Molting and Sick?

[HeatherKellyB]

She weighs 5lbs5ozs

 

[HeatherKellyB]

With the last little bit of egg, I mixed in some Purina Flock Raiser Crumbles and warm water. She eating more now

 

[azygous]

Golf ball size is normal size for during the day. Unless you have some reason to believe she has a crop disorder, I would let her eat as much as she wishes. The crop will expand to accommodate it. You'll be checking it in the morning and will catch evidence of a crop issue.

It is a good sign she is eating. Unless she has something else going on, she should respond very quickly to the extra feedings.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Here are Sue's poops from overnight. I've got 500mg Amoxicillin capsules ready if advised @azygous
@Wyorp Rock

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Her crop is small and squishy. Noticeable size difference from last night. I believe it's probably ping pong ball sized so I feel like it's moving but maybe slow due to whatever is going on.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Other than amoxicillin, I also have Enrofloxacin, a Sulfa drug and some expired cipro. Her flockmates seem to be doing well but I need to check their poops.

 

[azygous]

Please describe her behavior. Behavior is more important than poop or crop size to gauge her well being. If she is alert, bright-eyed, vocal, moving quickly when stimulated by external activity, shows eager interest in food, then she is going to be fine without an antibiotic.

If she is droopy, quiet, eyes dull and tired, uninterested in food, she needs the antibiotic since she probably has more going on than just weakness from hunger brought on by molt.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

She's always been a slow mover if that makes sense. She'll just mosey around like she's got all the time she'll ever need and that's been exacerbated by the molt. She's eating her leftovers from last night (wet egg and flock raiser crumbles) and pecking at the dry crumble mix that she scattered all over the floor last night, before going into the crate, although she doesn't seem very hungry. This is her latest poop which still doesn't look great, but there are 2 small formed pieces. She's a tough one to figure out. She's not puffed up and in a corner so that's an improvement, but she's just causing concern. @azygous

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hard to know whether she needs antibiotics or not.
I think I would push fluids today, get a bit of yogurt into along with a small amount of soaked feed. Vitamins given direct dose would be good too.
Re-check the crop again in the morning.
My Barred Rocks always seemed to have a really hard time with molt and usually went off feed for a few days. For me I gave them soaked feed with buttermilk and added b-complex. They seemed to like that.
Everyone does things differently.

 

[aart]

I'd give her another day or two before going to AB's.
But then I would never give AB's.