i found three chickens today acting strange...all hanging out together.

[mayrooni]

i noticed today that three chickens are acting odd. chicken 1. she seems disoriented, almost drunk. i noticed when i let the girls out today, she was just getting pecked on like crazy and stumbling everywhere. i think they pecked on her because she was falling in their way, they have left her alone since then. but when i went back down she was just sitting in the corner. i noticed her sitting alone yesterday too, but did not noticed the falling over/stumbling. chicken 2. it looks as tho her front left 'shoulder' area is bulging out. think a humpback but on her front. she was standing with disoriented chicken too. i saw her hanging in the coop yesterday, but did not notice the bulge. chicken 3. just hanging out with the others puffed up. i separated all three from the flock. they have food and water, i added acv and vitamins to it. thoughts on this? puffiness made the think cocci, but i dont smell it. i have not noticed poops yet, but we do deep litter, so not as easy to notice.

 

[The Chicken Fan]

One of my girls was stumbling around last September. The others were pecking her so I separated her. Turns out she had some sort of virus. Her left leg lost all it's strength she could barely use it. She became my lap chicken, and with tetracycline and lots of care she is fully recovered. The only remainder is her leg is still weak, and she has a slight limp. I don't remember her being disoriented though. For the second one, if the bulge was on her right it could possibly be sour crop, but her heart is to the left. Pictures would definitely help.

 

[mayrooni]

I guess its the right she looking at it direct, but left from this view

 

[The Chicken Fan]

Then that is the crop. How is her comb looking? Redder almost purple? If she'll let you, I would pick her up and kind of feel the swelled area. See if you can feel any hard ball. If so she has an impacted crop. If her breath smells really really bad then she has sour crop. If you go on the Chicken Chick's website and type in sour crop she has a wonderful article telling you all about it.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are these sick chickens? I would probably go ahead and treat them for coccidiosis with Corid, especially if they are young. You can't smell coccidiosis. Also check to se if they could have gotten into something toxic such as a dead animal carcass or moldy feed. With cocci, the crop can become slow functioning and slow to empty. Cocci symptoms are lethargy, puffing up or hunched appearance, diarrhea or blood in droppings, and refusing to eat in later stages.