My Poor Australorp

[Bugseye]

My Australorp is eight months old and has not so far appeared to be robust, except in size. I suspect she is my non-layer out of the six. Her comb and wattles are diminutive and purplish. I don't know what to make of that. Today I returned her to the run by dropping her from my arms, and she sort of plopped down. When I came back, she was fluffed up and not moving. That surprised me because I think she can fly some and roosts with the rest at night (Or maybe she uses the ramp?). After a while, I became more concerned, so put her in a box in a back room. She is drinking like she just came out of the desert and is eating, so must be basically okay, I think. But should I be concerned about the appearance of her comb? If she does well tonight, I think I'll move her to the garage for a day (45-50 degrees) and then put her back in the coop. I hope the image will download. What are your thoughts?

 

[Bugseye]

Oh, and she was opening and closing her beak steadily.

 

[Eggcessive]

How is she doing today? Could she have been injured when you dropped her? Chickens can get sprains and injuries easily. I'm hoping that she was better today. Sorry we were so late in answering your posts.

 

[Bugseye]

Thank you for inquiring. Miss Henny Penny has now had two days of seclusion in her very own cardboard condo, and it appears to have done her good. She is not as agile as my Sex Links, who love to fly and have jumping contests. So dropping her likely injured her. My remaining questions are about her tiny, purply comb and green poop (!). She'll be going back to the flock today, under observation, of course. And she is my one non-layer. Maybe she'll get going in spring.

 

[Bugseye]

Well, I take that back. I just spent the better part of an hour cleaning her butt feathers of green glop. Got house guest arriving today, things to do, and feeling ignorant about what to do for Miss Henny Penny. She's eating and drinking. She's in the garage until I figure this out. Comments welcome!

 

[The Kibble Goddess]

I hate messing with poopy butts. I would try giving her an Epsom Salts flush (see Google for instructions), rest her gut 12 hours, then start her on some yogurt. That will clean her system out and start repopulating it with good flora. Be sure to have her confined on some real absorbent bedding 'cause when that flush goes through her, it will make one heck of a mess. Don't worry about her comb at this point. There's nothing you can do to make them start laying. It is not unusual for these larger breeds to take longer to come into lay. I would also get a heat lamp on her. If she's not feeling well it allows her energy to go into recovering rather than just keeping warm.
Also, to quickly clean poopy butts, put several inches of warm water and Epsom Salts in a Rubbermaid container, put the chicken in to soak for 20 minutes, then wearing rubber gloves work the poops out of her feathers. Rinse in warm water, wrap in a towel to blot up the excess water, then blow dry on low. I used to put my one girl in the container and put the lid on it so nothing would disturb her 'spa treatment.' Most of the time they get real relaxed. But be careful. Had a rooster one time that got so relaxed he slid right under!
Hope this advice is of some value.

 

[Eggcessive]

Darkish combs may be a sign that she is not getting enough oxygen to her heart. It could be because she has some sickness going on. I would worm her with Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer 1/2 ml given orally, then repeat in 10 days. Then I would pick up some Probios Dispersible Powder at your feed store, and use it in the water according to directions. It will work better than yogurt which could cause more diarrhea. Green stools can signify that she is not eating well. Feed her chicken feed mixed with a little water to make it soupy. Offer some scrambled or raw egg.

 

[Bugseye]

Thank you to both of you. I have gone shopping for these items, with limited success, so will go on trying to get what my gal needs. She is certainly enjoying eating without competition. The poultry person at the feed store thinks she needs a run of Terramycin. I'll treat as best I can and monitor her. I couldn't find an appropriate dewormer or probiotic, unfortunately. It soounds as if I need to find and keep them ibn the chicken pharmacy.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are 2 links from the same place for Valbazen and Probios. They also have SafeGuard Equine Paste there, if you would want to use it instead of the Valbazen. Dosage is a pea sized amount given orally once and repeat in 10 days. They don't carry the SafeGuard Liquid in small amounts.

http://www.kvsupply.com/valbazen-su...3&cadevice=c&gclid=CLO6g7_tssICFWho7Aod6XwAow

http://www.kvsupply.com/search?do=s&type=P&terms=fenbendazole

http://www.kvsupply.com/probios-dispersible-powder-240-gm

 

[Bugseye]

Oh, I see that my reply didn't make it to posting. Thank you SO much for the help. It's been crazy here, but I am feeding her pretty well and don't want to worm her until I have probiotics in house, unless she shows marked downturn. She is loving the special attention and special food. I'm keeping an eye on her until she appears quite stabilized.