Chicken fainting? Very sick...please help.

[threehorses]

If it were botulism, yes - that could be highly toxic to you and to children. That's why I always recommend removing droppings - because we simply don't know and the risk isn't worth taking. Another alternative is Salmonella - again very very bad for humans.

If it were wet feed, less so. I'd do the molasses flush if you think it was wet feed. Z Then follow up with polyvisol vitamins because they're strong in the oil vitamins, which are what get depleted by the action of mildew poisoning. Do them for a week. Also do electrolytes after the flush (four hours only on the flush - her only source of water) to replace what she loses in the diarrhea.

Agreed with ddawn for sure on checking at night - and on the roosts, put your hand there. Sometimes you have to do random nights over a couple of weeks to rule it out.

 

[chicksngoats]

Thank you so much for all the help. I did the molasses flush right away, using a straw to drop liquid onto the beak, since the she wasn't eating/drinking on her own. She definitely was doing better by yesterday morning. She was able to "wake up" for a min at a time and take a few steps. By last night she was looking almost completely normal. Just wobbling a bit when she walked. I am keeping her seperate from the flock for another day just to be safe, but I think she is going to make it. I will try to check for lice/mites tonight...yesterday was just too crazy and didn't have a chance.

Thanks again so much! We've had chickens before and never had any problems of any kind. But this new flock seems to have a tendency for trouble already

 

[threehorses]

Well that's certainly good news that she improved! Now to make sure that her newly-clean digestive tract stays good, now's when you innoculate that gut with good bacteria. Probiotics such as standard probiotics (acidophilis capsules/tablet contents), Probios dispersible powder or another live-culture bacteria for livestock (make sure it says CFU and a number on the label or it's not live bacteria), or just plain yogurt.

In a pinch, flavored yogurt will do.

She also will need fuel - good crumbles, wet if that's what it takes for at least one meal, good clean water or water with organic apple cider vinegar in it to adjust the pH and bacteria content of the gut back to normal.

If mildew or mold or wet grains/feed were suspected, I would also do vitamins for a week at least in the water, though since normally oil vitamins were depleted the polyvisol non-iron fortified vitamins for babies do better (3 drops in the beak daily).

The follow up is just as important aas the flush if not more so.

I hope that you'll be able to update, and wish you all the best.

 

[chicksngoats]

Well she went back out to play with her friends yesterday and seems totally fine now. Only wish I had thought to mark her somehow since I can't tell her apart from the other 2 barred rocks.

Is there an easy way to mark a chicken? Or am I the only one that can't tell my hens apart?

Thanks again so much for all the help. I am quite sure that without the advice, she would not have made it.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
You know, you can put a sharpie (permanent marker) dot on their head, or get a few plastic bands from a poultry supply for times like this - the ones you can put on and take off. That way if you have some you want to watch, you just catch them and put the little C shaped band on there, let it close.

Using a dot of blue-cote on their leg helps too - as the stuff takes ages to come off - or paint a toe with it.

I'm very glad to hear that she's doing so well that you can't tell her apart from the other hens! That's certainly a wonderful update. Thank you for letting us know.

 

[mrbstephens]

 

[threehorses]

A funny thing about that - I had NEVER thought of the marker but this year in a batch of chicks we bought (because I couldn't resist, hatchery chicks) there was one with a dot on his head. He's the reason I couldn't resist as he just marched right up to the front of the cage and demanded my attention. (I knew right then he was a rooster.) He had that darn dot on his head for ages as it was on his chick fuzz, So his name is Dot.

It was WONDERFUL for telling him apart from the rest of the flock. I had two japanese bantams that I wish I had marked similarly as one had pasty vent when I got her and I wanted to make sure she was the one of the two that I was always treating.

So now I always remember that when I pass on info on how to tell them apart. The funny thing is - he's a Nankin bantam and their babies are all born with dots on their heads, like a marker (but at the time I had no idea - so I thought someone at the feedstore marked him as he was a rare breed, which he is - silly me).