Lethargic late yesterday, dying this morning. What moves this fast and how to protect the others?

[angel8035]

To me, this sounds like heat stress. Let her rest in a cool room and offer her water as often as possible. I think this is all you can do now. One of my birds got trapped under a tub on a VERY hot day and I thought she would die for sure. She couldn't stand or anything. I dunked her in cool water and then brought her inside into a dark room and left her alone with food and water. It took all night but she made a full recovery.

 

[Summer98]

This sounds really similar to what I'm dealing with right now. I hope you (and I) get some answers. I am losing a third chicken now. Mine started out fine and then all of a sudden they start acting lethargic, going away from the other birds, staring into space, and eventually laying down and vomiting. Their chest walls are extremely puffy, like a balloon filled with water. I tried feeding vegetable oil, but that did nothing. I also wondered about coccidiosis, but I don't know.

 

[angel8035]

If you fear coccidiosis, I would treat for it with Corid. It won't hurt if they don't have it but if you don't treat and they do have it they will continue to die.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Thanks, Angel and Summer, for your input. I was giving her electrolytes initially just trying to get a response out of her. After I was able to get some liquid down her, I switched to corid. If it's cocci, the corid is probably coming too late. I began the rest of my chicks on Corid yesterday evening, just in case.

My initial thought was cocci but I was also thinking heat stroke since she was the only chick involved and Buff Orps are known to not tolerate heat. Haven't experienced either personally so didn't know from first hand experience. Poor gal is having to depend on me and I'm just grasping at straws here.

When I saw no substance in her poo, made me think she'd been not eating yesterday and that could be a sign of either. But there was a good bit of water in the poo so I know she'd got some fluids in her. That's why I started corid and stopped the electrolytes.

I've not noticed if her chest is puffy because of how she's laying. Didn't notice it yesterday and haven't seen her in anything but a prone position today. Will go in and feel her chest to see. Tried to give her some yogurt, she wouldn't or couldn't take it. Can't leave the water in with her as she can't get up to drink it. I can only drip it in when she opens her beak to breath. Yeah, she's opening her beak at every breath and has been doing so all day.

I'm really befuddled.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

24 hours later and she's still not able to sit or stand. Just laying there on her side. We got her up and tried to see if she could stand but she's still limp.

She seemed a bit more alert, looking around and such. She also had another poo and this one had some substance to it. Not much but was of better color and had loose texture. As there was improvement in the poo, we're hopeful there will be some additional overall improvement.

Was going to cull her this morning as I don't believe in letting anything suffer if they're not progressing. The poo improvement has gained her some time. Will continue to give her water with corid via syringe and will need to see additional improvement during the day or will have to put her out of her misery.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

What a difference 28 minutes makes, when I made the last post that she had been bought some time.

Went in to check on her and she appeared to be having a seizure. Her legs were stiff and rapidly twitching. We'd noticed other similar instances earlier but this one was more pronounced. Her eyes were closed and breathing almost non-existent.

We didn't want to let her continue to suffer so have humanely put her out of her misery. I still have no clue what got this gal. I'm assuming it could have been cocci due to age and the weather we've had - hot, humid, wet. In fact, we've had 5 inches of rain in the past 12 hours. We have sandbags around the run trying to keep the water out.

So sorry to have to do this and wish I could have helped her. Feel bad that DH had to do the deed.

Now . . . to keep the other girls well. That's now my main objective.

 

[Deb B]

Very sorry to hear that. If it was cocci, hopefully the rest of your birds will be OK since they are on Corid.