sealchickens
In the Brooder
I've been looking through this forum for a while, but decided to make an account today as one of my chickens is acting weird.
For context, I noticed this around 8 AM, and now it's the afternoon. It's in the mid-50s to mid-60s fahrenheit, with humidity around 50%. Also, this is my first flock, started in July.
Sorry if this is a bit all over the place - I'm trying to include everything I can.
1) She's a ~22 week old Dominique pullet. Has not started laying yet, but her comb and wattles are bright red and my other same-aged Dominique has started squatting, so I believe she's close to laying, too. She's the fluffiest of my birds, and I don't think her weight has changed.
2) She's usually rather loud, feisty, and curious, but this morning, she was none of those things. She was a bit puffed up, her head tucked in a tad. She barely moved around with the other chickens like she usually does - mostly standing in one spot, and occasionally almost falling asleep as she stands. Quieter than usual. Easy to pick up, though she still started kicking and flapping when she wants to be put down.
When she returned to the coop this morning, she just stood on the floor for a while. She poked her head in one of the nesting boxes, and I put her in it to see if she wanted to be in there. She hung out in it for less than a minute and then hopped out. Soon after, she jumped up to the roost and just stood there. I had to go indoors for class at that point.
I checked on her again a few hours later during my lunch time - she's improving somewhat. She's back to her occasional spunky yelling, she's taking a bit more interest in rooting around in the dirt and grass, and she's still upright and walking. Spent most of her free-ranging time sunbathing or standing around, and when I put the chickens back in their enclosure, she drank water and opted for the run instead of going back to standing on the roost. Still, she seems disoriented and slow, and often still closes her eyes while standing. Still no interest in her feed, too. I offered her a grape, which she usually goes crazy for, but she only ate half at a normal pace.
Her eyes seem bright and clear, and her comb and wattles are bright red. Her nostrils are fine, too. Her crop isn't hard or squishy, just firm. No signs of bumblefoot or any foot/leg issues. Her vent seems normal, pink and unblocked. Feathers are smooth and clean.
3) Symptoms have been exhibited since this morning.
4) No other chickens are exhibiting the same symptoms.
5) No bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
6) Not completely sure about the cause, but I strongly suspect coccidiosis based on what I've been reading.
7) I didn't see her eating her feed today - she seemed disinterested when I offered her some. She was still pecking at the grass in the yard, and I saw her drinking water at noon. She ate a bit of grape, but not with as much vigor as usual.
8) I only saw her poop once this morning - it was small and runny. At noon, I saw some green, sort of watery poop in the coop, though I'm not sure if it's her poop.
9) No treatment administered just yet.
10) I ordered some Corid 20% and plan to put a 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. It'll arrive tomorrow. Is this the right direction? Any advice on what else I should be doing?
11) Will share pictures if it would help.
12) Her bedding is composed of pine shavings. She currently gets 3-4 hours of free-range time a day (still figuring out a few things before moving up to more free-ranging).
For context, I noticed this around 8 AM, and now it's the afternoon. It's in the mid-50s to mid-60s fahrenheit, with humidity around 50%. Also, this is my first flock, started in July.
Sorry if this is a bit all over the place - I'm trying to include everything I can.
1) She's a ~22 week old Dominique pullet. Has not started laying yet, but her comb and wattles are bright red and my other same-aged Dominique has started squatting, so I believe she's close to laying, too. She's the fluffiest of my birds, and I don't think her weight has changed.
2) She's usually rather loud, feisty, and curious, but this morning, she was none of those things. She was a bit puffed up, her head tucked in a tad. She barely moved around with the other chickens like she usually does - mostly standing in one spot, and occasionally almost falling asleep as she stands. Quieter than usual. Easy to pick up, though she still started kicking and flapping when she wants to be put down.
When she returned to the coop this morning, she just stood on the floor for a while. She poked her head in one of the nesting boxes, and I put her in it to see if she wanted to be in there. She hung out in it for less than a minute and then hopped out. Soon after, she jumped up to the roost and just stood there. I had to go indoors for class at that point.
I checked on her again a few hours later during my lunch time - she's improving somewhat. She's back to her occasional spunky yelling, she's taking a bit more interest in rooting around in the dirt and grass, and she's still upright and walking. Spent most of her free-ranging time sunbathing or standing around, and when I put the chickens back in their enclosure, she drank water and opted for the run instead of going back to standing on the roost. Still, she seems disoriented and slow, and often still closes her eyes while standing. Still no interest in her feed, too. I offered her a grape, which she usually goes crazy for, but she only ate half at a normal pace.
Her eyes seem bright and clear, and her comb and wattles are bright red. Her nostrils are fine, too. Her crop isn't hard or squishy, just firm. No signs of bumblefoot or any foot/leg issues. Her vent seems normal, pink and unblocked. Feathers are smooth and clean.
3) Symptoms have been exhibited since this morning.
4) No other chickens are exhibiting the same symptoms.
5) No bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
6) Not completely sure about the cause, but I strongly suspect coccidiosis based on what I've been reading.
7) I didn't see her eating her feed today - she seemed disinterested when I offered her some. She was still pecking at the grass in the yard, and I saw her drinking water at noon. She ate a bit of grape, but not with as much vigor as usual.
8) I only saw her poop once this morning - it was small and runny. At noon, I saw some green, sort of watery poop in the coop, though I'm not sure if it's her poop.
9) No treatment administered just yet.
10) I ordered some Corid 20% and plan to put a 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. It'll arrive tomorrow. Is this the right direction? Any advice on what else I should be doing?
11) Will share pictures if it would help.
12) Her bedding is composed of pine shavings. She currently gets 3-4 hours of free-range time a day (still figuring out a few things before moving up to more free-ranging).
