With the warm weather and in my area lots of rain its ripe season for botulism in the poultry. I had not experienced it before this summer but had two cases of it in the legbar a week ago after a bad storm then very hot weather. We had more torrential rain a day ago and its very wet outside. The culprit is dirt and or feed fines that got wet and fermented I suspect. I've started feeding in the barn and make sure to clean up any mess daily. The dirt or something else has made a problem outside. This morning a little silkie pullet is showing signs. What I noticed is:
The Silkie is arching her neck and was still on her perch after the flock was let out this morning. I put her on the ground and she put wings down to keep from falling over. Drunk.
Another sign of botulism is a bright green poop. I saw that for a good day while treating and the next day the poops turned a normal color again.
What you need to do is help them remove the botulism toxin from their body. That is what causes the paralysis and drunkeness.
I wish I had the thought to take some pics of what the legbar looked like while affected but I was trying at that time figure out what it was.
There are several remedies I read but here is what I did for the other two a week ago and this Silkie this morning.
I have no molasses to make water and flush her but I do have activated charcoal you can get at the drug store. Cage the bird and let it rest in a quiet area. If the neck is limber and down on the floor don't put a lot of bedding as the bird my suffocate. Open a capsule and make a slurry with a little water in the cup. I used a 1 ML feeding syringe and I just open the birds beak and drip the slurry onto the bottom the inside of the beak (like its a cup) from the side of the beak. Then release the beak and let them swallow. Don't force the slurry as you might get it in their lungs. Take your time. They only need a little. You can do this several times a day. By the next day the bird should be much better. The legbar it took one day and they were really bad. I kept them in iso for a extra day and offered soft food, yogurt mash and water with electrolyte (chick saver). Hope this helps.
I think this is just beginning in the Silkie she can still hold her neck up some but really does not have control of it.
Just hold their head with one hand and open the beak a little. Dribble the charcoal slurry on the bottom beak as if it were a cup. Don't squirt it hard you don't want to shoot stuff into the lungs. Just dribble then release the beak and you will see them swallow.
I mixed the contents of one capsule of charcoal mixed with 3 tablespoons water. Filled the little 1 ML feeder syringe ( no needle on it just the plastic syringe) I gave her the entire little syringe full. It took me prob 5 times of dripping into her bottom beak. Of course you gonna spill some out the beak its okay. Just get in them what you can.
You can use a clean eyedropper if you don't have any little syringe or you can even use a bigger one but I can't stress enough be careful and go slow just dribble it. They only need to get down a tiny bit to be effective.
If you don't have a feeder syringe or eyedropper you can try dipping the beak in the slurry in a 2 liter soda bottle cap or something with a little depth. This is more difficult and you will need to open the beak some then dip.
Do it several times the first day. They won't like but too bad you are saving their life. I kinda tuck the bird under my arm and with the hand on the same side hold the neck and pop the beak open. For a bigger stronger bird you might need help or put them on a table and try.
The second day I offer wet mash made with water with a tiny little bit yogurt in it. If they don't want it give more charcoal or molasses water flush. Try to keep them hydrated and flush them.
I saw there is a epsom salt flush you can do as well but haven not tried that.
You can make some scramble eggs and offer on second day they should be getting hungry. If they don't just hydrate with the flush you choose and try wet mash or scramble eggs later.
Hope this helps .
- They act drunk or disoriented and off balance.
- The neck is held in a funny way. In the legbar pullet her head was literally arched and on the ground and she could not open her beak. Her crop was empty.
- They may have paralysis in the legs, neck or other parts of the body.
The Silkie is arching her neck and was still on her perch after the flock was let out this morning. I put her on the ground and she put wings down to keep from falling over. Drunk.
Another sign of botulism is a bright green poop. I saw that for a good day while treating and the next day the poops turned a normal color again.
What you need to do is help them remove the botulism toxin from their body. That is what causes the paralysis and drunkeness.
I wish I had the thought to take some pics of what the legbar looked like while affected but I was trying at that time figure out what it was.
There are several remedies I read but here is what I did for the other two a week ago and this Silkie this morning.
I have no molasses to make water and flush her but I do have activated charcoal you can get at the drug store. Cage the bird and let it rest in a quiet area. If the neck is limber and down on the floor don't put a lot of bedding as the bird my suffocate. Open a capsule and make a slurry with a little water in the cup. I used a 1 ML feeding syringe and I just open the birds beak and drip the slurry onto the bottom the inside of the beak (like its a cup) from the side of the beak. Then release the beak and let them swallow. Don't force the slurry as you might get it in their lungs. Take your time. They only need a little. You can do this several times a day. By the next day the bird should be much better. The legbar it took one day and they were really bad. I kept them in iso for a extra day and offered soft food, yogurt mash and water with electrolyte (chick saver). Hope this helps.
I think this is just beginning in the Silkie she can still hold her neck up some but really does not have control of it.
Just hold their head with one hand and open the beak a little. Dribble the charcoal slurry on the bottom beak as if it were a cup. Don't squirt it hard you don't want to shoot stuff into the lungs. Just dribble then release the beak and you will see them swallow.
I mixed the contents of one capsule of charcoal mixed with 3 tablespoons water. Filled the little 1 ML feeder syringe ( no needle on it just the plastic syringe) I gave her the entire little syringe full. It took me prob 5 times of dripping into her bottom beak. Of course you gonna spill some out the beak its okay. Just get in them what you can.
You can use a clean eyedropper if you don't have any little syringe or you can even use a bigger one but I can't stress enough be careful and go slow just dribble it. They only need to get down a tiny bit to be effective.
If you don't have a feeder syringe or eyedropper you can try dipping the beak in the slurry in a 2 liter soda bottle cap or something with a little depth. This is more difficult and you will need to open the beak some then dip.
Do it several times the first day. They won't like but too bad you are saving their life. I kinda tuck the bird under my arm and with the hand on the same side hold the neck and pop the beak open. For a bigger stronger bird you might need help or put them on a table and try.
The second day I offer wet mash made with water with a tiny little bit yogurt in it. If they don't want it give more charcoal or molasses water flush. Try to keep them hydrated and flush them.
I saw there is a epsom salt flush you can do as well but haven not tried that.
You can make some scramble eggs and offer on second day they should be getting hungry. If they don't just hydrate with the flush you choose and try wet mash or scramble eggs later.
Hope this helps .
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