Cocci? HELP fast!!! my favorite chicken might have it!!!!!!!!!

[oliviad51]

I have the sweetest hen that might have cocci! I was reading some of the symptoms and it says clear liquid falling from the mouth when you pick your bird up. That happened to her! I picked her up and clear liquid fell our of her mouth. I thought nothing of it. I thought she was just drinking water, and it was water falling out. I will check for bloody poo, but otherwise, please help!

 

[speckledhen]

Doesn't sound like cocci to me and though I have lots of experience with coccidiosis, I've never heard of that symptom. If she just drank and you picked her up, putting pressure on her crop, she might upchuck a bit. If she is an adult, they are less likely to get cocci, though it's possible. If her breath smells fermented, that could be sour crop, but if not, there may be nothing wrong with her.

Cocci is a protozoan which occurs in the soil and in your chicken's gut. Mostly, chicks are susceptible.

 

[oliviad51]

Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. I didn't see any bloody poop. She got injured by a raccoon a few weeks ago and is doing a lot better. I have her in quarentine with another bird that is not walking right and staying in the same place all day. I posted my problem on here with her and one person said it might be cocci..thats the reason I was freaking out that the other one might have it too. This might not make sense, I was typing in a hurry haha!!

 

[artsyrobin]

what are you feeding them? with that kind of stress you might need to suppliment to help them deal with the attack, most definitely vitamins, maybe add some hardboiled egg to their feed(extra protien)- with the one that isn't walking, can you hear her breathing? is it clear or gurgling?

 

[crystalchik]

If she had just drinken water within a few minutes prior to you picking her up it is very likely that she just spit up a little. See, chickens dont have muscles in their throats and crops like we do, they dont have a valve at the opening of their crop. So liquid can just come up. You may or may not know that humans have a valve at the base of the esophagus to prevent anything from backing up or spilling out of the stomach if we bend over or lay down. The chicken isnt "throwing up" in the sense, its just like squeezing the bulb of a pipette, it just comes up. It happens to my birds all the time, i purposely avoid them if they have just drinken a lot for about a half an hour, and if i pick them up with a crop full of water it pours out all over me! Ick!
I would say that, unless she is acting sick, she is completely fine. Just make sure you pick her up very gently if she has just had a drink!

 

[tjtops]

Same thing happened to me today but my hen was looking sick last night...very lethargic, standing with head on one side. Didn;t get off roost this morning so that's why I picked her up. A lot of liquid then came out, crop felt very 'squishy'...I squuezed a bit more and brownish liquid came out. She wants to drink but not eat...just worried it might be something 'catching' as I have four 2-week old chicks as well as the 6 adults. That said, I lost one last year in VERY similar circumstances....

 

[oliviad51]

what are you feeding them? with that kind of stress you might need to suppliment to help them deal with the attack, most definitely vitamins, maybe add some hardboiled egg to their feed(extra protien)- with the one that isn't walking, can you hear her breathing? is it clear or gurgling?

I feed them both 15% laying feed. I give them both a little yogurt every day, mainly for the one thats not walking right, but they both eat it. I have been also giving them a couple drops of PolyVisol vitamin drops every night to help them both recover. Oh and I have been giving them electrolytes in their water.

She doesn't seem stressed at all. She is actually walking around and relaxing during the day.

The one that isn't walking is breathing fine. Very clear, not gurgling​

 

[artsyrobin]

sounds like you have it covered. On the nonwalking one, give her alot of tlc, i inherited a pullet that had been one of 3 survivors of a dog attack, at first she was fine, eventually couldn't walk, so i got her from the gal and just gave her extra time- took about a month and she came out of it, here is before and after pics on my flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/rgortonart/sets/72157624064433658/, i gave her extra protein and basically let her rest in a nonstressed environment- at times she would just stretch her legs out and totally relax, over time she would take a few steps and rest- i really couldn't see injuries, so it seemed to be her way of dealing with the stress.

now she is the 'head' pullet in the teenager group... getting along fine after that dubious start - so i would think your gal can pull out of it too

 

[oliviad51]

Thanks, Im not sure whats wrong with the non-walking one..no injuries or anything. Its weird..but im doing everything I can think of to make her better

 

[artsyrobin]

i know with jewel she seemed to need quiet and plenty of food, and just knowing we were fighting for her- give your girl some time, i think that sometimes we are to quick to decide enough and cull them, i figure if they are fighting and showing the will to live, i will give them that chance. Keep trying with her- she may be like jewel, no visible marks of injury, but needed time.