Lethargy?

[warhorse]

What might be the cause of illness with the only symptom being lethargy?

I have an araucana about two months old that was in with a dozen marans on a "brooder coop" on my backporch for the last month. It is protected on two sides with a heatlamp and I used "recycled newspaper pellets" for litter. Yesterday, I moved them out to the outside tractor which is 4x8 with a 2x4 protected coop and roosts but mostly chickenwire. Everyone seemed very happy with the grass and dirt, but would not roost in the coop. They huddled together on the ground. The low last night was 58. One of the marans had a cough this morning and I took him out. This little araucana spent most of today sleeping; standing with his head shrunk into his shoulders and also sprawled out on the ground in the sun. When aroused, he would walk around somewaht normal but go right back to sleep quickly. I saw him "peck at" scratch a little and dip his beak in the water, but I didn't get the impression that he ate or drank enough. I took him in the house this evening and wiped his head down with VetRx. There is no cough, no eye goop, no nose goop, no gaping... just lethargy.... possibly fever. His feet felt warm, but I don't know what is "normal" as I am a bad mommy and I don't hold my chickens very often. I put him back in the backporch brooder by himself tonight with the heatlamp, and I will go out and put the other Rhodes scholars in the coop manually tonight. I was going to mix up some sulfa to give him, but I am at a loss as to what it might be. I did notice his poopy when I put him in the isolation coop was watery, but not frothy; it seemed to be "normal bits of poo" with clear water.

Also, is it possible to transfer diseases from chicken to human or human to chicken? I have had a horrible chest cold and felt extremely tired because of that... but I didn't know if there might be a connection. In the absense of other symptoms.... encephalitis comes to mind, but do chickens get that?

Thanks for any help.

 

[chookchick]

At that age the first thing that springs to mind is coccidiosis. The "head shrunk down" is what clues me in. Diarrhea is another sign, definitely if you see any sign of blood in poo. Look him over very carefully for any signs of crop impaction, parasites, etc.. But I would get them all started on Sulmet asap. Am I reading this right in that they did not have a heatlamp, and slept in the open all night? Make sure they have access to a heatlamp, until they are well, then wean them off of it. You might have to shove them into a new coop until they are used to it.

ETA--I have never heard of an illness transfetring from human to chicken.

 

[warhorse]

All the others are fine, besides the one with a cough that was removed this morning. Since I have put the little araucana by himself, his poops have been normal other than the first one with some water. I gave him some sulfa in his water and I've seen him eating starter and walking around looking for bits like normal. I was just out ther putting the other chickies in the roost, which played out like an unappealing game of "whack a mole", and now the isolated araucana is pacing in his coop wanting to be in with the others.

 

[warhorse]

Well, three days of isolation, heatlamp, sulfa, and DE he is 100% better. I ended up bringing his little female araucana friend with him after the first night, and now I have put them both out with the rest of their "clan" in the tractor. I'm thinking the watery poopies might have been from the green grass. Maybe the lethargy, too? Or, maybe a touch of a cold or something that just didn't have many other symptoms? Anyway, alls well that ends well.

It would have been rough if anything happened to him.. he is so personable.