Help! Lethargic hen, not eating!

[ten chicks]

Corid 9.6 % liquid is 2 tsp per gallon of water.

 

[Betsy57]

Corid 9.6 % liquid is 2 tsp per gallon of water.

Okay, I"ll bump it up. I've just been puttng 1 tsp. in it and seeing results. See, I don't "over-do" everything all the time!

 

[Betsy57]

• What did you worm with?
• How much wormer did you use?
• How much does the sick hen weigh?
• Did you give the wormer orally or in the water?
• Do you have the Corid powder or liquid?
• How much Corid are you using per gallon?
• Do you have Tylan 50, Tylan 200 or the powder?
• How much did you give?
• How did you give it?

-Kathy

Safeguard 1/4 cc orally, straight into the mouth
3 lbs 3 oz
Corid liquid, 1 tsp per galon
Tylan 50 injection 1/2 cc injected into breast

 

[casportpony]

Safeguard 1/4 cc orally, straight into the mouth
3 lbs 3 oz
Corid liquid, 1 tsp per galon
Tylan 50 injection 1/2 cc injected into breast

Not either, lol, just someone that's very anal about proper dosing.

Per my vets, I dose my birds with Safegaurd at 50mg/kg, which in a bird the size of yours would be .75ml (75mg) and gave you bird 25mg.

The 1 teaspoon amount of Corid liquid is for moderate outbreaks, 2 teaspoons is recommended for severe outbreaks. I think you will find that most people treat with 2 teaspoons.

1/2 a cc of Tylan 50 is 25mg, but I don't know what a vet would say about dosing, though I think that it's probably not enough. IMO, I don't think that Tylan will help your hen unless she has some sort of respiratory infection.

Remember that cows, goats, sheep, horses, etc get less mg/kg than chickens do with most medicine, so if you're trying to follow dosing instructions written on the box, you aren't giving enough.

FWIW, I do have proper dosing info of all the drugs listed above from veterinary drug books, veterinary links and mfg data sheets. If you want to see any of them, just let me know.

-Kathy

 

[Betsy57]

Not either, lol, just someone that's very anal about proper dosing.

Per my vets, I dose my birds with Safegaurd at 50mg/kg, which in a bird the size of yours would be .75ml (75mg) and gave you bird 25mg.

The 1 teaspoon amount of Corid liquid is for moderate outbreaks, 2 teaspoons is recommended for severe outbreaks. I think you will find that most people treat with 2 teaspoons.

1/2 a cc of Tylan 50 is 25mg, but I don't know what a vet would say about dosing, though I think that it's probably not enough. IMO, I don't think that Tylan will help your hen unless she has some sort of respiratory infection.

Remember that cows, goats, sheep, horses, etc get less mg/kg than chickens do with most medicine, so if you're trying to follow dosing instructions written on the box, you aren't giving enough.

FWIW, I do have proper dosing info of all the drugs listed above from veterinary drug books, veterinary links and mfg data sheets. If you want to see any of them, just let me know.

-Kathy

Thank you. Yes, PM me anything you have.

 

[wsufans]

well I have to tell you how much I appreciate everyone's feedback and support toward one another in this forum!

I have a 3-yo Rhode Island Red hen who's been acting like the hen described in the beginning of this thread... sleepy/lethargic/no appetite/sleeping in the nestbox as opposed to the perch..

after reading everything here we're going to RUN, not walk, to the feedstore in the morning and purchase Corid.

Should we quarantine this hen in a large dog crate in the garage for a few days? Any special food I should put out for her to encourage her to eat? (I've seen cottage cheese, wet cat food, scrambled eggs... this girl usually likes Corn and apples)

We still plan to treat the whole flock with daily water changes with appropriate doses of Corid.

somewhere in this thread or a similar one, I read something about checking for an empty Crop... was that for Corid for de-wormer?

Thanks everybody... apparently it takes a "village" to raise chickens, too!

 

[ten chicks]

well I have to tell you how much I appreciate everyone's feedback and support toward one another in this forum!

I have a 3-yo Rhode Island Red hen who's been acting like the hen described in the beginning of this thread... sleepy/lethargic/no appetite/sleeping in the nestbox as opposed to the perch..

after reading everything here we're going to RUN, not walk, to the feedstore in the morning and purchase Corid.

Should we quarantine this hen in a large dog crate in the garage for a few days? Any special food I should put out for her to encourage her to eat? (I've seen cottage cheese, wet cat food, scrambled eggs... this girl usually likes Corn and apples)

We still plan to treat the whole flock with daily water changes with appropriate doses of Corid.

somewhere in this thread or a similar one, I read something about checking for an empty Crop... was that for Corid for de-wormer?

Thanks everybody... apparently it takes a "village" to raise chickens, too!

If you suspect Cocci,some symptoms are runny/watery poop(may or may not contain blood,depends on which of the 9 strains it is)lethargic,fluffed feathers,not eating/drinking properly,general look of unwell. If symptoms match,treat ALL chickens,no you do not have to separate her(unless she is very ill) as if one has it they all will. Cocci is spread by droppings,which get into feed/water via droppings.Cocci can be spread by birds,bringing it into your area on your clothes/shoes/hands,etc,bringing new chickens into your flock.Give her regular feed(you can also add warm medicated water to feed,so it resembles oatmeal,most chickens like this and you have the benefit of knowing she is getting the medication)keep giving her favorite foods to encourage eating.

The crop issue is if you suspect she may have a impact or sour crop. Does her crop stay full during day,and empty over night,if it stays full,this may indicate an impacted crop. If her crop feels squishy,like a balloon(sometimes there is a foul smell coming from beak)this may indicate sour crop. Also check her for being egg bound,does she walk funny"penguin walk"does her abdomen feel hard? Last,check her for mites/lice/worms as all of these will cause similar symptoms.

 

[wsufans]

I guess I'm thinking about separating her for her OWN sake.. not having to walk around for food/water (keeping it closer to her)...
the warm water+feed "mush" I will definitely try.
My 13-yo son is the chicken expert so I'll have him examine the crop tomorrow.

I will definitely post my results soon.

 

[wsufans]

So.

We've added 2 tsp of Corid per gal of water and we did it for 10 days.

All other hens seem feisty and well.

This RIR, however (our oldest at 3 years) is still quite lethargic. Sometimes she perks up, other times she's in the middle of the chicken run, standing there with her eyes closed.

she does not roost at night but chooses to sleep in the nest box.

This morning I took her out of the run so I could observe her. She shows no interest in scratch grains but does like cantaloupe and bits of apple (no seeds). She ate and ate on the apple this morning and I kept observing her until she pooped. Her poop looks normal (wasn't runny, no funky colors) but the opening to her vent is pretty dirty.

And we are so afraid to pick her up... there is NO meat on her breastbone at all. I don't want to say she's "emaciated" but that's kind of what it seems... all you can feel is breastbone.

Does anyone have any suggestions, as to how we should proceed next? I was hoping she'd be healthy before the cold winter weather sets in but now I'm afraid we'll have to euthanize her if she doesn't perk up...

THANKS again, for all the info you share on this forum.

 

[dawg53]

I seriously doubt a 3 year old RIR hen would have a cocci problem if she was on the same soil for that length of time. Inspect her visually for lice/mites and worm her. Also, she might be eggbound. Soak her in lukewarm water up to her sides and gently massage her underside for 20 minutes while she's soaking. The warm water will relax her and expand her innards. Massaging her underside will help move the egg along...if that's what the problem is. Repeat as necessary. Personally, I suspect internal or external parasites, or both.