Help with 5 month orp pullet possibly sick? BAD UPDATE-SEE LAST POST

joletabey

SDWD!!!!
10 Years
Apr 9, 2009
4,266
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western NC
Advice/help please! I have a 5 month BBS orp pullet who is being very quiet, doesn't want to move or run around with the others.
This started yesterday afternoon. There are no signs of respiratory problems, her eyes are clear, she is alert, nothing feels broken, when she does move she walks normally. However, this is a total drama queen girl, top girl in her little flock, and she is just sitting still, let me pick her up (TOTALLY abnormal behavior) and sat quietly in my lap while I checked her crop, which does not feel hard, nor full - maybe a little liquidy- she is not interested in eating. She shook her head a little bit this morning, but is not doing that now.
Every one else's behavior is normal. I can't find any poops that look weirder than usual.
They are on medicated chick starter, ACV in their water, DE in their bedding.
I have isolated her with water with Poly Vi Sol in it. She refused yogurt.
I thought about pendulous crop, but hers does not feel full, even if it feels a bit saggy.
It has been hot, humid and wet here, but not for the last several days. The temps are in the 80's and she has shade.
Any advice or ideas greatly appreciated! I have read up on cocci, botulism- I could be at the beginning of something, but she doesn't really show any other signs so I am not sure what to guess at or what to try first.
 
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How is her heart rate? Is it racing? Seems like could be something internal, maybe not the onset of actual illness. Has she started laying yet? Remember my Cassidy--coming into lay did her in, since she had some sort of heart defect.
 
What about worms? She may act lethargic like that with worms, I would think. The wet weather always seems to bring out something with a chicken or two here, I know. Cocci, though unusual in the older birds, could cause those symptoms too. Scott mentioned that there are more strains of resistant cocci, and the wet ground brings them out more. It is so hard to figure out. I wish I could help, but am just throwing out possibilities.

I hope she gets to feeling better, and all goes well.

ETA: The other day you mentioned finding some moldy feed, right? Could she have gotten into that? Botulism is a possibility. I have had a terrible time with that when it rains!
 
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Beth, you said her crop was "maybe a little liquidy". This is gonna sound crazy...have you smelled her breath? Have you looked down her throat at all?

Run through this list:

1. Are the bottoms of her feet ubber hot?
2. Is her poo normal?
3. How's her heart rate?
4. Has she free ranged at all within the last couple of days? If so, is there anything possible that she could have gotten into to make her sick?
5. Have she ever been wormed?
6. Is she panting?
7. Is she sitting with her feathers puffed up or flared out?
 
Thank you, my friends!!!!
She has not free ranged, nor is she in the pen where I found the moldy feed on the ground.
She is panting. She is fluffed. I am not sure about the heart rate, I am going to run out and feel her feet, and compare her heart rate, but since she is a drama queen, the Orp girls get all excited if I pick them up so I am not sure I will be able to tell.
She did eat some scrambled egg with Poly Vi Sol in it.

She has not been wormed yet, I was waiting for cooler weather. I have not seen signs of worms in any poo- can't tell her poo at this point, but I stripped her little coop this morning and there was nothing runny or abnormal.

She is 5 months old but no red showing on her comb or face or wattles, so I did not think she was close to laying.

She seems limper now than a couple of hours ago. I am going to move her into the barn and put a fan on her and hope being in a strange place doesn't freak her out.

Botulism or Cocci are what I am most afraid of- those little nuts are always knocking over the smaller of the two waterers, but there should not have been feed in that area-

Will edit it a minute about her feet and heart rate-

EDITED: I AM SHOUTING BECAUSE I FEEL STUPID. HER FEET ARE FINE. I THINK SHE HAS LITTLE RED MITES. I AM ALSO EMBARRASSED AS HECK BECAUSE ...and I will quit shouting now...she likes being handled the least, and I have just gotten her so she will run up to me and eat out of my hand, so I have checked Silk and Satin and Katia for mites and lice, figuring if one had it, they would all would have it, and now she has a healthy infestation on her neck and back - the rest of them seem clean. Why would Desiree have it and not the rest? The Dels I quickly checked are fine, I will finish checking them later. I quickly ruffled in some DE on her, and the other 4 Orp girls.
But I need to get Sevin dust, right?
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DE will not treat an infestion. You can use, "Poultry Dust," or Sevin. You must repeat the application in a week or 10 days, as the eggs will hatch. Poultry Dust is safer.

If I were you, I would do the poultry dust two weeks in a row and then use Ivermectin pour on to treat worms. This also treats mites and lice and lasts longer. It will also kill the eggs (mites and lice).

ETA: You will have to clean out all the bedding. Suggest spraying the entire coop with Sevin Spray, as well.
 
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I've never had mites here, but Hawkeye came with a bad lice infestation. I did use only DE on him and it wiped them out. Wonder why it wouldn't work on mites? In any case, the big guns are called for since she is feeling bad.
 
threehorses always said that DE was good when used to prevent, but not to treat. I have been using DE in all my bedding, etc. I also use poultry dust every couple months. When I do my deep cleaning, as when changing pens or making moves, I clean very well and scatter DE and sprinkle a little Sevin. I don't know, I am sure I overdo it (as usual).
 
If I had a worm and a lice/mite issue at the same time, I'd get some Eprinex Pour-On. It gets all three of those and you apply to the back of the neck. Simple and no withdrawal required, but expensive, about $45/250 ml bottle.

I know DE does kill lice, but it's not instant. Hawkeye was crawling with them-it was gross, but after putting in fresh bedding and dusting both him and his bedding with DE, he was louse-free.

I can't get poultry dust here for some reason. It's weird.
 

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