My 10 week old is GASPING!!She is looking better!!! *New pics*

[RoxyOtis]

My ten week old pullet is gasping for air and has a bad rattle in her chest/nose( I can't tell where it is coming from). She doesn't has no discharge from her eyes or nose. I gave her a dose of teremyacin tonight. She has gotten worse over the course of the day. Is this all I can do for ehr or is there anything else I can do? She is VERY small, hasn't grown since we got her. She was approx. 6 weeks old on Aug. 1st, 2008. She only weighs about 4 oz. I am very worried about her!!

 

[redhen]

i dont know...heres a bump up...good luck, Wendy

 

[RoxyOtis]

I don't know if it will help but here are some pics.....

This is the day we got her(She was approx. 6 weeks old)

This shot was taken today to show how she isn't growing.

This is a shot of her face showing that her eyes and nose are clear and no discharge.

This is showing the loss of feathers on here chest( right where her crop is located)

I hope this helps.......oh yeah she is not a free range chicken I have her in tractor during the day outside and she is in a large cage at night while she is sick.

Any info would be helpful.

 

[jenni2142]

tylan 50 would be better than the terramycin. when my bird was that size it was 1/8 cc under the skin in the back of the neck. not sure for how long though, maybe someone else would know. maybe she is not growing because of a problem with vitamin absorption. mine had it. i used this recipe for a couple of weeks and now she is growing like a weed. this is sc's recipe from her site. my chick loved it and it worked. i hope this helps.
Feed the birds three times a day for three days a mixture of

This mixture is what you will need for the entire three feeds…. It is not 3 egg yolks and 3 teaspoons of honey etc…. divide the contents into three

½ to 1 x egg yolk….. give the whites to the other hens mixed into their seed or pellets (depends a lot on the size of the egg yolk)

1 teaspoon honey…. .given for energy

2 x tablespoons yoghurt…. Given for calcium and also to make the bowel go back into normal production after this upset
Only use the plain yoghurt never the one with fruit or extra sugar in it, not good for the bird

¼ teaspoon calcium powder (if you can’t get the yoghurt)

3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats…. To give substance to the feed, or use chicken crumbles or layer pellets but soften them with some boiling water first

Sprinkle of multi vitamin powder (only if you are not already giving it to them in their drinking water, don’t overdose) just a few grains will usually be enough for this size mixture

2 to 4 table spoons of apple sauce or grated apple, it must be grated not chopped up for ease of digestion

Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny

 

[dlhunicorn]

You have not said what you are feeding her but I assume it is an age appropriate commercial feed...your bird looks very pale and malnourished (not saying that is your fault > on the contrary there are a couple things known to cause malabsorption > this means no matter what/how much she eats she is not absorbing the nutrition from it which is why you need to supplement and concentrate the nutrition)
When a bird feels ill then it will often stop drinking and eating (enough)... put electrolyes/vitamins in her water and give three or four drops of POLYVISOL Enfamil once a day for a week then taper off the next. If you can possibly do so then go to the pet store and in the bird section get some baby parrot handfeeding formula...this is a powder you mix with water... make that into a porridge consistency and mix in with her feed till it clumps (this will concentrate the nutrition and the moistened feed will also help with dehydration).
I would also order Avia Charge 2000 from McMurray (it is only available online) as this is one of the most complete poultry supplements I know of all in the correct ratios and add that to her feed also when it arrives.

 

[RoxyOtis]

Thank You so much!!! I will try both of these suggestions. She is still alive this morning.

Do I get Tyaln 50 at the feed store?

 

[sammi]

Tylan 50 is available at most farm/feed/livestock stores in the livestock section..
you'll need syringes and needles..

 

[chickenannie]

Have you fed her grit? (Small stones) That may be contributing to malnutrition.
Grit is crucial for a chicken to digest food. Hens that free range eat tiny stones off the ground, but if the hens are in a pen, they need to be fed grit.

 

[mypicklebird]

What has she been eating in the last month? Some chicks are born with something wrong and do not thrive, and fade out in a week or so, but for her to come to you at 6 weeks- and not get bigger over the next 4 weeks is odd. Do you have other chickens, or just her? If you have others, are they all ok?

If she is not eating a *fresh new bag* commercial chick starter (not scratch), get her on that asap.

Where did she come from? A commercial hatchery, feed store, or neighbor/friend?

If this is a weak bird from from a dietary problem, the respiratory problem may clear up on it's own as the bird gains strength. If she does not have oral, nasal or eye discharge, this probably is not an infection. It may be mucus in a weak bird. If she does not have a *bacterial* infection, antibiotics will not help her, and giving her tylan injections is just going to add pain and stress to her already tenuous existence.

From the photos- she really looks like some of the chicks I have seen that have been fed only or too much scratch or old/stale vitamin depleted starter.

Is her beak flexible, ie can you bend the end?
jess

 

[RoxyOtis]

I made the recipe jennie mentioned and she loves it! I have had them on starter mash and they also get scratch. Maybe she eats to much scratch?? She has had access to grit but I don't know if she uses it often enough. I will not start tylan 50 yet.

I got her from a feed store here in Modesto. I have other chickens that are fine.

She also gets greens, yogurt, fruits, vegtables, etc.

Her beak is not flexible.

I will get her a new bag of starter, maybe the one I got is old.

Thanks for the advice