I think my pullet is near death. :-(

[Andora]

One of my Blue Laced Red Wyandotte pullets is so so sick. I'm not sure she's going to make it through the night. I found her this morning laying on the ground, the other pullets were stepping on her. She smelled horrible and her nose was running. Her mouth was also foamy and she was kind of drooling. She has to open her beak to breath and it looks labored. She also has poop that is liquid, clear/greenish colored. What could be wrong with her?

She also had some nasty matting under her wings. I gave her a bath with warm water and grapefruit seed extract to try to wash off the matted nastiness to see what was underneath, and it looked like most of it was just poop or something. There are still a few matted spots, but over all her wings are much cleaner underneath.

Pre-bath...you can see she's holding her wings down from her body and there is something gross there.

Under the wings...both sides looked like this:

After her bath the under-wing area is much cleaner and she smells better. I also wiped off her beak.

I have her isolated in a wire dog crate, she's sleeping in a bucket turned sideways with a towel. But she isn't tucked up right, her wings are not against her body and her legs aren't under her, and her face is just planted into the towel. Right after her bath we gave her a syringe full of water with three drops of grapefruit seed extract. Is there any thing I can go to Tractor Supply to buy for her, assuming she makes it through the night?

One other bird, a hen that I posted about this morning, also has a runny nose but she is no where near as sick. She came from the same farm as this pullet, but since getting them they haven't been in the same pen together. The pullet was in a chicken tractor with five other pullets. So far they seem healthy. Should I do any preventative treatments for them? I'm so worried everyone will get this sickness.

 

[steffpeck]

It could be CRD. Here are some links... http://ag.ansc.purdue.edu/poultry/extensio.htm#Diseases

 

[steffpeck]

Actually, I think it is Infectious coryza

 

[Andora]

Oh good.



What should I do? What would you do?

 

[Andora]

I'm not sure if it's because she's sickly, or due to a part of her illness, but tonight she was also having trouble standing. All day she's been unable to keep her wings in place on her body.

 

[tiki244]

The symptoms sound a lot like infectious coryza. Esp the moistness under the wings. And respiratory symptoms. I cannot be sure of any diagnosis though. All sick birds and all birds that you got from that place should be isolated away from the rest of the flock. If they survive they will be carriers for a long time. You might as well consider your whole flock carriers. There isnt a cure, but sulfa drugs and Terramycin can help with the symptoms. The sticky at the top of the page has an article that more fully explains this. It is the bottom sticky and the top link in that sticky. Symptoms/diagnosis...

I am sure if she feels so bad she isnt eating well and you may want to hand feed her scrambled eggs and vitamins. Sugar water can perk her up quickly.


Sorry to hear about this.

 

[Andora]

Just went out to check on her and she was dead.

The only other bird that has symptoms is a black faverolle, but her nose is slightly runny and that's it. (Well, at least it was yesterday, I haven't gone into the hen house today to check on her and let them out yet.) That hen and the other hen in the coop came from the same place as the dead pullet, and the sick pullet was in with some other pullets who I guess have all been exposed now. Next time I will know better and isolate all new birds for a month. What should I do now? Should I treat all the birds just in case? I've read that grapefruit seed extract in the water works well and doesn't have the same negative side effects as antibiotics, has anyone tried that? We use it on ourselves when we're sick and it works great, but I've never tried it for animals. I'm so nervous the rest of my flock will get sick now.

 

[Andora]

Also, what should I do with her body? Is there somewhere I should take it since she was really sick? Or can I just bury it in the yard or in the woods?

 

[d.k]

* I would go ahead and bury her in the woods, slightly off the beaten path. Kinda deep and put some rocks over her, so nothing can dig her up easily. As far as the illness, the flock has been exposed to whatever. Keep an eye out for new cases, isolate and treat any that show up, (I would go with Tylan S/Q, myself.) Quarantine any future additions, before general release.

 

[Andora]

I called animal control to be sure that's what I should do, in case they would rather incinerate her, and they said they would ask the supervisor and call me back. They originally said throw her in the trash! I'll probably just go bury her this afternoon.

I moved the chicken tractor this morning (it has the five remaining pullets in it) and I found really bloody droopings. I'm so sad, I can't believe all my poor chickies are sick. I've only had them for a week.

I went ahead and scrubbed out their food and water dishes with diluted bleach water, just in case, and then I refilled it with clean water and grape fruit seed extract. I'm going to Tractor Supply to look for Tylan as soon as they open.