Did a fecal on a peachick. This is what I see. Pic.

[chickintexas]

I have a 1 week old peachick that on Wednesday morning had started acting a bit weak. I checked it over and discovered that it had a pasty butt. I washed off it's rear and figured things would be fine. They have gradually become worse. I've thought that this chick would have passed on by now but it's a fighter. I make sure it's still getting water and food. I have added Metronidozole to the water in case it's Blackhead. My mother mentioned that I should run a stool sample up to the vet but doing that on a Saturday is a nightmare. I remembered that I had my own microscope and this is what I can see.

Could these be roundworm eggs in a week old bird?? Any other thoughts or ideas? I dosed it with some Fenbendazole about two hours ago as well just in case it is a parasitic invasion.

My other peachick is not showing any symptoms.

 

[AinaWGSD]

it may just be the picture quality, but honestly, as someone who has read fecal floats on everything from dogs and cats to lizards, they just look like air bubbles to me. It might help to know what power you are on and what you used to float the sample. It would also help to see a wet mount to look for protazoan parasites and a gram stain to check for yeast or bacteria.

 

[Funky Feathers]

One of them looks like a possible Roundworm egg. Do you have any Strongid wormer? I would try that and do another fecal in a few days.

 

[chickintexas]

LOL! My mom told me the same thing about it looking like air bubbles and she's been a vet tech most of her life. She and I talked back and forth about it and decided that, yes, they could either be air bubbles or possibly rounds. I did not stain because the stuff I've got is too dark even if I dilute. Image is at 500X. Oh, and even the idea of rounds may be a dead end since the chick is only a week old. It's never been outside or exposed to any other birds that have been outside. Only with some chicks that hatched out a few days ago.
All the other birds are eating and drinking and behaving normal. Everyone is separated from each other at the moment.
It's no longer even making attempts to get up anymore. It'll probably call it quits by tonight. I've done all that I could and I'm comfortable with that.

 

[chickintexas]

Quote:
No Strongid on hand. If it happens to still be alive tomorrow, I'll pick it up. Doesn't hurt to keep some around.

 

[kickinchicken]

Former vet assistant here

My first thought was roundworm too. Get some Strongid tomorrow, if the chick is still alive. Could be air bubbles but better to err on the side of caution. Rounds wreak havoc on little bodies. They just eat up all the nutrition and take up all the room in the belly! Awful awful buggers.

 

[chickintexas]

Wow. I'm feeling pretty special. I got a welcome e-mail from the VP of the UPA (peafowl.org). He originally told me welcome and that I'm the 500th member (but no prize for me, he said. LOL!). I e-mailed him back thanking him for the welcome. Actually, I first told him, "What? No prize? Then count me out!" Then I went on to explain my situation with my bird. His response, and please excuse the all caps because that's how answered...

YOUR WELCOME.. ONE THING THAT KILLS OFF BABY PEACHICKS QUICK IS COCSIDIOSES. IT IS BEST IF YOU GIVE THEM AMPROLIUM IN THE WATER OR HAVE IT IN THE FEED. ANOTHER THING IS SOMETHING FOR BLACKHEAD AND THAT IS METRONIDAZOLE ( FISH ZOLE AT WALL MART ) AND KEEP THEM WARM. IF THEY HUDDLE TOGEATHER AND TRY TO GET UNDER THE OTHER ONE THEY ARE COLD AND IF THEY JUST FLOP DOWN ANYWHERE TO SLEEP THEY ARE O K. ..GOOD LUCK.. CONNERHILLS

So, I'm back at square one. The chick has been eating feed medicated for coccidia and I have given it Metronidazole. As I said before, I've done all I could. I still hear it chirping in the brooder occasionally and if it makes it through another night, I'll be repeating all the treatments I did for it for the last two days. Is there a slim chance it could pull through? Personally, I don't think so. It's gradually gone downhill since day one no matter what I've thrown at it. I turned my phone off today so I could concentrate on nothing but researching what could be wrong and giving treatments accordingly. So far, I've been spot on in my treatment regimen.

 

[chickintexas]

It's still alive. I was amazed! I saw it standing up in the brooder so I immediately started giving the meds. I put it on the floor by my feet while I was prepping round two of the meds and when I reached down to put the back on the counter, the little booger took off running!
My fingers are crossed and I'll be on it all day long...again.

 

[rcentner]

That pic is hard to tell what's going on, definatley some air bubbles, but maybe a roundworm. I did not know you could use metronidazole in birds...good to know. I would be cautious about giving a chick a lot of meds though. I am most knowledgeable about felines, but babies of all sorts can be sensitive to a lot of meds. If you try every treatment under the sun, you wont know which 1 worked either. Some animals end up with underdeveloped intestinal tracts and need supportive care until they catch up. a large majority of animals are infected, to some degree, with worms when they are born. I have read that in poultry it is about management not elimination of parasites, like in horses, due to the constant exposure to them. Like I said, I am not all that knowledgeable when it comes to poultry physiology, but I wish your chick the best.

 

[chickintexas]

I'm only giving it the Metronidozole and the Fenbendazole (SafeGuard) for the meds. The first one would cover Blackhead if that's what it's got and any secondary infections. The wormer is to take care of any roundworms that may be playing havoc on it's already weak system. I'm also giving it a couple of drops of Poultry Nutri-Drench a day for nutrients and energy. But I totally understand about over-medicating with similar meds. You'd never know which is the one that did the trick or you'd find out quick that one of them killed it off.