I’m at a loss, help appreciated 😔

[Czugi]

My 1 year old hen has been noticeably ill for over a week.

Symptoms: lethargic, dropped tail, slower gait, diminished eating and drinking, significant weight loss, no egg in one week, runny yellow droppings, comb color seems to be good - still red. (No symptoms on other 14 chickens)

She is still roosting at night, will come out to free range but will just stand under the bushes, no signs of mites, no blood in droppings, I do not feel an egg from external palpation nor internally, she’s not straining, her crop is empty all the time, her abdomen is not squishy.

If I had to sum it all up it’s like she’s just kind of lost the will to do anything. Attached a pic of her chest after her epson salt soak while she was being dried to show how thin she is and also if anyone with more experience could determine if her abdomen is distended.

Got her fecal back today and it showed Avian Ascarid Eggs - Light level.

1. Would that cause the above symptoms (particularly that she’s only lightly positive)?

2. What meds/dosages to deworm?

I’m a relatively new chicken owner so I’m still working through first times for a lot of issues so I’d really appreciate any insight you guys can offer.

 

[coach723]

Yes, I would worm her. Where are you located, generally, in the world? If you are in the US then Safeguard liquid goat wormer is usually the easiest to find, or Safeguard horse paste (fenbendazole). Valbazen (labeled for cattle) is also good, but usually has to be ordered on line (albendazole).
If she were mine I'd probably also give some amoxicillin since the droppings are yellow. You can get amoxicillin on line without a prescription as Fish Mox. Also get some fluids in her.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...are-updated-01-17-2021.1048620/#post-16058298

 

[Czugi]

Yes, I would worm her. Where are you located, generally, in the world? If you are in the US then Safeguard liquid goat wormer is usually the easiest to find, or Safeguard horse paste (fenbendazole). Valbazen (labeled for cattle) is also good, but usually has to be ordered on line (albendazole).
If she were mine I'd probably also give some amoxicillin since the droppings are yellow. You can get amoxicillin on line without a prescription as Fish Mox. Also get some fluids in her.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...are-updated-01-17-2021.1048620/#post-16058298

Thank you so much for your reply! I’m in Maryland so I should be able to get the safeguard at my local TSC with no problem. Would Tylan be an acceptable alternative for the amoxicillin? I happen to have some of that on hand. If so, intramuscular the best method? Really appreciate your insight and the links as I’m still learning this whole chicken thing.

 

[Tonyroo]

TSC carries Safeguard and Valbazen.

 

[Tonyroo]

I use Valbazen, it's a broad spectrum dewormer. If you use a liquidy dewormer don't forget to pickup a needless syringe at TSC to administrator.

 

[coach723]

Some Tractor Supplies have Valbazen, not all of them do. Mine no longer carries it. If they have it, great, but if not, since the bird is ill, I would use Safeguard rather than wait.
Tylan is generally better for respiratory diseases. When mine have worms, and droppings are sick looking I use amoxicillin and have had very good results. When you see eggs in the droppings (that's what the fecal test looks for-they are microscopic) that means there are adult worms in the gut. Depending on the worm load, there can be damage to, and secondary infection, in the gut, which yellow droppings could indicate, thus the antibiotics.
For Safeguard, for roundworm (ascardia) the dose is .23 ml per pound of bird weight orally, and then redose the same in 10 days. The Valbazen dose is .5 ml for a standard sized bird and then redose again in 10 days (the actual math for valbazen is "weight in lbs / 2.2 X 20 /113.6", so a 6 lb bird would get .48 ml, round up to .5 for ease of measurement). Two doses 10 days apart are needed because the meds kill the worms but not the worm eggs. So the second dose gets any that hatch after the first dose, breaking the cycle.