help sick chicken

[lilmagill]

new chicken owner here, i have a 6 month old americauna/red sex link, gretel, that is (still) laying beautiful eggs daily for almost a month. 3 days ago i noticed a blue tinge to her comb and wattle and the area around her face, and an incresed shaking of her head. no other symptoms. yesterday i noticed her poo was a bit runny, and there seemed to be a bluish spot on her comb. still shaking her head. she was eating and drinking and otherwise acting normal. today she seems to have more labored breathing than my other 2 girls. i.e., her mouth is open, theirs isn't. her breath is a bit faster. there seems to be a teeny base of white to her wattle and comb now, alongwith some dark spots at the tips of the comb. her crop seems to be more full than the other 2. she is still shaking her head. she is on a mix of starter feed (bc the other 2 girls arent laying yet) and organic layer feed that has a dewormer in it. help please... what do i need to do? thank you.

 

[Suzie]

Sorry to say but organic feed does not have a de-wormer in it...if that were so none of us would be using a chemical wormer. I would de-worm her and the rest of the flock with a proprietary de-wormer.

Have you treated them with Sevin dust or Permethryn as the problem may be due to lice/mites...

Could also be any number of issues she is dealing with...I am sure somebody will help you determine what is happening to her with the symptoms you have mentioned and give sound advice to remedy the problem.

 

[lilmagill]

i have not treated with sevin. 5%? there is DE in their coop and i give them ACV in their water, and they get a natural probiotic (homemade milk kefir) every day. what do these symptoms mean? what are the symptoms of a crop disorder or worms? thank you.

 

[lilmagill]

also there is DE in the layer feed...supposed to be a wormer? and her wattle is floppy. thank you.

 

[Suzie]

Have you checked her mouth to see if she has eaten something that could be stuck there or in her throat ? It may be a good idea to try her with some olive oil (soaked on a morsel of bread) in case she has something lodged in her crop..it may help to pass whatever may be causing the head shaking.

Crop issues can result in sour crop or impacted crop....if the crop is squishy it is likely sour crop and there is sometimes a sour smell from her mouth, an impacted crop feels hard...

I suggest you read this link which may help determine if she does have a crop problem:

www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/06chicken-anatomy-crop-impacted-crop-sour.html

DE is not a de-wormer...please consider using a chemical wormer as a parasitic overload of worms will eventually kill an otherwise healthy chicken.

 

[lilmagill]

the crop link didn't work...i will research crops as i do not know what a healthy one should feel like...? and when i go to buy a de wormer, what other meds should i buy to have on hand? a friend recommended colloidal silver? could worms be causing her breath distress and blue spotted comb? thank you.

 

[Suzie]

Try the link again and scroll down the left hand side of the page...under the pictures of chicks there is a search button...type in the word crop and it will show you a huge amount of great information.

Difficult to say what meds to keep on hand...as expiry dates may come and go and you have no need for use..

I always have betadine/iodine on hand and epsom salts...there is a sticky with lots of information on basics to keep at home in case of problems..should be at the top of the "emergencies etc main header.

Good luck and do please try the link again!

 

[casportpony]

Try the link again and scroll down the left hand side of the page...under the pictures of chicks there is a search button...type in the word crop and it will show you a huge amount of great information.

Difficult to say what meds to keep on hand...as expiry dates may come and go and you have no need for use..

I always have betadine/iodine on hand and epsom salts...there is a sticky with lots of information on basics to keep at home in case of problems..should be at the top of the "emergencies etc main header.

Good luck and do please try the link again!

The link doesn't work for me either.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Have you checked for some type of obstruction?

Can you post a picture of her poop? If she were mine I'd probably start by worming her with Safeguard for goats or cattle at 20-50mg/kg (.2ml-.5ml per 2.2 pounds) by mouth for 3-5 days. I'd also get a baseline weight on her.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Here are some pictures that might help you:

From:http://www.hopkinslivestock.com/oral_dosing_article.htm
The hole at the back of the tongue is the trachea - Nothing should ever go in there!




-Kathy