Lethargic pea

[Trefoil]

I have noticed for the last week or two that one of my 6 month olds is either lethargic or really lazy. He doesn't appear to have anything wrong but it seems like he is always laying down. Its been about 1 month since I wormed them, using ivermectin topically. He looks to be in good condition, but this just doesn't seem right and I don't want to lose him. Should I worm him again, using safeguard? I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated. They free range during the day and he runs around with everybody else but it seems like if the others are standing around, he's laying down.

 

[AugeredIn]

Right off hand, I would not be extremely worried, but I would continue to keep a close eye on him. If he is walking around with the others and particularly if you see him eating and drinking, he just may be lazy. He might also have a sore leg or joint. It would not hurt to start a Safeguard round of worming.

My sure fire test of whether or not I should be worried is as follows:

Step 1: Go into the pen. My birds are friendly and will approach me fairly closely, but I cannot easily approach them closer than a few feet. If I begine walking directly towards a bird and it does not get up and move, I have a problem. I will catch it and do an exam. If there is no obvious external injury, it gets the first dose of Tylan and we proceed from there. If it gets up and moves and has no observable limp I proceed to Step 2. If he has a limp, I gnerally will watch it for a few days before I get us both heated up with a net catch.

Step 2: Feed its favorite snack. If it makes a beeline to the food, I consider myself paranoid and continue to watch for a few days. If it does not make a beeline for the food and/or refuses food, it gets caught an examined. I may or may not start antibiotics in this case.

It is funny how we get tuned into our birds health and kind get the tingling sensation that someting might be wrong. I have found, however, that with my main flock, birds just have bad days sometimes and after a couple three days they get better on their own or resolve their own issues. It seems like once a month with as many birds as we have that soemeone has a limp. I have never had to take drastic action. It always clears up. I have always been fortunate that I have never had a bad illness in the main flock.

The birds I buy at auction are totally different, however. It seems like in the first four months or so they have all kinds of issues and can go from fine one day to next to dead the next. With these birds, I almost always start a course of antibiotics now as sson as I get them and worm with safeguard immediately.

 

[Trefoil]

Thanks, I'll do the walk to check.

 

[MinxFox]

Right off hand, I would not be extremely worried, but I would continue to keep a close eye on him. If he is walking around with the others and particularly if you see him eating and drinking, he just may be lazy. He might also have a sore leg or joint. It would not hurt to start a Safeguard round of worming.

My sure fire test of whether or not I should be worried is as follows:

Step 1: Go into the pen. My birds are friendly and will approach me fairly closely, but I cannot easily approach them closer than a few feet. If I begine walking directly towards a bird and it does not get up and move, I have a problem. I will catch it and do an exam. If there is no obvious external injury, it gets the first dose of Tylan and we proceed from there. If it gets up and moves and has no observable limp I proceed to Step 2. If he has a limp, I gnerally will watch it for a few days before I get us both heated up with a net catch.

Step 2: Feed its favorite snack. If it makes a beeline to the food, I consider myself paranoid and continue to watch for a few days. If it does not make a beeline for the food and/or refuses food, it gets caught an examined. I may or may not start antibiotics in this case.

It is funny how we get tuned into our birds health and kind get the tingling sensation that someting might be wrong. I have found, however, that with my main flock, birds just have bad days sometimes and after a couple three days they get better on their own or resolve their own issues. It seems like once a month with as many birds as we have that soemeone has a limp. I have never had to take drastic action. It always clears up. I have always been fortunate that I have never had a bad illness in the main flock.

The birds I buy at auction are totally different, however. It seems like in the first four months or so they have all kinds of issues and can go from fine one day to next to dead the next. With these birds, I almost always start a course of antibiotics now as sson as I get them and worm with safeguard immediately.

That is what I do too. Also one time when my peahen seemed like she was not eating I cornered her and grabbed her to feel if she was thin, and she was so that let me know she needed to be treated. Sometimes they do just have those days. Sometimes it seems like one will not come up to eat and kind of just stand there, but then the next day you might have a certain treat and they will run to eat that but they are not very interested in the normal food. Treats can really help you find out if they are okay or not. When they won't even eat treats or freshly picked weeds then I start to get worried.

 

[casportpony]

I have noticed for the last week or two that one of my 6  month olds is either lethargic or really lazy.  He doesn't appear to have anything wrong but it seems like he is always laying down.  Its been about 1 month since I wormed them, using ivermectin topically.  He looks to be in good condition, but this just doesn't seem right and I don't want to lose him.  Should I worm him again, using safeguard?  I don't know what else to do.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  They free range during the day and he runs around with everybody else but it seems like if the others are standing around, he's laying down.

Can you take him to a vet?

 

[Trefoil]

I thought about taking him to the vet, but I think he would recognize it as a peacock, and I already know that.

 

[casportpony]

I thought about taking him to the vet, but I think he would recognize it as a peacock, and I already know that.

Any vet could, at a minimum, do a gram stain on a fecal sample and possibly rule out certain types of infections.

 

[destinduck]

Trefoil you made me laugh so hard on your last comment. I hope your bird gets to feeling better. It may be no big thing. Sore leg or something like that

 

[casportpony]

How is he?

 

[Trefoil]

I wanted first to thank everyone for their replies and help. Now an update. After corresponding with castportpony I started looking around for a vet that treats peas. Found one not too far away and took Jr to her on Monday. It turns out that he has a heart mummer and signs of infection. He still eats and drinks but is thin. The vet gave him clavamox and told me if I treated the rest of them to give them denagard ( I have on order). Dr. Buck said to isolate him from the rest with maybe a calm buddy, so he doesn't try to keep up with them. Here in Michigan we are having a cold spell, so I have him in the garage with a heat lamp. Dr. Buck said he would eventually die ( from heart mummer) which I'm going to try to avoid. She said the mummer could be genetic or the result of infection.
Dr. Buck also stressed that it was a bad idea to combine peas with other poultry, with turkeys being the worst in her opinion. Of course I have a turkey, but I'm thinking of building a coop/runs away from everything else and trying to keep them apart. But free ranging is going to be a problem.
I hate cold weather.