Help with diagnosis - sick delaware hen

[Eggcessive]

Yes there is no egg withdrawal time with Corid. I would use the maximum dose for 5 days, or what they have left. It may sound like overkill, but since the one hen is near death, that's what I would use. The Corid won't hurt them. Probiotics and vitamins for 3 days after treatment would help the gut bacteria get back to normal.

 

[petrel]

This is an excerpt from the label of the organic layer feed my flock gets:

Organic Field Peas, Organic Corn, Organic Oats, Organic Wheat, Calcium Carbonate, Fish Meal, Organic Alfalfa Meal, Organic Flaxseed, Organic Rice Bran, Sodium Silico Aluminate, Dried Organic Kelp, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Yeast Culture, Roughage Product (organic wheat middlings),Organic Sunflower Oil, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Choline Chloride, Menadione Nicotinamide Bisulfite Complex, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus casei, , Dried fermentation product of Lactobacillus plantarum, Dried fermentation product of Enterococcus faecium, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus coagulans, Dried fermentation product of Bacillus licheniformis, and Dried fermentation product of Bacillus subtilis.

Will this and adding organic ACV with mother to the water be sufficient to repopulate their guts, or will a commercial probiotic and vitamin supplement be necessary? Also, I read in another thread that you had recommended plain yogurt too. What is the trick to feeding them that without them ending up with it all over them?

I just started them on the Corid after work today. I'll double the dose in the morning. Thanks again!​

 

[Eggcessive]

Probiotics can be given in buttermilk or yogurt. I mix a little in some dry feed, then add a little water, and they are usually very interested. Yes they can get the yogurt on their beaks if you put a bowl out for them. Some chickens don't like the yogurt the first time they have it, and adding it to feed is good. Probios dispersible powder is sold at many feed stores, and can be added to the water. Your feed looks like it may have plenty of probiotics already, though. I would not give them ACV for awhile after the coccidiosis because it may irritate their intestines, and give them time to heal.

 

[petrel]

Mildred has started eating with the flock again. She is still very thin, and I am not sure we are in the clear yet. However, I had no idea she could turn it around at all. The entire flock actually looks a bit more vibrant, but maybe it is my imagination. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you for the update, and I hope they continue to improve.

 

[petrel]

Mildred lost the battle yesterday evening. After what appeared like a remarkable recovery, she went into an extremely rapid decline Friday afternoon, wings drooping, inactive, and weak. My youngest daughter tried to get fluids and yogurt into her, but there was no turning it around a second time.

I should have treated for infection too, as you had recommended. However, I thought she was on her way to recovery and I did not want to tax her any further.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. It is difficult to pinpoint illnesses sometimes, and without doing a necropsy on her, it could have been a lot of things. I had one recently die in about 18 hours after onset of her illness, and later found that her gizzard was blocked with sunflower hulls. The other chickens had no problems with them. It is hard to do a necropsy on your pet, but it sometimes explains what the problem was, and waht to look for if it happens again.

 

[petrel]

I had done some reading on necropsy and had hoped it might answer some questions. Unfortunately, my daughter insisted on an "open casket" burial which made it out of the question.