when a small gene pool is overused without close regard to health standards). Usually if poor genetics from too much inbreeding you get failure to hatch or failure to thrive chicks. Most don't make it to laying, though you can have poorer performers.

I agree she appears to be quite weak, probably due to lack of nutrition either from systemic interference (coccidia, Marek's, worms, internal tumors, or infection) or from hazing by other birds preventing her from feeding.

She also has her tail tucked. Have you checked her for internal laying or being egg bound? When an egg is in a particular location in the pelvis, it can lock up her pelvis, which of course would prevent her from getting to food and water. Massage her tummy to see if it feels normal or is swollen and squishy or has an obvious lump. If she is swollen and squishy, it means fluid in the abdomen which is ascites. That is usually fluid build up from kidney, liver, or heart failure, or from egg tract infection. Ascites, unless you want a lot of vet bills, usually means culling.

If you feel an egg, putting her an warm water and gently massaging usually helps them pass the egg. Check her vent for poo or other signs of diarrhea or inability to defecate.

Wazine will only address round worms. To clear other potential worm types, it is best to use a better all round wormer such as fenbendazole (Safeguard) or albendazole (Valbazen). (BTW...Fenbendazole is back on the FDA approval list for layers, albeit in a very expensive water soluable poultry formula. Many BYCers use goat Safeguard which is fenbendazole).

Also check for mites or lice. Mites can weaken a bird substantially, and I find Northern Fowl Mite populations seem to explode in hot weather in my area. Check the vent for very fast crawling grey specks. Check the coop at night for tiny berry-looking red pods or crawling red specks of Red Roost Mite that live in the roost but feed on blood at night. Check also for straw colored flat looking critters that are feather lice. Using poultry dust can help rid infestations of that type. Cleaning litter and spraying with permethrin thoroughly can help rid Red Roost Mite. You have to treat and retreat in 10 to 14 days.

If you find you have a bad infestation of mites/lice and possibly internal worms, if a local resistance hasn't been formed, Ivermectin Cattle pour on (5mg per ml.) is effective for several internal and most blood feeding external parasites. A single average 5lb bird only needs about 1/2 mg, or about 5 drops at the base of the neck or vent. It will rid a nasty Northern Fowl mite population but won't do much for Red Roost Mite as they live in the coop. Treat and retreat again in about 10 days.

Any other suggestion would be to get a fecal float to rule out coccidia or internal parasites and thorough body/coop check to rule out external.

Some birds simply do better in heat than others. And then of course there is the ever lurking possibility of Marek's. There are many strains of the herpes virus. Only a few cause the dramatic, immediate paralysis and death. Many cause slow wasting as the internal organs shut down from tumors.

That gives you some things to think about. Without a thorough run down on her poo and parasite situation, it's hard to guess. Let us know what you find.

LofMc

 

[charlotteda]

Thank you. I wanted to get another video so it took me a few days. Her condition seems to waiver. She can be bad right now and better an hour later. I have not seen her really down since my first post. Now she feels good enough to chase the pullets. She has always had a brownish runny poo. I did treat with Corid. What do you do for chicks with possible coccid issues?