Large Marge is Sick! Pale Wattles and Comb, No Appetite

[chickeepoo]

My largest RIR hen, the one that seemed to least appreciate the aprons I had them all in, is not in good shape. I thought she was just moody over the apron incident, but her wattles and comb are pale this afternoon, she isn't eating or drinking much, and she's standing alone a lot. Yesterday it took her until after noon to come down off the roost and out of the hen house… I figured she was miffed about the chicken apron I put on her and the rest.

I've posted in the past about her "balloon butt" that didn't turn out to be fluid or an egg. Someone suggested this morning that it could be a cyst and to give her antibiotics, and I thought she might have worms but don't know how to tell. She has had some diarrea today, but one of the other hens does too- kind of runny gold color, sometimes runnier with white in it. She isn't panting or laying down, and I cleaned up her bottom and vent area this morning and set her in a bucket of warm water up to her sides to relieve the swollen "water balloon" on her butt. Now with her appetite going south and her color leaving her comb and wattles, I'm afraid she may be in trouble rather than just irritated.

Should I give her antibiotics at this point, not really ever sure what's wrong with her?

 

[pinkfeather]

I don't know about her "ballon butt", but from everything else you said, it sounds like it might be worms. I doubt anitbotics would hurt her either.

 

[chickeepoo]

I can get for her Wazine and separate her from the others if necessary… and give her some antibiotics- Teramycin OK? I just don't know if this has something to do with infection from possible egg material left in her, if that were an issue. She had laid eggs here and there this past month since I first asked about her "balloon butt", so I thought she couldn't be an internal layer. Poor Marge.

 

[Fowl-Language]

Oh, poor Marge! I'm sorry that I have no advice to offer you, but if you find a cure for Balloon Butt, please let me know...I've got a pretty good case myself

 

[pinkfeather]

Aww, poor girl indeed.

I would suggest Safeguard or Valbazen. It treats ALOT more than wazine. And because she's showing these signs, you'll want to give it to her ASAP! Is she losing wieght? That's another sign. I would give her about .2 ml of safeguard (maybe more, it's very safe). For valbazen, mix 8cc (ml) of water with 1cc (ml) of wormer and give her 2 cc (ml) of that down the throat (I usually give it to her on a piece of bread of something like that, same with safeguard). Give it to her a week to 10 days later. Hope she gets better!

 

[miss_jayne]

i honestly don't have an answer, but i had to say, poor Marge!

the fact that you have a chicken named after a character in a Pee Wee Herman movie is outstandingly funny.

get well Marge!

i hope an answer can be found.

 

[chickeepoo]

Thank you Pinkfeather- Ok, ax the Wazine, and where do I get the Safeguard or Valbazen? Tractor Supply is closing in 15 min. and I'll never get there that quick. Wally World (Walmart) is close, but I don't think they carry much in the way of poultry supplies. (And I don't think Marge has lost weight yet, at least not noticeably- she's still quite a handful to heft!) I'll go check on her now that she's in bed with her sisters. I would like to get some treatment into her tomorrow morning if I can lay my hands on either of those products you mentioned. Otherwise, all I have here is the D-Worm with piperazine, and I'm not sure how much to give her.

*Fowl-Language, I'm still working on the cure for balloon butt myself… just let me get a few more cream puffs in and I'll get back to you on that
*And thank you Lady Jane- you'd be amazed how much Large Marge looks like her namesake from the movie! Thanks for the pic!

 

[chickeepoo]

My son just found a box of wormer labeled Safe-guard in the pet section in WalMart about the size/shape of a toothpaste box, an equine wormer of fenbendazole 10% paste- is that the right kind?

 

[pinkfeather]

I get the kind for sheep/goats that comes in a bottle from tractor supply. The important thing is you know how much fenbedazol is in it! The stuff I use has 100mg/(per)ml; it should say it right on the bottle. Your's may have more or less. I'm assuming if it has more, it's stronger, so you give your chicken less then the dose I recomended, and visa versa. The good thing about it is that safe gaurd is safe. Although, just remember, I'm assuming all this. I don't really know if your chicken can have the dog wormer or not. I'm assuming the only difference is the amount of fenbedazole it has in it.

 

[chickeepoo]

This is wormer paste for equine use, 25 grams, 100mg per gram. The concentration sounds the same, but the liquid sounds easier to measure.