frizzle keeping eyes closed

[clovergirl78]

I just got my first frizzle a couple of days ago, and I'm new to the breed (well, type). I've noticed that she keeps one or both of her eyes closed alot. She will open them, and when she does, they look clear. No eye discharge or nasal discharge or any signs of respiratory issues. She's eating and everything. Is this common in frizzles, due to the stress of the change, or something i should b concerned about? Also, she's a frizzle splash Cochin if that helps

 

[iheartnh]

I've read on here, several times, that an awake chicken who keeps its eyes closed is in pain. Have you checked her over for injury?

 

[clovergirl78]

I don't see or feel anything. She does seem like she's a little underweight n not as active as i would expect her to b.

 

[BantamLover21]

I just got my first frizzle a couple of days ago, and I'm new to the breed (well, type). I've noticed that she keeps one or both of her eyes closed alot. She will open them, and when she does, they look clear. No eye discharge or nasal discharge or any signs of respiratory issues. She's eating and everything. Is this common in frizzles, due to the stress of the change, or something i should b concerned about? Also, she's a frizzle splash Cochin if that helps

Does she seem tired at all? Often tired chickens which keep their eyes closed have worms or Coccidiosis. In the case of worms, I would worm her with SafeGuard, Valbazen, or the Worminator. The first two wormers can generally be purchased from livestock supply stores, and the Worminator can be ordered online from here: http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=584

Coccidiosis, which is more likely, can be treated with either Corid powder or Corid liquid. The Corid can be found at a livestock supply store as well, and is generally sold for cattle. The Corid powder dosage is 1/2-3/4 teaspoon powder per gallon of drinking water, and the Corid liquid dosage is 1/2 teaspoon liquid per quart of drinking water. Replace the Corid water daily, and continue the treatment for 5-7 days. Do not give vitamins during Corid treatment. Improvement should be seen after about 3 days.

 

[clovergirl78]

She does seem tired. She'll perk up at times, but she does seem to sleep alot and isn't as active as i would expect her to be. I looked her over very closely again, and she also appears to have a swollen crop. Some of her droppings do appear to have some blood, so i had decided that coccidiosis is the most likely. I plan to go get the corid tomorrow and get it going asap. I actually think I'm going to treat my whole flock to be safe (even though I've had her quarantined in the house). Their stools seem awfully runny in general, and i want to be sure they are as healthy as possible.
Once i have finished the corid treatment, should i plan to worm her, as well? I've been wondering if i should worm my flock on a specific regimen, but there seem to be alot of differing opinions on that, so i don't know what is best. I'm used to dealing with dogs and cats, where u have alot of focus on regular preventative treatment (i was a vet nurse for several years). What is your opinion on that?
I am pretty new to chicken keeping and have been trying to do alot of research, but i still have alot to learn.
Thank u so much for you help!!!

 

[clovergirl78]

Well, now her crop doesn't seen so swollen....she must have just eaten when i felt it earlier. I can feel some food in it, but not like it was before. Her most recent droppings that i see really don't look too bad. I just don't know what to think! I just want to do what's best for her. She's such a doll!!

 

[BantamLover21]

She does seem tired. She'll perk up at times, but she does seem to sleep alot and isn't as active as i would expect her to be. I looked her over very closely again, and she also appears to have a swollen crop. Some of her droppings do appear to have some blood, so i had decided that coccidiosis is the most likely. I plan to go get the corid tomorrow and get it going asap. I actually think I'm going to treat my whole flock to be safe (even though I've had her quarantined in the house). Their stools seem awfully runny in general, and i want to be sure they are as healthy as possible.
Once i have finished the corid treatment, should i plan to worm her, as well? I've been wondering if i should worm my flock on a specific regimen, but there seem to be alot of differing opinions on that, so i don't know what is best. I'm used to dealing with dogs and cats, where u have alot of focus on regular preventative treatment (i was a vet nurse for several years). What is your opinion on that?
I am pretty new to chicken keeping and have been trying to do alot of research, but i still have alot to learn.
Thank u so much for you help!!!

I would definitely get Corid if her droppings have blood in them. Coccidiosis can kill quickly. After the Coccidiosis treatment, if she is better, worming isn't necessary. But if she isn't any better, then worms are the probable cause, so she should be wormed.

Most people, including me, do have a certain worming schedule, just to prevent any problems. I usually worm once in the late spring/early summer, and then again in late fall/early winter. Sometimes it is best to alternate the wormer used to avoid problems with wormer-resistant worms, but I haven't done that yet.

 

[clovergirl78]

Thank u so much! I will get her going on the corid asap. Will she need any kind of vitamin supplement one the round of corid is done? I know she can't have anything like that while on it.
I'm guessing u use one of the wormers that u listed in the earlier post. Is there one that u think is better over the others? I plan to look them all up but was just curious.
Again, thank u so much for all the help and info. I appreciate it so much. She is such a sweet little girl and i want to get her healthy!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

They need a general vitamin supplement plus probiotics after the Corid. Soome use yogurt and mother ACV for the probiotics, or you can buy a probiotic mix. Since you are treating all the chickens for cocci, you could buy a chick vitamin powder to put in the water.

 

[BantamLover21]

Thank u so much! I will get her going on the corid asap. Will she need any kind of vitamin supplement one the round of corid is done? I know she can't have anything like that while on it.
I'm guessing u use one of the wormers that u listed in the earlier post. Is there one that u think is better over the others? I plan to look them all up but was just curious.
Again, thank u so much for all the help and info. I appreciate it so much. She is such a sweet little girl and i want to get her healthy!!!

After the Corid treatment, it is a good idea to give some vitamins and probiotics to help build back their strength. You can purchase some good poultry vitamins, or use chick vitamins like Sav-a-Chic. The probiotics can be in the form of plain yogurt, chicken probiotics, or probiotics made for other livestock. I use some sold for many types of animals, called Probios.

The wormer that I use is the Worminator. It kills all types of worms, except roundworms, has an egg withdrawal period of only 24 hours, and shows results within a few hours. Its only disadvantage is that it has to be ordered online, as it comes from the UK and can't be found in most stores. The other wormers that I mentioned, though, do almost the same thing, so if you want to quickly get a wormer from a local store, any of them would work, too. The only wormers that I would recommend that you avoid are Wazine and Ivermectin: Wazine only works on roundworms and has a large egg withdrawal period, and Ivermectin is almost useless because so many worms are resistant to it.

I hope that your little pullet recovers!