Little Hen seems tired and listless

[Poonchie's Mama]

Well, I gave the worm treatment, now she seems to be gaping. I dont know what to do.

 

[kinnip]

Which wormer did you use? How did you administer it? Is she having difficulty breathing, or just opening her mouth?

 

[sammi]

yes.. what wormer did you use?
what dose?

BTW...intestinal cocci doesn't always show blood..
has she been exposed to new chickens?
does she free range?
are any others having odd droppings?
please go back to my previous post and see the questions.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

I used Wazine 17. And I put it in the water. I believe I put 30ml for one gallon water. I wormed everyone.
They free range for a few hours in the afternoon until they return home.
I did notice a green like, green grass colored poo in the run. I dont know who it came from.
My husband checked her crop this morning and said it was empty.
Any suggestions on what to do?

 

[kinnip]

Is she still showing symptoms? Wazine Kills roundworms, so if that was the problem she should be fine. If it was another type of worm or parasite, she'll need a different treatment. Green poo usually indicates a lack of feed intake, or poor digestion if it contains undigested food particles. The green is undiluted bile. If the crop is empty that rules out impaction, which really brings us back to parasites. Are any of the other birds looking ill?

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Everyone else looks fine! I will take a look at her when I get home from work, and post an update.

 

[sammi]

I'd treat for cocci is her droppings are caramel colored and runny..
acting sleepy
lack of appetite
cold.
keep her somewhere arm away from draft and wet.

you don't need to give both Amprol and Sulmet.
does the Amprol have the proper dose on it?
what percentage amprolium is it?

is she thin?

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Well, now I really dont know what to do. I have antibiotics (which the vet recommended over the phone) and I have Sulmet and Amprolium. Which should I administer? Just her or the whole flock? How much?

 

[kinnip]

Until you definitively diagnose the problem, there's no way to know which treatment to use. If you have a vet who's willing to see a chicken, that's probably where you should head. Too many different medications will make her sick, if not dead. Caramel coloured poo is not a sign of cocci. This has been going on long enough that there should be blood in the feces. Without isolating her, you won't be able to observe her and her droppings well enough to make a correct diagnosis. If the problem is bacterial or viral, some of the others should be showing symptoms. The sick hen would also have some other symptoms, some of which may be quite subtle. If listlessness and the possibility of weird poo are the only symptoms, it's almost certainly parasites. Wazine only treats a very limited number of roundworm species. I don't even keep it around for that reason. I'd rather use a broad spectrum wormer like Eprinex. Ivomec is also good, but you have to be careful, it can be lethal, even in small doses. Neither Eprinex or Ivomec is approved for use in chickens and Wazine's approval is endangered. The harsh reality is that there isn't much research done on chicken medications. Most sources suggest culling at the first sign of illness. Because we are all weirdos who are emotionally attached to mere chickens, we have to go the extra mile researchers won't in order to diagnose and treat our animals. A vet who is willing to see a chicken is a rarity. If you have access to one, by all means take advantage of it.

 

[Lunachick]

Hi Poonchie, I hope you figure out the problem with your hen. I kinda have something similar going on. My hen stopped laying 5/6 days ago, but I felt her lower area not really knowing what I'm feeling, seemed ok, her poo has been bright (think spinach) green with white. And small too, so I know she's not eating enough, but she isn't interested either. I think she is being bullied by the others for her previous behavior of stealing snacks out of their beaks. She was getting good at it too, until they decided that she can't do that anymore to the point of constant poking at her and keeping her away from her normal feed. (She will eat small offerings from me of her favorite things) My hen also stops where she is to take little mini naps, more than usual. Is yours doing the same thing?

Hope I didn't steal your thread, but your situation sounded very similar to mine.

I'm getting a little worried myself at this point.