Hen hides in corner of coop

[Meggie44]

Well keep us updated please. I'm worried about you loosing the flock. What did Eggcessive say?

He also mentioned wry neck and to provide vitamin supplements and antibiotics if I felt they were necessary. I can't get Tylan 50 which is another thing that was suggested. At this point, it's just a waiting game. I'm giving her the Duramycin, vitamins in her water and protein packed food.. If she doesn't show any signs of improvement by Monday (that will have been 5 days of antibiotics) then I will think about what's next.

 

[Meggie44]

He also mentioned wry neck and to provide vitamin supplements and antibiotics if I felt they were necessary. I can't get Tylan 50 which is another thing that was suggested. At this point, it's just a waiting game. I'm giving her the Duramycin, vitamins in her water and protein packed food.. If she doesn't show any signs of improvement by Monday (that will have been 5 days of antibiotics) then I will think about what's next. :/

So, I thought she looked a little better from yesterday actually. She ate her food that also had the medicated water mixed in so I know she got fluids during the day. I gave her more vitamin and medicated water by hand as well. Her eyes were not crusted again but after maybe 30 minutes of sitting with her she started shaking her head and what looked like trying to scratch under her wing. Then I noticed that her eye, the one that was crusted over yesterday, was bleeding. Not a lot, just like it was weepy but with a little blood. Her breathing doesn't seem to have changed much but she held her head up a little higher today. Any idea why the blood in her eye?

 

[Toddrick]

The more I hear, the more it sounds like you have a very sick bird! I'm thinking maybe your bird(s) might have MG. Torticollis (wry neck) isn't always listed symptom of MG, but it is listed as a symptom on some sites. Is the head swollen? Because that is a major symptom, as well as all the eye and respiratory stuff.

 

[dawg53]

I suspected it was a respiratory disease like I mentioned in post #15. I highly recommend that you cull her immediately and bury far away from your coop or incinerate her. You're risking the chance that it will spread to your other birds.

 

[UncleRay]

Add a cup of apple cider vinegar and quarter cup of sugar to five gallons of water. If you dont use a five gallon waterer go ahead and break it down. The apple cider vinegar will change her ph and kill any throat worms she may have causing her respitory problems. The sugar will of course give her energy a boost to keep going. This will not harm the other chicken and will help if any others have them.

 

[Meggie44]

The more I hear, the more it sounds like you have a very sick bird! I'm thinking maybe your bird(s) might have MG. Torticollis (wry neck) isn't always listed symptom of MG, but it is listed as a symptom on some sites. Is the head swollen? Because that is a major symptom, as well as all the eye and respiratory stuff.

Not the whole head but one of her eyes and the area around it looked a little puffy on Wednesday, but went down some yesterday.

Does it seem like medicine will help her at this point?

 

[dawg53]

Add a cup of apple cider vinegar and quarter cup of sugar to five gallons of water. If you dont use a five gallon waterer go ahead and break it down. The apple cider vinegar will change her ph and kill any throat worms she may have causing her respitory problems. The sugar will of course give her energy a boost to keep going. This will not harm the other chicken and will help if any others have them.

Apple cider vinegar will not kill any type of worms. Birds with respiratory diseases do not respond to sugar. However worms can weaken the immune system allowing a respiratory disease to take over.

 

[Meggie44]

I suspected it was a respiratory disease like I mentioned in post #15. I highly recommend that you cull her immediately and bury far away from your coop or incinerate her. You're risking the chance that it will spread to your other birds.

We put her down today and will be sending her for a necropsy on Monday. I really wanted her to get better but it was finally clear that she wasn't going to.

Would treating the others with the Duramycin as a preventative do more harm than good - build up a resistance?

 

[Toddrick]

We put her down today and will be sending her for a necropsy on Monday. I really wanted her to get better but it was finally clear that she wasn't going to.

Would treating the others with the Duramycin as a preventative do more harm than good - build up a resistance?

I wouldn't do it in this case because a respiratory disease is suspected, and the antibiotic might mask their symptoms, making you think they were never infected.

I don't believe antibiotic resistence occurs from infrequent doses, but is more of a long term thing caused by frivolous use (like putting antibiotics in feed regularly or dosing every time one sneezes or gets a scratch). Many would disagree, but I have no hesitation dosing when something serious is detected. But again, in your case I'd wait for the necropsy before doing anything.

I think you did the right thing, that bird was suffering. I'm so glad you are doing the necropsy. Please let us know what they find.

 

[casportpony]

Zowie, I didn't recall that Newcastle caused curved necks like that. The totality of the symptoms do match fit with Newcastle Disease. Although the bird could have wry neck, bronchitis, and coryza, that seems like a long shot.

Are you in the USA? I don't think Newcastle exists in the USA currently is why I ask.

Oh, really?? I am in CA. That's a relief. Newcastle is a long shot or coryza?

A bacterial infection can also cause what looks like wry neck.

-Kathy