Help diagnosing and treating a sick chicken

[sherryaustin]

A couple weeks ago I bought a couple of 9 month old Dominiques to add to the 9 month Brahma and Wyandotte I already had. The next day, after watching them, I returned one of the birds as she had poop caked on her bottom and it concerned me. The remaining Dominique seemed more-or-less ok... They would only let me return one of the birds. Hmmm.
So, she has never seemed quite right to me. Her poop was very different-greenish and not separate dark and white like the others.. I discounted it at first thinking it was different feed. I've also noticed that it smells stronger. I feed a laying pellet.. Also put out another feeder of laying crumble thinking that maybe the feed disagreed with her.

A few days ago I noticed she was quieter than when I got her (she's loud), and thought perhaps she was getting acclimated and wasn't sounding the alarm as frequently.

Yesterday, I noticed her "nesting" in a corner. Her head was down, eyes half closed.. When walking, she seems a little wobbly. She was bouncing her tail a bit... I couldn't deal with it yesterday as I had to be out until late (I'm a musician). It's been hovering around freezing, so we put a light out by the nesting box last night...

Today, I treated as if she were egg bound due to the tail bouncing.. I put her in a warm bath for about 20 minutes, which got all the poop off her bottom. After I dried her off, she let out with a runny green poop with some white mucous-y stuff.. She nearly fell over doing it. Watched her for awhile and decided to get the rubber glove and KY jelly to see if it was an egg... Never having done this before... I'm not sure how far up to go.. I went about an inch and a half.. didn't feel anything. Also don't feel any swelling or lumps from the outside. She actually feels pretty bony. I have seen her eat and drink. Enjoys the persimmons, passes on the greens and mealy worms. I've got pro-biotics in the water.

Went and got some antibiotics this afternoon and got a couple syringes down her. I'm feeling like this may be a last ditch effort as it seems like she's wasting away.
They are in a coop.. Had to stop the free-ranging due to a couple tragedies by a bobcat : (

The other two chickens seem normal, robust and healthy.

Any help is appreciated.
Sherry

 

[sherryaustin]

Anyone out there??

 

[Nutcase]

Did the poo look anything like this? I found the photo online...

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/t...t=100_4560.jpg

Green poo means she's probably dehydrated/starving.

 

[sherryaustin]

Sort of.. More green and not formed. Less white. Her poop has generally been green.. It looks like the lay pellets would look if they got wet and de-formed... I'm wondering if she's just not digesting properly.

I've put electrolytes in the water along with the sulfadimthoxine as per the instructions of the guy at the feed store. Someone told me to make a mash of chick feed and get it in her w/a syringe...

I just got a little mash down her.. holding her.. her crop feels hard.

 

[chiqita]

Have you wormed her? If she is having trouble digesting her feed, eating and skinny and boney that could help. Try a wormer you have not used on her before .

 

[spies04]

A vet had recommended jar baby food when a chicken may be lack in nutrition. I recently had one that became very lethargic and just not himself losing weight and feathers looked terrible. I fed him the jar baby food for about a week (different kinds) along with some antibiotics which he showed improvement. Then I have been adding a vitamin supplement to their water and I wormed all of them, and they all showed a great improvement. I had no idea what I was fighting, but all of this seemed to work. Good Luck - I know personally how difficult it can be to fight the unknown.

 

[sherryaustin]

They people I got her from say their flock was wormed in September. She's pretty weak and wobbly right now. Can't perch, but can walk around.

 

[sherryaustin]

I've got a jar of chicken baby food on hand... sounds so wrong : ) Did you feed meat or veggies, or both?

 

[spies04]

Only veggies - carrots, beans - tried to stay in the veggies that would have vitamin content. We feed it to our kids - why not our chickens

. I am not sure but it helped him. He was finally eating and it was food with vitamins, etc. I am not sure if this will help - we just had good results.

We also have a tortoise and have fed baby food to him when he was sick which helped him too.

Good luck! Let us know what happens.

 

[onafixedincome]

A hard crop sounds like she may have some kind of obstruction? I'm not a real chicken person (I do rabbits mostly, but I'm learning), but I'd check the Merck's vet manual to see what that brings up. A hard crop could possibly be dehydration, as well--but if her crop is full of dry stuff she can't move, she's starving like she swallowed a cork....? Hm. I'd give water and electrolytes and VERY GENTLY massage the crop with her upright to see if I could get the contents mixed and moving--if not, she may well be unsalvageable. I HATE when that happens!

Is it possible for a chicken to get crop-bound with grit and stuff??