Lethargic silkie with sore bum, please help.

[dehill]

Sad to say this girl isn’t improving.

She’s doesn’t seem to have constipation any more, but still a very gummed up vent with now what looks like diarrhea? I’ve been bathing her every day but it just reappears. Pic from this morning attached, I bathed her nice and clean and it’s just as bad this evening.

When I manipulate around her vent just some FOUL smelling farts come out. Also when I pick her up she seems to vomit water (or a water like substance). Still seems lethargic.

To recap she’s still isolated, on growers pellets and water.

Any further ideas? Perhaps she’ll end up as stew after all

 

[coach723]

How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? Does her abdomen feel bloated at all? Water balloon like, or very firm? Have you ever wormed her or had a fecal done to test for internal parasites?

 

[dehill]

She’s the youngest in the flock - around 8 months old. Never laid or been wormed; I guess the winter came as she would have just started laying.

Her abdomen feels firm, although she is pretty scrawny so she’s pretty firm all over real, except around her vent.

 

[dehill]

I did test the flock for worms, but I’ve just checked and this was back in July 2021. I’ve just read I should be doing it every 6 months

Given she is poorly would you recommended testing for worms (with the associated postage delays) or just treat the entire flock with medicated feed?

 

[coach723]

It's better to worm directly, orally. Don't know what the feed is (where are you, generally, in the world?). Often sick birds don't eat or drink enough to get correct dosings of things mixed in feed or water. If you are in the US I would get Safeguard liquid goat wormer or Valbazen and worm her, see if it helps. If getting a fecal done first is doable, then I would do that, but if it's not possible, then I'd worm her. The 'vomiting water' sounds like her crop is not emptying, so I would check that. It should be empty in the morning before she eats or drinks anything. If it's not, then things aren't passing through normally. Worms is one possible cause, there are others.

 

[dehill]

Thank you very much for your help with this, sadly Florence died this evening. I guess I didn’t get there in time.

I’m going to test the rest of the flock for worms.

Thanks again. Dave

 

[coach723]

I'm very sorry for your loss. The best way to know for sure is to have a necropsy done, that will tell you if it's something you need to be concerned about for the rest of your flock. Some states, it's reasonable cost and the information can be very informative.
Links below to state labs if you are in the US:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf