Chicken sick need HELP!!!!

[sammi]

if you have any more problems, it's best to post as much details as possible about symptoms..
always describe the droppings..color and consistency.

always check the crop..at roost time after eating all day, it should feel full..in the morning before they eat, it should feel empty.
feel for any lumps, doughy or grainy feeling..and sour smell..
try doing this with hens not sick..so you know what is normal.

she might not have needed an antibiotic..
had she been wormed?
describe her droppings.

did she have any wheezing or gurgling?

 

[threehorses]

Aww I'm sorry for your loss. I'd pick all the others up now and do a big check up on the, especially their weight and for parasites, etc. Just in case.

/hugs

 

[cblanck]

All my other chickens seem fine. Other then giving them ACV I do not use anything to worm my chickens. I do spray them with Poultry Protector for the Mites, Lice and fleas. I feel bad I did not know much about the crop thing. I see now what you mean by being full and empty. My chicken (Megan) who passed away her's was a bit mushy kinda like a balloon but not real huge. Her droppings were runny and watery. She was very sleepy no wheezing a little gurgle when I would massage her crop. Could not smell anything sour. She had lost so much weight she was pretty much nothing but bones real sad. I hope it's nothing that can be spread I'm thinking it was not. Going to keep a close eye on the others.

 

[dlhunicorn]

If you have never wormed your birds then I suggest you do so...
...sorry for your loss

 

[chickbea]

I'm sorry you lost her.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:

Yeah definitely check the others. Like dlhunicorn, I'd recommend worming them all now while they're in good health.

You'll want to worm gently for the first worming. Then follow up with a stronger broad spectrum wormer.

The way I've done it for years is starting with Wazine 17 (piperazine 17%). It only really kills roundworms, and then takes twice to do it. BUT that's good. You really don't know what your birds' parasite load is without a vet doing a fecal egg count. So it's best to assume they're wormy and take caution. Wazine will kill some but not all the worms. If there were a ton of worms, killing them all at once can send your bird into shock, or even kill or clog it as the dead worms pass. So instead we gently worm partially. Wazine is a one day treatment in the water. You don't eat the eggs or meat for 2 weeks.

Then after the 2 weeks you can go back with a stronger wormer. I like ivermectin, personally. The drop-on kind. It only takes 1-5 drops per bird depending on their size. I thereafter do ivermectin twice a year. It also kills mites and lice if they're blood taking bugs. It has a huge safety margin, for humans, too. Worming them individually like this allows you to KNOW they're wormed, feel them, give them a check up.

I have to push it, but I really think that the whole flock needs to be picked up and felt. That will avoid surprises like finding out too late that any are underweight. Prevention really does help curb heartache. Learn from my mistakes as in the past I've had things happen that, through just picking them all up, I could have prevented.

 

[dlhunicorn]

You'll want to worm gently for the first worming. Then follow up with a stronger broad spectrum wormer.

I really dont agree with the above ... wormers can be very hard on the system and to give anything but a broadspectrum wormer (when it might not even be necessary) may weaken the bird unnecessarily.
ivomec Eprinex or ivermectine (spot-on method) is , of all the wormers, the least "hard" on their system .​

 

[purpletree23]

I'm very sorry you lost your little one. I'll keep you in my prayers. It's hard but you had the courage to do what was the best thing for HER.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I really dont agree with the above ... wormers can be very hard on the system and to give anything but a broadspectrum wormer (when it might not even be necessary) may weaken the bird unnecessarily.
ivomec Eprinex or ivermectine (spot-on method) is , of all the wormers, the least "hard" on their system .

I very respectfuly disagree, and I again respect why this is your opinion. It's based on sound theory. I'm a little more concerned about practical applications based on a number of experiences that I had both seen and of which I had heard.

The wormer itself, ivermectin, isn't hard. What I'm concerned about is the slough off of worms. I've seen birds (and other creatures) die, go into shock, or have other reactions if they had heavy parasite loads. Particularly because the roundworm has a phase that goes into the lungs. That's one of my concerns.

On the other hand, worms themselves are obviously devestating for the bird, too.

The vets for which I worked did it both ways. But usually the animals that they would broad spectrum worm were dogs/cats. My livestock vets always recommended the gentle wormer first. Thankfully I hadn't problems with worms in my exotic birds. But for poultry I've always had it recommended to not worm the first time with the broad spectrum.