Lethargic & tiny but no other symptoms!

[christinabird]

I am at a loss. My 9 week old mix breed is lethargic and seems to have stopped gaining weight. She/he is tiny compared to the others! She had an impacted crop 4 days ago but that has cleared and seems to be moving well since it is empty every morning. I thought it may be sour because after the impaction cleared, it was really squishy but then that cleared too. Come to think of it, it is quite a bit bigger compared to the other bird's. Her crop feels stretched out all down the front of her but it does not hang off of her or seem pendulous. Her poop looks normal, she eats and drinks and no mites. I don't think she's loosing weight but will start weighing her today. She was getting trampled around the feeder because she falls asleep and is not as forceful as the others where she once was. So I put her in a sick bay on the floor of the coop. The others nap beside her and when I let her out for a half hour of playtime with her mates, they leave don't bully him/her. She/he seems to fold right back in then starts to fade again (eyes really heavy, puffs up and stands still) so I pop her back in the cage out of fear of getting trampled. I have ACV in her waterer, fed her boiled eggs and yogurt, today I gave her some crumble softened with a bit of water. Again, she's eating & drinking really well. Any ideas if I should try something else? I'd really like to see her perk up and hold her own.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!!

She is no doubt the lowest in the order of birds. If she is not being chased off from the feeders, she may be just horribly shy and still not getting enough to eat. This will make her lethargic and sleepy. She may also be taking to eating things she shouldn't just to satisfy her hunger. Maybe this is how she got the crop issue. My smallest, lowest in the order is very shy and I have to watch to make sure she eats enough. She is so shy that sometimes she goes to roost with an empty crop because she is afraid to eat. I have taken to separating her out with some very docile birds a couple of hours before roosting time to make sure she is not afraid to eat. If I don't separate them, she won't eat. No one bothers her, she is just too nervous to eat.

Your bird could also have coccidosis. This will also cause them to become very thin and eat very little eventually not eating at all. You might try some Corid in the water for 5 to 7 days just in case. You can get this at the feed store. Something with Amprolium in it. It won't hurt if she doesnt have cocci.

After the treatment, I would try some probiotics on your entire flock. These will help boost the immune system and make the intestinal tract healthier to absorb more nutrients. Smaller birds or even runts have a harder time getting the nutrients into their system. I think that is why they are smaller.

 

[christinabird]

Thank you for your response and telling a story of your smallest. Mine eats. She has a definite appetite. Which makes me think it could be worms? I have probiotics in the waterer for the flock. I put ACV in her waterer in her cage because I started to notice her eyes closing a lot shortly after we moved them into their coop. I thought if she was weak, the change in her ph may be what was effecting her but it doesn't seem to be getting better or worse. I will change her water back to probiotics and vitamins now tho since it has been a few days off. Should I worm at 9 weeks? Could it hurt if she doesn't have?

 

[TwoCrows]

9 weeks is pretty young for an overload of worms. I doubt worms is the issue really. If she has a voracious appetite, then it many not be coccidiosis either.

Worming won't hurt her so you could give this a try. Some birds are just tiny and thin, many times genetics are at play.

ACV is a great preventative and overall great for health, however in the time it takes to raise the birds PH, which is what ACV is famous for doing, it won't cure anything. But I would still continue to use it. ACV really helps to improve appetite.