Limp, barely responsive pullet.

[casportpony]

My bad, I forgot that she was 14 weeks old... How does her poop look and smell? Coccidiosis is always a concern when they are younger. If you can post some pictures of her poop, I might be able to tell you if it is. Chickens get many types and the different strains live in different parts of the intestines, so the more pictures you can get, the better. I've also noticed that birds with coccidiosis have very smelly poop. Treatment is amprolium (Corid), since Sulmet is only effective against two types that chickens get.

Kaytee Exact is what you want.

 

[Demosthine]

Her poop was not smelly, but it was extremely liquidity with same black tar-like solids.

We just got home and she was dead when I went to check on her. She was laying weird and stiff as a board. There was never any sign of discomfort, so I have no idea what happened.

But now I have some extra stuff on hand in case it happens again. I'll hit the Benadryl early next time.

Every beginner has a loss. Now to break the news to my wife...

 

[Poultry Couture]

I'm so so sorry for your loss! -hugs-

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I don't think you should ever just de-worm or give anti-biotics as a "precaution." They should only be used to treat a known condition. That is part of the reason that anti-biotics are failing on humans and they are having to use increasingly stronger doses. The bacteria are developing an immunity to the medication that we will soon be unable to treat.

In regard to the antibiotics? It's their misuse, most often, that results in the resistant strains (too low of a dosage, for too short of a time). Folks start to feel better, so they quite takin' the prescription, and the survivors have been 'innoculated' against yet another treatment.

And, this applies to the worms as well ... particularly in the case of Ivermectin, when used to spot-treat birds for external parasites. Bad idea.

But, when it comes to deworming as a precaution, I'm wondering just how you plan to determine your bird truly requires treatment, beyond the fact it's exhibiting outwardly visible symptoms that are indicative of infestation(s). Even the float tests performed by vets can do nothing more than confirm the presence of certain worms -- they can't absolutely rule 'em out 'til necropsy (which would be a rather silly way of findin' that they needed dewormed ~'-)

If you see no pieces of tapeworms, then you can rule those out as not being severe enough to be problematic ... that leaves all those others, and in all those other parts of your bird. Not that I'd overdo it, but Fenbendazole has been proven safe all the way up to a full gram per kilogram of body weight (that's 1000mg/kg of bw). I prefer using Fenbendazole at the minimum dosage rate of 20 mg/kg of body weight for three consecutive days, as this has been repeatedly proven to eliminates 'em in a manner that poses the least possible risk to any bird (even when they're extremely ill )-;~

:: edit ::
Sorry that I was runnin' behind the times -- and that you've lost your bird, actually prior to this post.

The use of Amprolium for coccidiosis is another exceptionally safe treatment, as it merely blocks the thiamine w/in the digestive system, to which coccidia are fifty times more sensitive than chickens are ...

Not that, of course, internal parasites are definitively the cause of this bird's death; it coulda been a number of things.

There will be losses w/in any flock, no matter how much knowledge or experience those managing them may have ... it's just a part of the way chickens were designed. So, after you deal w/ what you must, you return to doin' what you can, which is pretty much the same for any one of us on here.

 

[Mama Hen Chris]

I am so sorry that Sunshine didn't make it.