Lethargic Cream Legbar

[JoM]

My (about) 14 week old Cream Legbar has been very lethargic and won't open her eyes for over a week now. She spends a great deal of time sleeping and is not eating or drinking on her own (as far as I can tell). A previous post about this brought about the suggestion of treating her with Corid, which I have been doing, this is day 3 (really day 2, since I first gave her treated water late on Monday afternoon). I have been mixing two teaspoons into a gallon of water, changed daily. Since she is not eating on her own, yesterday I started mixing some of her chicken feed (Purina Premium Poultry Feed Start & Grow non-medicated. It says on the bag that it has prebiotics and probiotics.) with the treated water and a dollop of molasses. She will eat this from a little bowl I hold under her beak. I have been doing this about every two hours, starting yesterday. I have also been able to drip some of the treated water into her beak with a syringe.

My question is - is there anything else I should be doing? How long is "normal" until I might see some improvement in her if this is even what is wrong with her? The last time I saw her "poop" it really was just water. She has been going up into her coop at night but no droppings at all.

Any advice is appreciated, she is a very sweet girl and I would hate to lose her. Thank you.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

Sorry your gal isn't well.

Okay... coccidiosis is one possibility and very common. Though seems unlikely from what I can see of your set up. Does she have any friends with her? How long has she been with you?

Have you checked crop function? For sour, blocked, or slow crop? I would feel it and see if it's empty and flat, full and squishy, or has a hard lump. Check at roost time and again in the morning before access to food or water for comparison. Any smell coming from the beak?
https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-anatomy-crop-impacted-crop-sour/

Stop the molasses as it can have a laxative effect.

And go ahead and do a direct dose of the Corid to the beak the same way you are doing the treated water. Also, you can refrigerate the larger portion of your Corid water so you aren't throwing out a bunch daily. Or mix a smaller amount.

Are you able to send a fecal sample to the vet to test parasite load which would also tell you your coccidia load?

How are your current temps? Adding your general location to your profile can help peeps make the best suggestions possible at a glance.

Hope she starts to recover quickly!

 

[JoM]

Thank you for your reply. I have 5 other hens that I got from a feed store and they are all healthy and fine. This little gal I got from a man that worked at the feed store, I went to his home to get her and the conditions there were not what I would call ideal. Lots of hens running around in a pretty small (and not tidy) little shed type structure with a dirt floor) I've only had her about 3 weeks. She was in my big coop/run with the other birds, but I removed her to a little coop (that is along side the big coop) when I noticed she was not doing well.

I will stop the molasses right away. When you say "do a direct dose of the Corid" do you mean I should just give her straight Corid? Like a drop or two?

I have felt her crop and don't really notice anything but I'm so new to this, I don't really know what I'm doing. But it seems fine and there is no smell. I have called around and there really aren't any vets around here that I have found that treat chickens, which I find very weird. And frustrating. At any rate, I can't even see that she is pooping so I don't see how I would get a sample.

It is very hot here, I'm south of DFW about 40 miles. So we're in the hot time of year. She does have shade. None of my other hens seem affected by the heat to a degree that worries me, they kind of loll around in the shade in the heat of the day, but are very active in the morning and evenings. This little gal isn't active at any time. She was when I first got her, but not for the last week or so.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can give undiluted Corid liquid 0.1 ml per pound twice a day for a couple of days, in addition to the Corid treated water. I agree with stopping the molasses. If you have a loyal regular vet, call and beg them to test some droppings to see if she has coccidia, worms, or an infection called enteritis. Check your other hen’s crops for comparison. The crop in the upper right side of the chest should normally feel empty first thing in early morning. Then it gradually fills up with food during the day. If it feels hard or puffy and full in the morning, that would not be normal.

 

[JoM]

Thank you. I will do as you suggest and check her crop in the morning. If I can find some of her poop, I will try harder to find a vet to test it. Thank you so much!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

When you say "do a direct dose of the Corid" do you mean I should just give her straight Corid? Like a drop or two?

Exactly.

Okay, since she is fairly new to your place that does make coccidiosis more of a possibility. She may be experiencing new strains that she isn't resistant to yet.

Her standard feed really is the best... but I might offer a scrambled egg to see if it entices her to eat something. They are often palatable and easy to digest in addition to being loaded with nutrients.

 

[JoM]

She will eat a little if I hold the little bowl I have been using up to her beak. I have been doing this every couple of hours, this is the second day. This might sound crazy, but I don't think she can find her own water and food in her coop because she will not open her eyes! She just walks around all day (in between her many naps) with her eyes closed. I feel so bad for her.