Head Bob and Eye Twitch - when do I know if it’s Newcastle?

[WingsOnTheBus]

Hello all -

My 3 y/o Black Sex Link hen has been a little lethargic with little to no egg production for a couple months. She stopped flying up to her coop, but doesn’t mind if I place her there and gets down fine. She keeps up all right with my energetic Leghorn...sometimes. But just today I noticed that she has taken to standing still, with a head bob (extreme arched neck, up and down) and a slight gurgling sound. I would have chalked it up to something respiratory and considered antibiotics if I had not noticed a seemingly involuntary eyelid twitch and eye roll. I live in NW Iowa. Is this definitely Newcastle and if so, what, if anything, can I do to protect my Leghorn?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There's nothing you can do for the other bird since it is so contagious, runs through a flock in 3 days.
The only way to know for sure is via lab tests. I'd call your state poultry lab and express your concerns to see if they can help. If it is virulent (exotic) Newcastle, it is a reportable disease.
Here's one of your state labs.
See if you can talk to the poultry pathologist.
Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
1800 Christensen Dr
Ames, Iowa 50011-1134
Phone: 515-294-1950

 

[WingsOnTheBus]

Update: I came back to find her doing much better, active as usual, but vomiting mucous with pink clots. The pink clots concern me but otherwise I see no reason to find a different source for the head bob and the gurgling. I will be looking into treatments for sour crop - unless the pink stuff is some other symptom or parasite?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

3 y/o Black Sex Link hen has been a little lethargic with little to no egg production for a couple months

standing still, with a head bob (extreme arched neck, up and down) and a slight gurgling sound.

vomiting mucous with pink clots

Do you have a photo of the pink clots?
A video of the head movements if you have it - upload videos to youtube then provide us a link.

As mentioned earlier, if you are concerned about an infectious disease, it's best to contact your state lab.

The pink clots to me sound concerning. I would check her crop to make sure it's empty by morning before she has had anything to eat/drink. The head movement could be adjusting of the crop.

I would consider separating her while you figure this out. Give her a thorough checking over - feel the abdomen for any bloat/swelling or feeling of fluid, she has not laid eggs in a while so she may be having some reproductive problems.

 

[WingsOnTheBus]

I don’t have a picture of the clots, sorry - now I suspect she may have been eating the pink insulation in our barn. I may upload the video of the head bob later today for reference - imgur was malfunctioning before but of course youtube would work.

However, she seems much better after the 12 hours without water/24 without food routine. I am almost certain it is/was sour crop. Yesterday morning when I checked, her crop was squishy with what seemed like a lump and definitely full of some kind of gas pressure. After being shut in her coop with no bedding or food yesterday, she flew up to her roost for the first time in weeks (!) and this morning her crop feels almost empty. I gave her some food.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I don’t have a picture of the clots, sorry - now I suspect she may have been eating the pink insulation in our barn. I may upload the video of the head bob later today for reference - imgur was malfunctioning before but of course youtube would work.

However, she seems much better after the 12 hours without water/24 without food routine. I am almost certain it is/was sour crop. Yesterday morning when I checked, her crop was squishy with what seemed like a lump and definitely full of some kind of gas pressure. After being shut in her coop with no bedding or food yesterday, she flew up to her roost for the first time in weeks (!) and this morning her crop feels almost empty. I gave her some food.

I'm glad she is doing better.
Anytime you are treating a chicken always make water available. Food can be withheld no problems but you risk dehydration without water, plus with crop issues they need to be able to try to "flush" the crop by themselves. Any bird that I have ever had a crop problem with drinks a lot of water.

Was the pink insulation the styrofoam type or other? Chickens for some reason love any type of insulation, so you may want to block off that area or staple some plastic over it.
I would definitely keep up with massaging the crop, a little coconut oil may be helpful as well. I've found mine love organic unrefined coconut oil (tastes like coconut) I usually put it in the freezer to harden it, then chop it into bite size pieces, they will eat it by themselves no having to force oil down them with a syringe.

If you don't already do this, make poultry grit (crushed granite) available free choice. I put mine in a cup that is attached to a post in the run, they take what they need. A lot of times chickens can find a source of grit naturally in the soil, but I like to make sure they have what they need.