My baby is ill-- repeated head shaking and weight loss

[fluffoffeathers]

My 1 year old chicken has had inexplicable symptoms for a few months now. She keeps shaking her head over and over and again. Click here to see a video:

• Additionally, she has no appetite and has lost a lot of weight over the past few months
• She is not eggbound.
• She has been treated with Coccid with no improvement in her condition
• She does not have mites/ticks/fleas
• There have been no new birds introduced to the flock since her symptoms. We live far, far away from any other poultry
• Her crop is empty (she hardly eats)

She just sits there, listless and without energy and no appetite. She doesn't do her normal activities and is always laying down and it is so unlike her. I've ruled out sour crop because her crop is sadly empty most of the time and it feels normal to the touch. Her stool is completely normal with no sign of parasites. She has only had contact with wild birds and I wonder if they could have passed something on to her.

What could be causing this, and what medication can I give her to treat this? Please help me save my beloved feathered friend!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It look slike something neurological. I would wonder if she might have injured her head at some time, or she might have something like Mareks disease. You might try giving her vitamins and a little bit of egg or tuna daily for some selenium. Was she vaccinated for Mareks?

 

[fluffoffeathers]

She's already been vaccinated and receives regular vitamins.

 

[fluffoffeathers]

Has no one else had this problem with their chickens??

 

[callieisspooky]

I hope you find an answer soon. Did she see a vet?

 

[fluffoffeathers]

We don't have any avian or agricultural vets near my area.

 

[fluffoffeathers]

Does anyone have antibiotic recommendations?

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you checked her ears for mites with a QTip, or for swelling? How does her crop feel? Is it empty, full, soft or hard? Does it empty overnight, and do you smell a bad odor from her beak? I can't recommend an antibiotic without knowing the cause of her head shaking. Does she have any signs of a respiratory infection, such as eye or nasal drainage, sneezing, rattly breathing or gasping?

 

[fluffoffeathers]

Her ears are negative for mites and have no swelling.

Her crop empties overnight-- and she only eats enough to survive. There is no hardness or squishyness. I can't detect any odor from her beak or mouth. Lately, her stool looks off-color, I see a lot more yellow and watery consistency than normal.

No nose or eye drainage. She does click her beak together, almost like just after eating something.

 

[aSliceOfLife]

Mine is doing a similar thing, but not shaking her head as much. She too has lost a lot of weight. And I noticed that her face around her eyes has gone white. She is drinking water and eating, but obviously not enough. But while watching her, I noticed that it looks like she is trying to poop but can't. And I put her into a private huge cage last night and couldn't find any poop in it this morning. My Black Sex Link is only two years old, so I'm sure it's not just her system breaking down from old age. And she also clicks her beak together, but without having to eat first.

Add on: I just noticed that her legs are cold too. But she will grasp at my fingers with her toes so they are not lame.

It seems like this posting has no recent replies, so I'm trying to see if anyone else can think of what this could be. Thank you!