HELP: Hen with pale comb/wattles acting unthrifty.

[Bleenie]

Today I noticed that one of my GLW hens was sitting down at the end of the coop, kind of 'scrunched-up' like she wasn't feeling well. It didn't take me long to catch her(Very unusual) and i could see right away her comb was real pale and when i felt her chest i discovered an empty crop as well. She is still poo'ing but it's BRIGHT yellow. She is GLW, 8 months old & been laying for close to two months now. I recently treated the entire flock with Ivomec pour-on to take care of a mite/lice problem. food is Nutrena(i think) All Flock & has been forever.

No idea what's going on with her because the rest of the flock is just fine. I have seperated her into an empty brooder space with food & water but don't know how/if i should treat her?


Here's the pictures.


yellow poo on her rear


it's kind of watery/slimy almost


seperated and not complaining about it... normally she'd be screaming for the roo.

 

[Bleenie]

Anyone?

 

[casportpony]

Anyone?

The only time I have ever seen yellow poo, the chicken, turkey or peacock has had histomoniasis. Can you post more pictures of her poop?

 

[Bleenie]

I will try to get some pictures tomorrow. She seems to have tried to eat, she dumped her food over anyway. I replaced it with a chick feeder so hopefully that won't happen again. I REALLY hope that's not what the problem is. I've never had that come up here before and nothing has really changed here lately with the flock but I guess it's still a possibility that it could have been in the ground somehow.

Everytime I open the roof on her brooder she tries to jump out but she's moving kind of slow(compared to normal) so she hasn't escaped yet. Do you know if there's a treatment for blackhead in chickens?

 

[dawg53]

Treatment for blackhead is one 250mg metronidazole tablet once a day for 5 days. Then dose her orally undiluted 1/2cc valbazen, repeat in
dosing in 10 days.

 

[casportpony]

I will try to get some pictures tomorrow. She seems to have tried to eat, she dumped her food over anyway. I replaced it with a chick feeder so hopefully that won't happen again. I REALLY hope that's not what the problem is. I've never had that come up here before and nothing has really changed here lately with the flock but I guess it's still a possibility that it could have been in the ground somehow.

Everytime I open the roof on her brooder she tries to jump out but she's moving kind of slow(compared to normal) so she hasn't escaped yet. Do you know if there's a treatment for blackhead in chickens?

The AAAP Avian Disease Manual says this:

Treatment - There is currently no approved medication for treatment of histomoniasis in food animals. Small
groups of birds not being raised for consumption can be effectively treated individually with metronidazole
at a dose of 30 mg/kg orally SID for 5 days. Antihelmentic treatment may help suppress the population of​

cecal worms.


Plumbs Veterinary Drug Handbook says this:

For susceptible infections (anaerobes):a) 50 mg/kg PO once daily for 5 days (Bauck and Hoefer 1993

 

[casportpony]

Bleenie, Metronidazole (Flagyl) can be purchased without a prescription as Fish-Zole which I have only ever seen online, but you might want to check your local tropical fish stores to see if they have any, if you think your chicken might have blackhead.

 

[Bleenie]

She hasn't 'worsened' at all, she's acting just the same as yesterday. she's not droopy and looks 'unsuspecting' physically besides her pale comb and she doesn't seem to have eaten yet.

I have no experience with Blackhead but when i read about it it sounded much worse than what she's showing? We may have some Flagyl here but it's in human dosages... that stuff is Disgusting. I will call and ask the Vet to see if it's something I can get from him rather than buy online.

 

[dawg53]

Copper sulfate will treat blackhead as well:
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/acidified_copper_sulfate.html
The cecal worm carries the protozoa. Worm your birds after treating for blackhead.

 

[Bleenie]

Worming with Piperazine afterwards would work fine then, right? Dels/Tractor Supply sells the acidified copper sulfate but only in 40# bags! Going to call a friend and see if she has any since she has goats and I am assuming that's why dels sells it in such a large bag.