Hen with Canker! Please help me know what to do to treat it!!

[Krazy4Chicks]

My hen (Blue Laced Red Wyandotte) has been having trouble swallowing for the last two days, and yesterday I noticed clear mucus dripping out of her mouth after she took a drink of water. I opened up her mouth a few minutes ago and from pictures I've seen on the web, it definitely looks like Canker. She's about a year old now, and is a good layer. I don't want to lose her, but my hubby says "no" to bringing her to the vet, as we just can't afford it. And to be honest, no vets in our area deal with chickens. Can someone recommend some medication that I can pick up at a feed store?

 

[fizzgigsmom]

Trichopills+ Trichomoniasis pills (can be bought on ebay, but I'm not sure about feed store) or Sovereign Silver (colloidal silver) in drinking water every day till a few days after it clears. (Can be found in health food store.) You can also use Baytril. I'm not sure where that can be bought without a prescription though.

 

[dawg53]

You can purchase metronidazole 250mg tablets online as "Fishzole." Otherwise you'll most likely have to buy metronidazole or flagyl from a vet.
Dosage for the metronidazole is one 250mg tablet given orally once a day for 5 days. Birds with canker are carriers and can spread it to other birds via waterers/feeders. To keep canker in check, I recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon acidified copper sulfate per gallon of water for 3 days once a month. Make sure you use a plastic waterer when using the copper sulfate and dont overdose using it.
You can order Fishzole (metronidazole) in this link:
http://pet-healthcare.revivalanimal.com/search?w=fish zole
You can order the copper sulfate in this link:
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/acidified_copper_sulfate.html

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

I appreciate your input "fizzgigsmom". Unfortunately, from the looks of it, I don't think my hen would be able to wait for something to be shipped.

And, I appreciate your input also "dawg53" --- Before I read your post, I had actually called and spoke to someone at our feed store who seems to know quite a bit about chickens and she recommended the Fish Zole also. So, now hearing it from you also, it confirms to me that it's a good idea. So I went and picked some up. I gave the hen the first pill (down her throat). Unfortunately, I didn't see your post in time to check into the copper sulfate. When should I start using the copper sulfate? I will see if I can just buy it locally. If not, I will go online and order it off of your link. Would ACV in their water help with any of this?

Out of curiosity, how do chickens get Canker? The lady at the feed store said it's from wild birds drinking out of the waterer. With their waterer enclosed in their run area, I found it hard to believe that it was due to that. Just wondering if there's something else that I should be doing to help keep this from happening.

 

[casportpony]

You can get metronidazole at Petsmart, it's sold as API General Cure, It also has praziquatil, but that will be fine. Check the back and make sure it has 250mg metronidazole and 75mg praziquantil. It look like this:





-Kathy

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

Thank you for your post, Kathy. I actually already had gone to our feed store yesterday and picked up Fish Zole. I gave my hen here first pill yesterday afternoon. She's still having trouble swallowing today. I'm hoping that it will kick in soon, as I worry about her not eating enough.

 

[casportpony]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

-Kathy

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

Wow, Kathy, that's very interesting. Kinda scary looking, as I'm very much an newbie at all of this stuff. The tube feeder that you show that you use, what exactly would I need -- what size tubing is that? And what would I fill it with -- blended liquified pellets?

My hen was actually starting to be a little more perky yesterday, trying to eat her pellets. But when I was giving her the Fish Zole pill for the day, I noticed that she's got a bit of mucus in her mouth. I'm not sure if this is normal. And this morning, she almost seems worse (lethargic). Any suggestions on what's happening and what I might try? Maybe she also needs an antibiotic? Would this possibly be a secondary infection? If so, what type of antibiotic would be best for treating her? I really don't want to lose her! Or maybe if I get her tube fed, she'll feel a lot better.

And dawg53, please chime in if you have any suggestions, as I know that you are very knowledgeable about this stuff also.

Would it be a good idea, with her being on the Fish Zole, to have ACV in the water? Or is it best to just have fresh water? Just wondering if that would cut down on the mucus.

Thanks for all of your input!!

 

[casportpony]

I would suggest using a size 18 french tube and Kaytee Baby Bird Food, but you would have to tube just water first as hydration mush be corrected before force feeding. If you can't find a proper tube at your local vet you could try to use aquarium air line instead, just use a match and melt the end to make it smooth enough to safely go into her crop. I'm available by phone to help.

Can you take a picture of the inside of her mouth? I don't want to scare you, but mucus in the mouth can be a sign that the death process has started. How long has she gone without water?

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Trichopills+ Trichomoniasis pills (can be bought on ebay, but I'm not sure about feed store) or Sovereign Silver (colloidal silver) in drinking water every day till a few days after it clears. (Can be found in health food store.) You can also use Baytril. I'm not sure where that can be bought without a prescription though.

One can very easily get Baytril without a prescription.

-Kathy

Edited to add:
I'm not saying that this hen should have Baytril, just that one can buy it. Just do a search for "baytril for birds".