Situation: I have 2 coops. One has two young welsummer pullets 16 weeks old. They have 50 sq ft of run to share. I got them May 1.
The other coops is 75 sq feet and has my 5 yr old birds. One cuckoo marans and one speckled sussex.
Both coops and runs are mobile and get moved every 10 days. Coops are bedded in pine shavings and changed out every week.
We've been having temps around 105-109 for over a week. My coops have lots of shade plus a shade cloth over the top and halfway down the west side. I also place a 2'X2'X4" tray at the end of the coop, filled with cool water and a frozen 1 gallon jug, with a fan placed behind it to blow cool air into the coops.
They are fed all-flock crumbles with a bowl of oyster shell on the side. I currently have the two problematic girls on feather fixer, since the marans is molting.
About a month ago, I noticed my sussex being "off". Not eating or drinking much and losing weight. I called my vet and he recommended starting them on oxytetracyline, as he said he'd seen a bit of that this year in this area and that's what had been helping. They'd been dewormed with Valbazen 2 doses 10 days apart already. Instead of treating the water, I mixed the appropriate dose (thanks, Kathy), placed it in a syringe and fed it to them directly every day for 7 days. No improvement. So I bought the sussex into the house and started tube feeding her. After a couple days, I noticed the marans was also off her feed and water. Wondered if perhaps she was off due to not having her flockmate there. She was a leader with no flock to lead! I kept an eye on her and started weighing her daily. In the meantime on the 3rd day of tubing my sussex, I noticed she had canker. Started her AND the marans on metronidazole. Treated the marans for 5 days even though she had no visible canker lesions. Treated the sussex for 10 days, as that's how long it took for the last lesion to go away.
By about day 2 of the metro treatment, I decided I had to start tubing the marans too. She was losing weight slowly. So baby bird food 80ml 4 X a day, with nutri-drench and every other day probiotics. Now I'm feeding both older birds. The sussex is doing fantastic and has been back in the coop/run for 3 days now. I am still feeding her twice a day to make sure she's getting the fluids she needs. They go out all afternoon and evening, but the marans just hobbles slowly to the bushes by our A/C units and sits all day.
I have checked twice for a stuck egg. She's been dewormed. She's had antibiotics. She's had metronidazole. She's getting 320ml of food/water/vitamins/probiotics. She is NOT improving. Her leg scales are flat and good color. No wounds anywhere. I see no external parasites, but wondering if I should try dusting them "just in case". I'm out of ideas here. Her breathing is normal. Her comb is a little pale but typical for a non-laying bird. Eyes are bright. Belly is fine-no ascites. Inside her mouth looks normal. No watery eyes or nostrils. No foamy poop. She's molting. Has no tail feathers but I see them coming in slowly. Her poop is loose, even though she's getting fed. Dark green with urates. I can post a pic of it later.
Looking for other ideas. SHOULD I dust them?
The other coops is 75 sq feet and has my 5 yr old birds. One cuckoo marans and one speckled sussex.
Both coops and runs are mobile and get moved every 10 days. Coops are bedded in pine shavings and changed out every week.
We've been having temps around 105-109 for over a week. My coops have lots of shade plus a shade cloth over the top and halfway down the west side. I also place a 2'X2'X4" tray at the end of the coop, filled with cool water and a frozen 1 gallon jug, with a fan placed behind it to blow cool air into the coops.
They are fed all-flock crumbles with a bowl of oyster shell on the side. I currently have the two problematic girls on feather fixer, since the marans is molting.
About a month ago, I noticed my sussex being "off". Not eating or drinking much and losing weight. I called my vet and he recommended starting them on oxytetracyline, as he said he'd seen a bit of that this year in this area and that's what had been helping. They'd been dewormed with Valbazen 2 doses 10 days apart already. Instead of treating the water, I mixed the appropriate dose (thanks, Kathy), placed it in a syringe and fed it to them directly every day for 7 days. No improvement. So I bought the sussex into the house and started tube feeding her. After a couple days, I noticed the marans was also off her feed and water. Wondered if perhaps she was off due to not having her flockmate there. She was a leader with no flock to lead! I kept an eye on her and started weighing her daily. In the meantime on the 3rd day of tubing my sussex, I noticed she had canker. Started her AND the marans on metronidazole. Treated the marans for 5 days even though she had no visible canker lesions. Treated the sussex for 10 days, as that's how long it took for the last lesion to go away.
By about day 2 of the metro treatment, I decided I had to start tubing the marans too. She was losing weight slowly. So baby bird food 80ml 4 X a day, with nutri-drench and every other day probiotics. Now I'm feeding both older birds. The sussex is doing fantastic and has been back in the coop/run for 3 days now. I am still feeding her twice a day to make sure she's getting the fluids she needs. They go out all afternoon and evening, but the marans just hobbles slowly to the bushes by our A/C units and sits all day.
I have checked twice for a stuck egg. She's been dewormed. She's had antibiotics. She's had metronidazole. She's getting 320ml of food/water/vitamins/probiotics. She is NOT improving. Her leg scales are flat and good color. No wounds anywhere. I see no external parasites, but wondering if I should try dusting them "just in case". I'm out of ideas here. Her breathing is normal. Her comb is a little pale but typical for a non-laying bird. Eyes are bright. Belly is fine-no ascites. Inside her mouth looks normal. No watery eyes or nostrils. No foamy poop. She's molting. Has no tail feathers but I see them coming in slowly. Her poop is loose, even though she's getting fed. Dark green with urates. I can post a pic of it later.
Looking for other ideas. SHOULD I dust them?
