help - chicken very weak, diahrrea.

[jasonm11]

I have an 18m to 2yr old buff orington that has been sick for around two weeks. She was a motherly hen has not laid since I have had her (3 months) She is losing weight, seems to have greenish diahrrea. Getting weak and today would not get up to leave the coop. I have been treating the water with tetramyacin at aprox 5-600 mils for about a week. She seemed to get a little better but now is looking worse. The rest of the flock is fine, no one is pecking on her. No bugs that i can see. I really don't want to have to dispatch her but i'm pretty close to making the decision.

Jason

 

[Judy]

What were you treating for, with the tetracycline? Have you treated her for cocci or worms? Have you checked for mites/lice, at night?

You've killed off her gut bacteria with the tetracycline, so at the least, you will need to replace it, preferably with probiotics -- yogurt or buttermilk are better than nothing but packaged probiotics are better.

 

[jasonm11]

I was told by the guy i bought them from it would be worth a try. None of the other chickens seem to be having problems. Should i stop the meds and get some yogurt for them all? As i said No bugs that I can see. i have handled her and see no parasites.

 

[Judy]

The tetracycline could actually be causing more diarrhea. You need to check for lice/mites at night (they may be the kind that stay in the coop during the day) and you need to consider worming; you should ask whether they have been wormed. You need to read up on worming and cocci and lice/mites; she probably has at least one of them.

Don't give a lot of yogurt, maybe a teaspoon a day per bird, as they will get the live culture from it but cannot digest the milk product very well (they are lactose intolerant.)

Here is some reading for you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=402933

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=207133&p=2

Plenty more on here about all of them. And good luck!

 

[jasonm11]

Thank you I will get to work.

 

[Judy]

I'll be offline a few hours but will check back, or someone else might well chime in, of course.