Lethargy is only symptom

GretchenM

Songster
9 Years
Mar 7, 2011
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I have 5-1/2 months old Golden-laced Wyondotte who yesterday started acting lethargic. I found a cocklebur in one foot (not embedded, just lightly attached) last nite and removed it, but she's still lethargic this morning. She's spending a lot of time sitting on the ground, but her head is erect. She seems to walk fine but isn't running like usual. I can't see or feel anything wrong otherwise. She looks absolutely fine -- no changes to comb/wattle, bright-eyed, walking fine. She ate treats this morning but hung back from the flock (23 total) when they rocketed at me. I'm not sure if she's eating her feed (organic layer pellets) or if/how much she's drinking. I did find a little poop under their roosts that looked loose, maybe diarrhetic, but honestly, I haven't cleaned the coop in over 2 weeks, so not sure how long it's been there (but it was on top). She is not molting.

Living Conditions:
Hens have a good sized yard, fenced in and covered, so I know she wasn't attacked. Of course they've scratched the ground bare, so I don't think she could've eaten something that made her ill.
We feed them organic layer pellets and a few treats (scratch, fruit, some of our leftovers but not really salty or fatty stuff; only things I would feed human children!).
OF NOTE: We had 7 guineas, slightly younger, in there with them till yesterday evening. Two apparent cocks started being really aggressive with the chickens yesterday, so we moved them out. She could still be stressed from that (I saw no actual injuries, tho).
Three of her sisters are laying, so she could be having trouble with that, tho I massaged her belly last nite and this morning and didn't feel an obvious egg.
Her crop was empty this morning.
Weather hasn't changed dramatically.

It doesn't sound quite like coccidiosis, and since I didn't feel an egg or any hardness in her belly, I'm not sure what to guess next! I greatly appreciate any suggestions and thoughts!!
 
It is hard to know exactly what her problem is. Has she laid any eggs herself? At this age some may have problems with a reproductive disorder, heart problem, liver disease, or other infection. Try getting her to drink some water, and get a food vitamin electrolyte drench such as Poultry Cell or Poultry NutriDrench that you can give orally 2 ml daily. Offer some scramblespd bits of egg, wet chicken feed to get more fluids into her, and canned cat food pate is also good.

I would separate her in a wire dog crate with food and water for observation, to keep track of her droppings, and to see how much she is eating. Look for any lice or mites on her skin under her vent, wings, or neck.

Offer water and food often with a scoop or amall cup up to her beak. If possible ask your vet if they can test some droppings for coccidia and worms today. Corid for coccidiosis is very mild, and can be given in her water if coccidiosis might be a problem. I can give dosage if needed. Worming with Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer is also safe. Let us know how she gets along.
 
Thank you so much, Eggcessive! It is really frustrating not being able to diagnose them better. Dogs are much easier!
I have Corid so will start giving it to her just in case, as well as your other suggested foods and liquids. We have an "infirmary" cage inside the coop so will put her in there. THANK YOU!
 
While on Corid, do not use any vitamin B1 thiamine while on the Corid, but it is okay before and after treatment. Corid dosage is 2 tsp of the liquid, or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water for 5-7 days.
 
Thank you again! I gave her a straight dose of Corid yesterday afternoon and also added it to the water. She seems to be doing better today tho still not back to normal -- she wasn't lagging behind the crowd when I threw out scratch like she did yesterday, and her tail was up part of the time, which it wasn't yesterday. I did notice her earlobe looks pale compared to the others. We'll isolate her today to be sure she's eating and drinking.
 
Hello there,

Glad to hear she's feeling a little perkier! I wanted to chime in and say that if she's getting treated with Corid and is running with the other gals, then you should consider doing a low dose for all the birds as its a very easy communicable illness.

Also, I was wondering what the temp is like where you're at? I have some pullets in the same age group as yours, and when we got our first cold snap 2 of them decided to be sluggish loners and freak me out for 2 days until they got acclimated. Food for thought.
 
I put Corid in the communal water and will keep it up for a week, thanks.
Right now, it's nice and warm here (Central Texas), similar to most of our weather lately, so that's not it. We get a cold front this weekend, so hoping that doesn't worsen her condition. Still not sure the Corid is curing her, but I'm hoping it will be that easy!
 
Good news! I just checked on her. She let me pick her up, but after a few seconds, she started flapping and fighting to get down, which she absolutely has not been doing! So I'm calling it for coccidiosis, and sending huge gratitude to Eggcessive for pointing me in the right direction! Piminuse, I'm just as grateful to you for pitching in! This is such a great community. Have a great weekend, everyone!
 

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