Help! EE 27 week old hen stopped eating, bloody poop

[flvicki]

A couple days ago I noticed my EE was lethargic. She also had runny poops that were green and sometimes yellow. I brought her inside yesterday along with her sister that never leaves her side. She wasn't eating but was drinking.
During the night she would just cluck every once and a while. This morning she's not eating or drinking at all, has runny poop that is bloody and is just laying on the ground. I have her a shot of penicillin and I'm treating for worms. But with her not drinking I have to use a syringe and I'm not sure she's getting much.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

 

[azygous]

It sounds like coccidiosis. This parasite doesn't respond to worm medicine. It needs to be starved of B-vitamins, and Corid (amprolium) does that. You mix it into the drinking water for one week, treating the whole flock.

 

[Feather Fanatic 2000]

I agree with azygous... It sounds like your chicken has a nasty case of coccidiosis. This is usually more common in younger birds though, so it's possible there may be more than one problem. Has your flock experienced any increased stress lately? Dirty or wet conditions can also increase the amount of coccidia in the soil (because no matter what you do, there are always small levels of this parasite in any patch of soil). I've heard that some more natural remedies also include garlic (fed to them crushed or put in their water), apple cider vinegar, oregano/oregano oil, and even green tea. Even if these can't cure your poor EE hen who is already sick, it can go a long way to keep the rest of your flock healthy. Good luck, and I hope your hen gets better.

 

[flvicki]

Thank you so much. Unfortunately she didn't make it. My husband and I returned from dinner tonight and she was gone. I had Corid in the water along with Wazine for worms. But, as I've said, she wasn't drinking so she only got the little bit that I gave her through the syringe and I was probably too late on starting the medications.
My hens have been under some stress as we live in Florida and we had to deal with relocating them to keep them safe from Hurricane Irma. That EE was showing signs of stress then, lethargic, not eating much, etc.
I normally put ACV in their water, feed them organic grains that I ferment, and give them yogurt. I will treat the rest of my girls with Corid and try the garlic, oregano, and green tea. I try to do natural and organic as much as possible. Hopefully I won't lose any more. I'm close to just throwing in the towel. I've lost 3 since February and it's almost too much.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear you lost her.

I agree with @azygous Your best treatment option is with the Corid. Dosage is 1 1/2 teaspoons Corid powder per gallon of water or 2 teaspoons of 9.6% Corid liquid per gallon of water. Give for 5-7 days - make sure this is the ONLY water available during that time period. Mix a fresh batch at least once a day.

After you finish the 5-7day treatment, offer them some poultry vitamins and yogurt/probiotics for a few days.

I hate to hear that you are frustrated and have lost others since February. What type of food are you feeding? What symptoms did the other that you lost have?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry to hear of your losses. I too have "quit" only to start over & having to rebuy supplies too many times

 

[Feather Fanatic 2000]

Don't give up. Both you and your chickens have had a lot of stress lately, but that doesn't mean it can't get better! The only way to avoid these problems is to live and learn!

 

[azygous]

Chickens come with such a long list of possible diseases, if you saw the list before you got chickens, you would probably run the other way. But most of the time, our flock can be happy, healthy, and productive with good care.

I, too, was at the point of throwing in the towel several years back when I had a very sick 11 month old cockerel, had to euthanize, and then sent the body in for a necropsy to find out my entire flock was carrying a deadly virus.

Since then, I've learned how to deal with it, and for the most part, my flock is happy, healthy, and productive in spite of the virus. It's part of keeping chickens to need to cope with an occasional sick individual, a death on occasion, and realizing chickens have short lives compared to ours, and even our other pets. Not to say an occasional chicken won't live to be quite old. I still have one of my original chicks. She turned nine this past June.

 

[flvicki]

Thank you all for your encouragement. I raised chickens about 3 1/2 years ago until our neighbors dogs dug under the fence and attacked and killed my girls. It took me until this past February to try again. I had very healthy chickens that last time and didn't have to deal with any of these diseases.
The Olive Egger I have and the EE I had came from a farm where the lady cross breeds. My husband calls them "designer chickens" so we think maybe they've been over bred and are vulnerable to disease. I don't know...we're grasping at straws here.
@Wyorp Rock The first one I lost in May had a cross beak. I tried everything I could (tube feeding, soft foods) but she wasn't thriving so we had to euthanize her. The last chicken died about 2 weeks ago and we still don't know what happened with her. She was eating and drinking but then she started isolating herself and seemed lethargic and one morning I went to let them out of their coop and she was dead.
I feed them an organic mix that I make (wheat berries(spring and winter), oats, flax, lentils, split pea) and I ferment it. I also give them yogurt, ACV in their water, and fresh fruits and vegetables. I keep their coop and run clean and they free range all over my backyard.
Now I'm just trying to figure out how to re-integrate the Olive Egger back into the flock. The one that died was the low girl in the pecking order and when I tried to put my olive egger back in with the flock they attacked her so now I have them separated. Thank you all for your help and encouragement. I will press on...

 

[ChickNanny13]

You may want to try a large wire crate....Put the OE in it with shavings, water & food then put the crate IN the run/coop. That way they can see her, she them, she's safe & they'll adjust to her being in with them.

I read it on BYC for reintroduction ideas....