Lethargic 12 week old pullet

[Bawkbok]

That sweet little thing definitely looks under the weather. I have no advice, just sending happy thoughts and wishes for her recovery. I hope you can figure out what's ailing her.

 

[Airyaman]

That sweet little thing definitely looks under the weather. I have no advice, just sending happy thoughts and wishes for her recovery. I hope you can figure out what's ailing her.

It's 97F out right now so her flock mates are free ranging and hanging out in their favorite spot under the coop (coolest place except inside my house!). She is inside with me until the heat dies down.

 

[Airyaman]

Wish I could narrow down her problem. She has symptoms of worms but her flock mates don't (anymore). She has symptoms of coccidiosis but her flock mates don't (anymore). I've been treating for both.

She still eats and drinks well.

She sat on my chest for a good 30 mins this afternoon while I watched TV. She slept the whole time, or appeared to. My cats barely noticed her.

The one thing that keeps coming back is heat. She does pick up energy when I bring her inside for several hours. Plus, she really seems sensitive to light. I tried looking that up online, but all I get is "chickens are highly sensitive to light".

But she is next level. She only seems to fully open her eyes in darkened rooms.

I don't believe she is any worse than when I started this thread, but I'm not convinced she is any better either.

 

[Bawkbok]

What a lovely picture you paint of her sleeping on your chest. That sounds so sweet.
If she is eating and drinking then she can see well enough to do that. Does she open her eyes in the coop? Do chickens lose their sight as they age? I've not seen much here on vision issues other than total blindness. Have you noticed a difference on cloudy days? Very puzzling circumstances. It seems odd that chickens would be sensitive to light (bright sun).

 

[Airyaman]

She's still holding on but not sure for how long. She's gotten worse. She has actually been inside since yesterday afternoon, and I did something I never thought i would do: take a chicken to the vet.

He doesn't think she will last long. She is down to 12 oz. I've been giving her water loaded with extra nutrients and she was still eating then, but today, not so much.

He did examine her feces and found nothing out of the ordinary. He encouraged me to bring her back if she passes so he can open her up. He said that it is much harder to diagnose a chicken while it is alive sometimes!

He did give her an antibiotic pill and I have 5 more should she last but I'm not encouraged, she just seems to be at her end.

If she does pass, I will not know until tomorrow morning as I have to go down to my son's to take care of his dogs. She is inside again in her own pen, with both pellets and crumble, but she would not eat any scrambled egg earlier.

If she goes, should I bag her and put her in the freezer or refrigerator? Vet is closed for the weekend.

Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that she is going downhill. Glad you could see a vet though. If you lose her, place the body in 2 clean garbage bags, and refrigerate, don’t freeze the body. It can also be in a cooler with ice. Many state vet labs do very thorough necropsies where they look at the organs for anything out of the ordinary, take tissue samples and cultures for testing. Each state is different, so call your nearest lab to ask about getting a necropsy. Most are open M-F so they can be delivered innperson or shipped via Fedex or UpS overnight shipping. Some labs will send a prepaid mailer. Here is the list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...L5h4Xt137GBu32pWJZSRUY5DYhQyVrd4ODmF-Ab8otocc

I was just wondering, did you complete the 5 day treatment of Corid in her water?

 

[Airyaman]

Sorry that she is going downhill. Glad you could see a vet though. If you lose her, place the body in 2 clean garbage bags, and refrigerate, don’t freeze the body. It can also be in a cooler with ice. Many state vet labs do very thorough necropsies where they look at the organs for anything out of the ordinary, take tissue samples and cultures for testing. Each state is different, so call your nearest lab to ask about getting a necropsy. Most are open M-F so they can be delivered innperson or shipped via Fedex or UpS overnight shipping. Some labs will send a prepaid mailer. Here is the list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...L5h4Xt137GBu32pWJZSRUY5DYhQyVrd4ODmF-Ab8otocc

I was just wondering, did you complete the 5 day treatment of Corid in her water?

Yes, completed corid and dewormer regimen. Thanks for the advice.