Hen still sick

[Oshandon]

My hen is still not doing well I have given her antibiotics and wormed her checked her for mites. She has had diahrea for a week and her comb is flopped and pale from being enimic. She is still drinking and only eating soft food I give her but she's very weak. What more can I do.

 

[azygous]

One thing an antibiotic can do besides curing an illness, it can rule out bacteria as the cause when the patient fails to respond to it.

I would suspect coccidiosis and treat for it next.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sorry your hen isn't well.

How old is she? What do you feed including treats and supplement? WHY did you worm? what did you worm with? Did you do the antibiotics at the same time? Why antibiotics? what kind? How many other birds in how much space? How has your weather been?

Wormer meds are poison and can really make a bird feel like crud. If they are already ill and wormed without verification of species or load.. being their problem... it could push them over the edge. And worse maybe not treat the type of worm they have. Wormer and antibiotics can BOTH cause diarrhea in my experience...

I would start by hooking her up with some scrambled egg which is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and protein... that are easy to digest.

All questions are just to help get clues. Other statements are for informational purposes. But I know we are all here to learn, so don't let them come off as judgey please.

Can you post a pic?

 

[Oshandon]

Thank you I just hatched chicks so I will give her some medicated chick feed

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Thank you I just hatched chicks so I will give her some medicated chick feed

That is only to help PREVENT the over growth of coccida. It will not treat it well enough if she is having coccidiosis... but it *may* help.

I appreciate and respect @azygous consider her to be very intelligent. But, hope you aren't so quick to dismiss my questions and suggestions... LOT's of things to help accurately assess the situation.

 

[Oshandon]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sorry your hen isn't well.

How old is she? What do you feed including treats and supplement? WHY did you worm? what did you worm with? Did you do the antibiotics at the same time? Why antibiotics? what kind? How many other birds in how much space? How has your weather been?

Wormer meds are poison and can really make a bird feel like crud. If they are already ill and wormed without verification of species or load.. being their problem... it could push them over the edge. And worse maybe not treat the type of worm they have. Wormer and antibiotics can BOTH cause diarrhea in my experience...

I would start by hooking her up with some scrambled egg which is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and protein... that are easy to digest.

All questions are just to help get clues. Other statements are for informational purposes. But I know we are all here to learn, so don't let them come off as judgey please.

Can you post a pic?

She's a 4yr old Buff I gave her antibiotics first in her water and three days later I gave her wormer she already had diarrhea to start with I didn't see vent mites but I dusted her. I did give her eggs and probiotics and Gatorade she doesn't have the strength to stand but she seems determined to survive

 

[azygous]

That pale comb indicates that your hen could be very sick, and it's not always possible to diagnose the problem to target it with the right treatment, so we start treating the symptoms that point to the most obvious and urgent cause as you have done.

Bacterial infection is one of the most common causes of illness in a chicken, even when a virus may be the underlying cause. I usually begin there and treat with a broad spectrum antibiotic. I was recently in the same situation as you a couple months ago.

When my little sick hen failed to respond to one antibiotic, I switched to another one. When she failed to show improvement, I then treated her for coccidiosis. Her symptoms continued, and she became worse, and I decided she had suffered long enough and I ended her ordeal.

Sometimes the cause of illness is a tumor or organic disease that have genetic origins. Sometimes a fungus is involved, sometimes a neurotoxin. I did a do-it-yourself necropsy on my hen and discovered an abnormal gizzard, probably tumors from the lymphotic leucosis virus I know my flock carries.

You're approaching it as logically as a lay person can. That's why I suggested treating her for possible coccidiosis next. It's just one of the next most common diseases that afflicts chickens that can produce the symptoms you see in your hen.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She's a 4yr old Buff I gave her antibiotics first in her water and three days later I gave her wormer she already had diarrhea to start with I didn't see vent mites but I dusted her. I did give her eggs and probiotics and Gatorade she doesn't have the strength to stand but she seems determined to surviveView attachment 1318769

Bless her heart... she looks a real mess.

Do you remember what color her droppings were before you started treatment? Was she eating regular feed and drinking back then? Was it "layer" feed? Has she laid any eggs for you this season? Has your weather been hot?

Aside from the diarrhea.. how was her other behavior before treatment started? Was she staying with the flock and foraging with them? Or hanging to herself? Did you worm the whole flock... and with what?

Have you had the opportunity to check her crop... is it full in the evening and empty in the morning? Squishy or hard?

I'm thinking it might be age related... *possible* internal system failures... like liver or kidney. But I'm definitely NO expert. Just here to try and be helpful and learn more stuff to share with others.

This link lists ALL (or most) the possibilities of the symptoms you put in. You still have to narrow down the most likely. It can be a helpful tool sometimes...
http://www.poultrydvm.com/symptoms

Seriously... the antibiotics and wormer may have made her worse. But it's hard to tell and we ALL do the best we can with the info we have at the time.

In the future I would suggest getting a fecal float to check for worms, cooci, or other things. It cost $18-25 here... but not treating for what I don't have is priceless.

If she doesn't pull through and you want to know the likely cause... I would suggest refrigerating the body and having a necropsi done. In many states it is free or cheap as a means of protecting our national food supply chain. It can be VERY informative. Links to help achieve that...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

I PERSONALLY would stop ALL other treatment and dose her up with some poultry nutri drench.... but don't dose her up if you truly suspect cocci... as the medicated feed works by blocking thiamine to starve out the cocci and slow it's growth... Too me... it isn't likely the cause... but I'm JUST guessing (slightly educated). I could be wrong.

I'm not sure how long she's been in that box... if she need some sort of grit offered?

Again we all do the best we can with the knowledge we have at the time. And switch it up when we learn something new.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

That's why I suggested treating her for possible coccidiosis next.

Do you believe the amount in the medicated feed would be enough to treat IF that is what it is or do you think a treatment dose Corid is the best ideal?

 

[azygous]

Medicated feed is only designed to deliver enough amprolium to support development of resistance. It cannot deliver enough coccidiostat to facilitate a cure. You need Corid and to mix it according to treatment ratios, usually two teaspoons to a gallon of water when using liquid Corid.

This hen is so sick you will need to syringe her water into her beak at regular intervals, about as often as you would expect she needs to drink.