Help I don't know whats happening

[Chicklinz]

Do they have a clean water supply? E. Coli can be spread through contaminated food or water.

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
I have one with similar symptoms. How did the vet diagnose e. coli? What tests?

How would they get e. coli? would it have to be something rotten they eat?

Birds have e. Coli in their bodies, all mammals do. Most times it doesn't affect them. Other tmes they happen upon a strain of it that really makes them sick for one reason or another. The vet said it could be as simple as wild birds flying overhead and pooping in the yard and our birds stepping in it. Or US stepping in it and walking into the chicken's pen. They can only diagnose it after the fact with a necropsy. But they can get a pretty good idea of what it is by checking them over and gathering history. There's a lady on another thread who's birds were just diagnosed via necropsy with it. I really think it's one of the most under diagnosed diseases. The vet had me put LS50 in their water for 10 days and the ones who got physically sick got antibiotic injections, Vit B and dexamethasone injections.
Edit:Rebel Housing is right-they don't always have blood in tneir stool with coccidia and that's a strong possibility also. The vet can do a fecal smear to check for that and a fecal flotation to check for the other kinds of worms.

 

[Chinchilla2]

If your birds free range they can pick up E coli from eating through the feces of another animal that walked that same chunk of dirt. Deer, rabbit, coon, just about every type of poop has been shown to carry E coli. The carrier animal would have a bit of a resistance to it but the chicken that pecks through the poop hunting for treasure may be susceptible. There is a way to test for E coli but most smaller animals such as chickens will normally succumb before the lab results are back so most diagnoses are done with necropsy.

 

[grandmas Nest]

There water is changed completely every 2 days plus waters disifected 2 times a week. The only one that was really weak like that is gone now. All the others acting fine. They run to me when I go in their run looking for a treat. If I put garden Sevin on them do I throw out the eggs for a while, like deworming? I really don't want to lose any more like this.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Since you've not seen lice/mites on them and they are weak I would not put Sevin on them at this time.

Unless it's the e.coli I would wonder about cocci. You don't have to see blood in their poo for them to have it.

Hope you can find out what it is and best of luck.

I agree, it almost sounds like cocci. You didnt mention "ruffled up" in your first post. Cocci can kill quickly, even without blood in poop. E Coli infections would have green or yellow poop or a combo of both, usually diarrhea. E Coli can also cause a "ruffled up" appearance as well. I recommend you take a non contaminated fecal sample (no dirt or debris in it) to a vet to have it analyzed.

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
It's not quite that simple and the bird doesn't have to free-range to get it at all. It's poorly understood and there's a lot of myths about it. I keep researching it because I lost birds I loved and also because bird health fascinates me. There's a really good article that ckears up a lot at
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/ecoli.html
The original poster doesn't quite have her facts straight and the vet explains it.
Another excellent article at
http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/diseases.html
That's not to say that's what this is. And just because your water is dirty or clean is certainly not the deciding factor. That's far too simple.

 

[Chinchilla2]

Ksane, I know it's a bit more complicated that than but I wanted to head off the "since my water is clean, it can't be e coli" thoughts. My mom had an indoor cat die from e coli and the only thing her and the vet could come up with on how the cat got it was from catching and eating a mouse. E coli has the nasty habit of being very simple or highly complicated, it all depends upon the strain and the organism (animal) that picks it up. For example, people became extremely ill from e coli after drinking apple juice made from apples collected in a orchard frequented by deer (google Odwalla e coli apple juice). Sensitivity and resistance is a factor in becoming sick from any given strain.

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
We're on the same page

And in looking up what you wrote I learned even more about it so thank you!

 

[grandmas Nest]

Okay this morning she was back out in run. I put her in her own coop with layer pellets, and water with sulfadimethoxine in it I also added a little suger so maybe they will drink more of it. Our vet said to treat them all with this. So now I guess I have to throw eggs out for a while again. She is moving around better than she could last night. Hopefully I can save her.