Hen won't open eyes and can barely balance

[enola]

How much water have you gotten into her?

 

[Huskerchickens]

How much water have you gotten into her?

It was probably 1/2 cup of water with most of a pack of pedialyte powder mixed in. Unfortunately I can't find anyplace open today that carries Corid.

 

[enola]

When was the last time she was wormed? What did you use?

 

[Huskerchickens]

When was the last time she was wormed? What did you use?

Unfortunately I haven't treated these hens yet (they were chicks in March '14). I have a bottle of Wazine that I was going to use to treat them this winter when they slowed down on laying. Then we got the cold snaps in November and December so it threw off my plans since I don't always have an effective way to keep their water thawed. I guess I better get on that...

 

[WalleyWaller]

It was probably 1/2 cup of water with most of a pack of pedialyte powder mixed in. Unfortunately I can't find anyplace open today that carries Corid.

That's great! The pedialyte will help keep her blood sugar up.
She needs fluids for about 24 hours before you attempt to feed her. Give fluids at 15 ml per pound every 4-6 hours. She also needs to be kept in a warm room, 80-85 degrees is ideal.

If she improves over the ext 24 hours, hopefully she will start eating on her own, but if not you may need to tube feed her.

If you decide to tue feed her, Go to petsmart or petco and get 16" to 18" of aquarium air line and some Kaytee Baby Bird Food, then go to Tractor Supply and get a large 30-60ml syringe that it will fit on. You will need to modify the end of the tube by melting it with a lighter to make it smooth so that it doesn't injure the esophagus and crop. Lots of fluids.,and if she lives through the night, you can start the baby bird food tomorrow.

Here is the link that explains tube feeding:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding/10

Don't want to scare you, but mucus in the mouth can be a sign the the dying process has started. But if you can keep her hydrated there is a good chance she will make it. I had the same thing happen about 3 weeks ago.

This is the information that Kathy sent me that saved my girls life!

If you can start her on Coid and SafeGuard Worner tomorrow that would be great.

I did not need to tube feed mine because she started eating watered down chick starter on her own the next day after she was hydrated. I hope this helps!.

 

[WalleyWaller]

Unfortunately I haven't treated these hens yet (they were chicks in March '14). I have a bottle of Wazine that I was going to use to treat them this winter when they slowed down on laying. Then we got the cold snaps in November and December so it threw off my plans since I don't always have an effective way to keep their water thawed. I guess I better get on that...

Don't use the Wazine! Use Valbazen or SafeGuard!

Wazine only kills roundworns and may kill your bird at this stage if she has an infestation.

Valbazen may be more difficult to get but you can get the SafeGuard Goat Wormer at Tractor Supply for $19.00 for a small bottle of the liquid.
Here is the information that I have gathered and use for my flock:

Valbazen

With Valbazen (albendazole) I would use .2ml per 2.2 pounds once by mouth and repeat in ten days.

• A Rhode Island Red hen would get .6ml
• A Rhode Island Red rooster would get .8ml

You may or may not see worms excreted in feces after worming. Most of the time they are absorbed in the digestive tract and not excreted. Chicken worms cannot infect your dogs and visa versa.

the *most effective* dose according to the study that dawg often refers to is 20mg/kg, which is approximately .2ml per 2.2 pounds. For example, an average sized RIR hen would get .58ml and a Jersey Giant hen would get .9-1ml.

I don’t recommend putting it in water. Administer it orally to each bird. If you have a lot of birds, split them up into two groups and keep them separated. Dose one group one day, then the next group the following day.
If you put it in water you don’t know if the birds drank the mixture, or drank enough of it to be effective. If you have sick wormy birds, they won’t drink it at all. That's why it's best to dose them one by one yourself. Redose in 10 days to kill worm larva hatched from eggs missed since the first dosing. Use a syringe without a needle, 1/2cc for standard size, 1/4cc for smaller birds. Just pull the wattles down and the mouth will open. Squirt it in and let go of the wattles so the bird can swallow it on her own.

SafeGuard

The amount of paste or liquid Safeguard I use is .2-.5 ml per 2.2 pounds 3-5 days in a row.
Give straight from the syringe at 0.23ml per pound of body weight.

Half pound chicken 0.115ml
One pound chicken - 0.23ml
Two pound chicken - 0.46ml
Three pound chicken - 0.69ml
Four pound chicken - 0.92ml
Five pound chicken - 1.15ml
Six pound chicken - 1.38ml
Seven pound chicken - 1.61ml

 

[WalleyWaller]

This is what Dawg53 wrote in one of his posts:

"Wazine only treats large roundworms. If there's an infestation of large roundworms and you use wazine, there's a risk of intestinal blockage causing toxic dead worm overload which can kill the chicken."

This is why I said not to use Wazine. If she is that weak she may not survive a dead worm overload. SafeGuard or Valbazen will not present that problem and they kill all type worms as well.

 

[enola]

How is she doing now??

 

[Huskerchickens]

How is she doing now??

Doesn't seem to be doing very well, and I'm worried the end may be near. She seems to having even more trouble with balance, and I'll go look at her now and she'll be tipped forward onto her beak. If she makes it through the night I'll have to try and track down the medicine tomorrow morning. Can I do both the Valbazen and Corid at the same time or should I just pick one and see if it makes a difference first? Thanks so much to both you and WallyWaller for all your help today!

 

[enola]

I would dose her with one medication at a time, but they can both be given to her the same day. Make sure she is pretty well hydrated firet, though. Best of luck'