Hen acting disorientated and stumbling

[Love my Critters!]

My hen is about 1 and half years old. She is a silkie. Yesterday she started acting very disorientated and seems to be dizzy. It takes her 2-3 tries to walk through the "chicken door", she walks right into the wall a few times before she makes it in. She is free ranged with 2 nigi goats, 1 silkie rooster and about 25 more hens and babies. There is a possibility she was injured but I need to know if there is any illness that could be causing this and if so will it spread to my others.

Also there seems to be a lot of "orangie" colored loose stool this past week. The chickens have not had any change in their diet. What could it be?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I will not be able to check back for about 2 hours so don't give up on me please.
Thanks again!

 

[Judy]

I don't know the answer, but thought it might help if you looked at this and see if you see the hen's poo:

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

Also, someone will no doubt ask whether she has ever been wormed.

 

[California Ducken]

Dont know bump

 

[Judy]

How is she today?

 

[Love my Critters!]

She is still the same... She has never been wormed. What is a good overall dewormer to give everybody.
Thanks for the great site on "poop"

The stool I am seeing looks like the "Ceacal" . I guess my numbers have grown so much that everyday somebody in the group is passing this stool. That was a big help. I do want to deworm though.

About the hen... I lost one about a month ago that was acting kind of "funny" a couple of days before she died. I hate this because I don't know what is causing this.

 

[Judy]

There's a lot of info in this forum about worming. Many people use a cattle wormer caled ivermectin that is not approved for use in chickens but that vets evidently recommend for chickens sometimes. An injectable form is used topically (a couple drops on the skin for a Silkie) or in the water. A pour on form (Epinrex) is also used topically, 1/4 to 1/2 cc depending on size. Piperazine is sometimes recommended as a first round wormer. Some use Verm-X, and some just put DE in the feed and rely on this. Here are a few threads on worming; there are many others:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=172967&p=2

http://www.freewebs.com/cajunyankee/worming.htm

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=103771&p=2

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=174004

You'll need to do some reading and decide what is best for you.

I'm guessing your sick Silkie has some problem related to the skull defect that Silkies have, perhaps combined with an injury. I know very little about Silkies but I think I remember reading that they can sometimes be helped by adding vitamins. You'd have to research that, too, as I have no idea what kind or how much.

Good luck!

 

[Love my Critters!]

Thanks for the information and the links. I do use DE already, but I feel I should give them something else too. Good info!

 

[threehorses]

Honestly, worms are usually associated with green frothy droppings rather than orange. I see orange more in birds with coccidiosis.

However, there are more things to rule out. I'd check her very carefully to rule out mites as there are problems with them right now especially. Check her skin carefully, especially around the vent. While you're there, make sure you don't see any white or black waxy stuff on her vent. Also check for any droppings clinging to her vent, any sores, etc. See whether or not her crop is empty.

I'd give her probiotics for two weeks regardless because of her instability. I'd rule out mites, treat for them if she does have them.

If you worm, here's the safest way to do it if you have an established flock.

Worm first with a gentle less broad spectrum wormer. My choice is Wazine because it's only effective against roundworms which are the most prolific worm in the barnyard. It usually requires 2-3 treatments, which is good believe it or not. Treating too heavily first round can shock a bird into death. So treat gently first - Wazine 17% (piperazine 17%) - not the dog or cat kind. It's a one day treatment, inexpensive, very readily available.

Two weeks withdrawal on eggs and meat. Then you retreat with the strong broad-spectrum wormer. My preference here is drop-on ivermectin. That way each bird is wormed for sure (unlike drinking applications) and you also treat for mites at the same time. It only takes 1-5 drops per bird depending on the bird, and there's no withdrawal on eggs. After the initial wazine/ivermectin treatment, I only worm twice a year with ivermectin. You can use other more natural preventatives inbetween if you'd like.

In the mean time, I'd check more carefully and tell us what percentage of her droppings are orange, how many ar emore normal, and if you're seeing any green running (frothy) droppings.

You'll want to nourish her - give her egg yolks (boiled/mashed), a little yogurt, some karo or honey, and pellets. You can mix applesauce in that to make it more tasty to her. Yogurt will replace bacteria and give protein, honey or karo will boost her energy, applesauce cleanses the guts and tempts the bird to eat, pellets or her crumbles dissolve easily in her stressed system.