Last Ditch Effort

[Aunt Angus]

My 4 yo Orpington hasn't been well for some time. I have posted a out her before, and the general consensus is that she's probably got cancer or something equally horrific. So I've gone through the gamut with her, trying to find solutions a d to make absolutely certain I've done all I can before putting her down.

I'd like to try one more round of dewormer. She's been eating but losing weight. Figure it's worth a shot.

Which wormer should I try? I have on hand Ivermectin and Safeguard. Is there one that "gets" the worms those two don't? Valbazen, maybe?

 

[azygous]

Can you share with us your reasoning for trying worming again? Is it because she appears to be blocked? Is she not eating, yet her crop is sluggish or impacted? Is her poop thin and mucousy

 

[Aunt Angus]

Can you share with us your reasoning for trying worming again? Is it because she appears to be blocked? Is she not eating, yet her crop is sluggish or impacted? Is her poop thin and mucousy

She's eating, but not gaining weight. Her crop is functioning ok. Her poop has been thin and mucousy. Watery sometimes.

This really is a last ditch effort - just in case I missed a type of worm. I treated the whole flock for cocci when one of my bantams had what looked like bloody poop 2 days in a row, so that's done. She's gone through a round of antibiotics. She's also been wormed 1x with Ivermectin. Next step is euthanasia, but I'd feel like I failed her if I *did* miss a worm. I hope that makes sense.

 

[azygous]

But is she showing signs of being blocked in her intestines? If you haven't tried a flush, that's the final thing I would try. If you didn't do a follow up worming at 14 days, then by all means do that first, using the Ivermectin. Then 24 hours later, do a flush. One teaspoon of molasses in a quarter cup of water given as the sole water source until she drinks it all. Or syringe in into her crop.

 

[azygous]

Is she eating on her own? If not, have you been tube feeding?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Is she eating on her own? If not, have you been tube feeding?

She's eating on her own. I did the follow up with the Ivermectin. Have not done a flush. Should I worm again and do the flush after the last dose?

Also, she's in a hard molt. When I checked her this morning, she'd lost her tail feathers and now looks rumpless. I am wondering now if that's the whole issue right there. But she's about half the weight she should be.

 

[azygous]

There is no benefit to worming a third time. The two treatments two weeks apart would have gotten all newly hatched eggs. If you are concerned about a species of worm surviving the Ivermectin because that med doesn't target it, have a fecal float test done rather than worming on just your hunch. It's just good practice.

Molt is definitely a debilitating period for many chickens. For one that has been very sick, it's a real one-two punch. Molt can hurt even a healthy chicken's appetite, causing severe weight loss in some. For a sick chicken, this can be brutal.

The molasses flush is gentle and quick. There are other flushes that pack a bigger punch, but this one should do the job while being easy on your hen. It should gently flush her intestines and improve her digestion, maybe even improving her appetite.

If she's lost weight, she could probably benefit from special feedings. I have a sick girl right now that is recovering from a serious bout of egg binding and infection, and she's getting a spoonful of Fancy Feast cat food twice a day and extra feedings of all flock feed. If you haven't thought of it, a probiotic can also help restore good microbes in the intestines to improve general intestinal health.

I have a hunch that your hen is weak from her ordeal and perhaps just needs food and nutrients now to get her back to health.

 

[Aunt Angus]

There is no benefit to worming a third time. The two treatments two weeks apart would have gotten all newly hatched eggs. If you are concerned about a species of worm surviving the Ivermectin because that med doesn't target it, have a fecal float test done rather than worming on just your hunch. It's just good practice.

Molt is definitely a debilitating period for many chickens. For one that has been very sick, it's a real one-two punch. Molt can hurt even a healthy chicken's appetite, causing severe weight loss in some. For a sick chicken, this can be brutal.

The molasses flush is gentle and quick. There are other flushes that pack a bigger punch, but this one should do the job while being easy on your hen. It should gently flush her intestines and improve her digestion, maybe even improving her appetite.

If she's lost weight, she could probably benefit from special feedings. I have a sick girl right now that is recovering from a serious bout of egg binding and infection, and she's getting a spoonful of Fancy Feast cat food twice a day and extra feedings of all flock feed. If you haven't thought of it, a probiotic can also help restore good microbes in the intestines to improve general intestinal health.

I have a hunch that your hen is weak from her ordeal and perhaps just needs food and nutrients now to get her back to health.

Thank you so much. I have just been flying blindly into this. I can do all of this easily.

One last question: Would it be ok to separate her for a bit? I don't normally like to do this, but it will make treating her much easier. Plus, I can bring her in out of the heat.

 

[azygous]

It may be hot, but she's accustomed to it. It's very stressful for a chicken to deal with temperature fluctuations. She also will be less stressed remaining with her pals. I never separate a sick or injured chicken from the flock unless they are being attacked.

My current sick hen has been with her flock even at the point where I thought I would find her dead on my next visit to the run. But I do separate her in the jail pen when I'm giving her special feedings so she will get all she needs and not come up short because she's weak and can't compete. She's making dramatic improvement each day, and I marvel that I was considering euthanizing her at one point when she was nearly comatose.

 

[Aunt Angus]

It may be hot, but she's accustomed to it. It's very stressful for a chicken to deal with temperature fluctuations. She also will be less stressed remaining with her pals. I never separate a sick or injured chicken from the flock unless they are being attacked.

My current sick hen has been with her flock even at the point where I thought I would find her dead on my next visit to the run. But I do separate her in the jail pen when I'm giving her special feedings so she will get all she needs and not come up short because she's weak and can't compete. She's making dramatic improvement each day, and I marvel that I was considering euthanizing her at one point when she was nearly comatose.

That gives me hope!