I do not know where to start..??

[Redheadedgator]

Once again we have a sick hen. I think. It has been raining and one of our chicken houses has an area that is pretty muddy. They are able to get to dry ground. I walked out yesterday to find a hen laying, caked in mud. She was rolled over on her side one wind extended, one leg extended. I thought she was dead but she lifted her head and looked at me. She has no blood, no injury that is obvious. She does not look egg bound.
I bathed her in warm water, she attempted to stand. I had her under a heat lamp all night, she ate a small amount. She still is not up.
Can anyone even guess what I am dealing with? No runny nose, eyes, nothing. I am confused and don't know how to help her.

Thanks for any help.

 

[realsis]

can you please post a picture? something comes to mind but I'd need to see the picture to confirm. thanks. is her leg paralized? can she walk at all? is one leg sticking out in a un natural position? please post a picture of her this will really help in guessing what your dealing with.

 

[Redheadedgator]

:-( Yes, her one leg is stuck out and when I hold her up she doesnt put weight on it or move it. Please tell me your thoughts, I am unable to get a picture until I charge my camera batteries...

 

[realsis]

I'm truly hoping I am wrong but what comes to mind is mareks disease
here is a link to Marek's disease along with a picture. please tell me if she looks like this picture. best wishes http://birdhealth.com.au/flockbirds/poultry/diseases/mareks_disease.html

 

[Redheadedgator]

I am really confused now. It has been rainy and the pen was muddy. After reading I figured it was botulism, maybe food that got wet and spoiled and she ate it??
The pic does look like her. When we found her, she was laid on her side. One leg straight down and one up, curling her foot up. Her wing was draped down. If I pick her up though, she will straighten the foot and try to stand. She ends up rocked back on her hind end, loses control and rolls over on her side again.
She is an older hen though. I can not be positive but I think she may have been laying as of a few months ago. My other chickens are molting??
I don't know if any of this helps. I just wish I knew what to do to help. I have kept her clean, syringed her some electrolytes and have her near a heat lamp...

 

[casportpony]

I am really confused now. It has been rainy and the pen was muddy. After reading I figured it was botulism, maybe food that got wet and spoiled and she ate it??
The pic does look like her. When we found her, she was laid on her side. One leg straight down and one up, curling her foot up. Her wing was draped down. If I pick her up though, she will straighten the foot and try to stand. She ends up rocked back on her hind end, loses control and rolls over on her side again.
She is an older hen though. I can not be positive but I think she may have been laying as of a few months ago. My other chickens are molting??
I don't know if any of this helps. I just wish I knew what to do to help. I have kept her clean, syringed her some electrolytes and have her near a heat lamp...

From a thread of mine:

When mine get sick, this is what I do:

• *Thorough* physical exam which includes inserting a gloved, lubed finger into the cloaca to check for an egg, check for cuts, bruising lumps, smells, etc.
• Dust for mites/lice with poultry dust even if I cannot see any. DE does not work.
• Weigh on digital kitchen scale (see avatar), record weight and weigh daily. any weight loss is bad.
• Place bird in a warm, quiet place on towel with food and water that it can't drown in.
• De-worm with Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste (fenbendazole 10%) 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in 10 days. Warning - Safeguard/Panacur should not be used during a molt.
• Once warm, if not drinking and crop is empty, hydrate with warmed Pedialyte or lactated ringers with a feeding tube - 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours.
• If not eating after 24 hours and crop is empty, tube feed baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte
• Inspect poop.
• If I suspect a stuck egg, treat for egg binding.
• If I suspect a bacterial infection, treat with antibiotics.
• If I suspect a fungal infection, treat with Nystatin.
• If I suspect coccidiosis, treat with Corid (amprolium).
• If I suspect canker or histomoniaisis (blackhead), treat with Metronidazole.

From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf
Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​

by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.

ORAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Below are listed some of the oral nutritional supplements
that can be gavage-fed to debilitated birds. Various
hand-feeding formulas are on the market and, as a
whole, are far superior to the homemade formulas used
decades ago that contained monkey biscuits, peanut butter
and ground seeds. Commercially available hand-feeding
formulas for baby birds are often utilized in the treatment
of sick and debilitated adult birds. The quantity
that can be fed at one time to a sick bird is greatly
reduced from that of baby birds. On the average, a baby
parrot can accommodate 10% of its body weight per
feeding due to the elasticity of the crop and its rapid
emptying. Adult birds have a greatly decreased crop
capacity, averaging 3% of their body weight. Additionally,
sick birds are less tolerant of food in the crop and care
must be taken to avoid regurgitation and/or aspiration.
A sick or debilitated bird should always have its
hydration corrected prior to attempting to initiate​

oral gavage-feeding.






Here is a list that I'm working on. Let me know what else I should have!

Medications - With the exception of Clavamox, all can be purchased without a prescription for tropical fish or pigeons. If you need help finding any of them, let me know.​

• Metronidazole 250mg, 100mg and 50mg/ml liquid (banned for use in food animals)
• Nystatin (antifungal)
• Amoxicillin 250mg
• Cephalexin 250mg
• Tylan (tylosin)
• Clavamox 250 mg
• Baytril 10% (banned for use in food animals)
• Corid (amprolium - coccistat)
• Sulmet
• Terramycin Antibiotic Ophthalmic Ointment
• Neosporin
• Safeguard wormer (fenbendazole 10%)
• Praziquantel
• Calcium
• Vitamin D

Supplies​

• Pedialyte for tubing
• Catheter for tube feeding
• Baby bird food for tubing
• Catheter tip syringe for tube feeding
• Lactated ringers for tubing or SC fluids
• Heat lamps
• Heating Pad
• Boxes and crates
• Poultry dust
• Digital kitchen scale
• Gram scale
• Needles and syringes of many sizes
• Mineral Oil
• Petroleum Jelly
• Vet Wrap
• Gauze Roll
• Gauze Pads
• Telfa Pads
• Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Latex Gloves
• Betadine
• Epsom Salts

Books

• Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook
• AAAP Avian Disease Manual
• Diseases of Poultry
• Clinical Avian Medicine
• Penn State Poultry Health Handbook

Online poultry books:

[URL]http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam.html[/URL]
Download the entire book (two volumes): Clinical Avian Medicine
(Large file - please allow several moments to download)

Another two book set:
[URL]http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/chapters.html[/URL]

Penn State Poultry Health Handbook
[URL]http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/agrs52.pdf[/URL]

 

[Redheadedgator]

For the last few hours I have been comforting my 6 year old little girl. We lost "Scratchy" this morning. Thank you for all the information and help offered. I just wanted to share:
We do not just have chickens that are yard ornaments. Scratchy was at a friends house and we went to get some new hatched chickens. My daughter just had to have this chicken that was unlike all the rest, this hen was black and white. I yelled at my daughter and told her to stop chasing the hen. The man laughed and said "no one has ever touched that hen, she will never catch her!"
We went back to what we were doing and in a few minutes, here came my daughter with this hen snuggled in her arms! The man was so amazed, he gave her to us.
She had a respiratory illness over 7 months ago and we nursed her back to health in my livingroom. My daughter slept on the floor next to her.
Whatever happened to her is still a mystery, we have safe housing and do our very best to care for them. We have never lost a chicken until her.
If anyone knows of someone who has chickens in this color please let me know. I am in south Georgia. I would like one colored simular to Scratchy.
Thank you for all the help.