Lethargic Chicken with Odd Yellow Droppings - treatment help/advice please!

[Rusalka]

Hi everyone,

I must say you have all been incredibly helpful over the last couple of days, but I would love to ask everyone some advice and follow up questions.

I have an old Isa Brown/Rhode Island Red about 5-6 years old. She stopped laying a few years ago, although every now and then we get an egg from her, sometimes without a shell (only membrane).

The other day she was hiding away (she usually is with at least one of either our 2 Australorps or our Elizabeth bantam duck), with her wings drooping. It has been averaging 36 degrees or higher here with the Aussie summer, so we thought she was hot. However it was like she lost her voice, her broaks where whispery, few and far between and hoarse. I coaxed her out and she did this watery suphur-yellow poo, ignored the treats I brought her (!!) and went on her way. She went to bed incredibly early.

Yesterday she was lethargic again, had a slight tinge to her comb (which cleared up during the day) made a token couple of pecks at her food in the morning, and in the afternoon we found her alone and lying down, with some more weird yellow poos around her. We had bought a dewormer yesterday (Levamisole), and we had to improvise dosing everyone (not big drinkers but we dialuted it onto bread), although she drank a far bit, but not the whole dose.

This morning she ate, but is still weird.

Sorry for the long post but I want you all to have details.

Few questions are:

- I can't find anything about overdosing on Levamisole. Do you guys think it is worth trying to give her another dose (they say 8 drops in 100mL of water) tonight, and hope she drinks another 50mL today?

- I've read a lot about cayenne pepper. How much should you put in the food and water? I read the thread about Blackhead and turkeys, which said a much bigger dose, but again no proportions. I'd like to help the chemicals with organic things.

- I've seen pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, apple cider vinegar and garlic mentioned (all their water sources have garlic cloves in them at the moment) to help with worms. Any other advice? Hopefully she just has an infestation we can whack over the head quickly.

- Has anyone had these symptoms before who can help? Especially if it's not worms?

Thank you so very much.

 

[Rusalka]

Update.

We ended up giving a second dose last night. She was drooping lots last night, falling asleep in the middle of the sun and yard. Very odd. We got a few pumpkin seeds in her too. But she was holding her vent open too, and it was just all gunked up. Poor little thing.

Today, I made them garlic, pumpkin (flesh and seeds), carrot and cayenne pepper mash, as suggested on a few threads here, for breakfast. She came over and ate a little bit.

This arvo she came over to eat more mash (the other girls do not like it at all!!), and is scratching a bit, though spending most of her time in her hovel, but is coming out every now and then. Also, she's not drooping. She's holding herself much more normally.

Doing a large clean up of the coop tomorrow (Australia day has been to busy for us to do it today). Have a lot of mash still to eat, and will try a little bit of yoghurt tomorrow too. She seems to be slowly getting better, I just hope she is strong enough to survive the time. I'm so glad shes beginning to eat though.

Still looking for answers to my questions, and ideas. I am flying rather blind. Cheers.

 

[Rusalka]

After 2 weeks of getting better, and two doses of deworming stuff, our little girl has taken a turn for the worse.

She got lethargic again over the weekend. We were hand feeding her protein rich food, as well as oatmeal and cayenne pepper mash as well as water. Although her droppings seem to be back to normal colour, but not normal. Ed: her comb has completely flopped over her face from being completely upright 3 weeks ago.

Yesterday she tried to jump up the stairs but fell flat on her face. Last night she was in the coop well before sundown breathing heavily. We express ordered some Amprolium for coccidiosis, as we were out of ideas and have had no luck with getting suggestions of whats wrong from other poultry owners we know or on here.

The morning she was still alive in the coop but when she saw us she tried to come over to us and fell flat on her face. Her legs wouldn't hold her up anymore. We sat with her a little while but had to go to work. We left some food and water right in front of her face, and locked to two healthy and boisterous Australorps out of the coop to give her space, but I'm not holding high hopes.

I'm planning on leaving early from work to get some things from the stockfeeds shop. We figured we should treat the other two girls and the duck for coccidiosis in case.

But again, any ideas, help, advice, musings would be very, very appreciated.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

After 2 weeks of getting better, and two doses of deworming stuff, our little girl has taken a turn for the worse.

She got lethargic again over the weekend. We were hand feeding her protein rich food, as well as oatmeal and cayenne pepper mash as well as water. Although her droppings seem to be back to normal colour, but not normal. Ed: her comb has completely flopped over her face from being completely upright 3 weeks ago.

Yesterday she tried to jump up the stairs but fell flat on her face. Last night she was in the coop well before sundown breathing heavily. We express ordered some Amprolium for coccidiosis, as we were out of ideas and have had no luck with getting suggestions of whats wrong from other poultry owners we know or on here.

The morning she was still alive in the coop but when she saw us she tried to come over to us and fell flat on her face. Her legs wouldn't hold her up anymore. We sat with her a little while but had to go to work. We left some food and water right in front of her face, and locked to two healthy and boisterous Australorps out of the coop to give her space, but I'm not holding high hopes.

I'm planning on leaving early from work to get some things from the stockfeeds shop. We figured we should treat the other two girls and the duck for coccidiosis in case.

But again, any ideas, help, advice, musings would be very, very appreciated.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/poultryprofit...natomy_and_Physiology/Chapter3_digestive.html

see here at the bottom of this link about the yellow droppings

amprolium might be worth a try indeed

 

[Rusalka]

Thanks ChickensAreSweet.

I'm going to feel terrible if it was Coccidiosis, as I ruled it out to begin with as her droppings were not foamy. Just got home and am armed with half a bottle of Coccivet (as the Amprolium is in the mail still) - the shop owner gave it to me after treating his own chickens as they were out of everything else. I also have Lectate to hydrate her.

The two Australorps are grumpy for being locked out of the coop and are sitting on my doorstep looking for food. I'm honestly not looking forward to going and checking the coops though... cross fingers for me...

 

[Rusalka]

She's alive. Right. Now to work out how much Lactade to get into her. She just had a few sips of normal water, but I have run inside to get her medicine.

 

[Chambertin]

It really shouldnt be Coccidiosis, that disease is a bugger and after a few weeks its Very obvious if they have it or not.
No blood = no Cocci. People over diagnose for Coccidiosis because its easy to blame and relitivaly common.
One more thing is that most deaths and problems are for young birds, not old girls.

I was thinking blackhead, rare but possible in chickens.
Sorry I didnt see the post until now...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackhead_disease

Poo encyclopedia
http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

More blackhead
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26481--,00.html

 

[Rusalka]

Thanks Chambertin! All advice is helpful. We looked into blackhead a bit when it first started. The problem is that all these disease tend to say "these are the symptoms, however your chicken may not have this disease if they have these symptoms, or they may have this disease and display none of the symptoms". Filled everything with cayenne pepper and garlic.

We haven't noticed blood but we haven't been paying attention to her poos too much since she perked up to almost normal after deworming. Her comb, although floppy (that went flop, then stayed the same, then got worse this weekend) has been red, besides that first morning when it had a very slight tinge.

I should also point out she has never been vaccinated nor ever dewormed until this. She has had pox though. We are a bit naughty, but she was our first chicken (with another two, one got eaten by an eagle on a farm and the other just dropped dead one night) and we have been learning off her. She also had an infected eye in November I think from a seed I had to pull out from her eye with tweezers.

We have managed to get a syringe down of the Coccivet. She has Lectate but hasn't drunk it that I know of (i'm debating we wake her up in a few hours when she's calmed down from the last syringe and do this down her throat too). We have brought her inside for the night in a box in the laundry with more lactate and some oatmeal slush. She is lying slightly on one side. Will let you all know.

Please keep on letting me know any thoughts!

 

[Rusalka]

Still alive. Just. We syringed her with Lectade this morning, she only had about 5 mLs but better than nothing. When I took the first photo she pooed very watery and slightly the same colour as her, reddy brown. Couldn't see any obvious blood. Looks like her first poo since yesterday morning.

I've got photos of her and how she is sitting. She is breathing with a slight click today if that makes sense. It makes a slight click noise after she breathes. She tried to stand up a few times as we tried to open her beak (you guys who do that all the time are amazing! We have real troubles getting her beak open) but again, her legs won't support her.






Comparison to before (although she was wet after a storm so looks skinny)

 

[Chambertin]

Wow, poor girl, such a difference.
I'm guessing blackhead based on the symptoms still.
Feel free to include some poo photos as they can really help with the identification of the problems. Poo is like a chicken diary, odd but true.

For getting the beak open I always do this:
Get them well situated under the less dominant arm and put the hand up near the head to steady it from going too far out of range of the strong hand.
With the strong hand (my right) I pinch the lower beak near the middle. Not too hard, just enough to annoy her and they will instinctivly try to open the mouth and move the head.
If you have the head steady you can pop a thumb or finger from the weak hand (my left) in the corner and use it as a wedge (like a stick in the door frame) to hold it open as long as you wish.
The only problem is keeping the head steady until they calm and accept. Then the strong hand is free to drop pills, give a serince or deposit the tube into the crop and do the hard work.

After a few tries it becomes routine. Take care and best wishes to your girl.