NEE HELP ASAP very sick chicken

[skjoller97]

hi my brahma recently got very lethargic and doesn't like to open her eyes. she won't eat or drink unless i give it to her by hand. she poops out what looks to be the inside of an egg but has black stuff in it and a little white. I've been giving her Sulmet (antibacterial medicine) and i can't tell if its helped yet. she is a little shaky and i think she's lost weight. she is only about a year. any thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Could you post a picture of her poop? Is she laying eggs? Some hens will pass cooked egg looking material in their stool, especially if they are internal layers, or have egg yolk peritonitis. Is it like that? One year old is pretty young for those reproductive problems, but I think it is still possible. Many people use penicillin injectable or oral baytril to treat EYP. although it may only give short-term help. Here are some links to read:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/526089/egg-yolk-peritonitis

 

[skjoller97]

 

[skjoller97]

she has not layed

 

[Eggcessive]

That doesn't look normal. I think it could be possible that she may have E.coli or egg yolk peritonitis, from the bright yellow poops. Would it be possible for your vet to check a stool sample for E.coli, or possibly for cecal worms which can cause blackhead (rare in chickens, more common in turkeys?) I will ask a couple of friends for an opinion. Here is a link about chicken poop pictures: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html

 

[skjoller97]

thank you. thats the only time its looked like that now they are more solid and just yellow and black

 

[casportpony]

The poop is definetly not normal. If you can, it would be best to get your chicken to a vet. Many things can cause poop like that and most would require different types of medications. Additionally, if your chicken isn't drinking and eating it will need to be tube fed, which I can teach you how to do, but you would have to find a tube and syringe.

Read the tube feeding link in my sig.

-Kathy

 

[skjoller97]

yes, I've been tube feeding her since i already have the syringe. what do you think about worms? someone said thats why she could be getting thinner

 

[casportpony]

Worms are what I like to rule out first, so when I have one with abnormal poop, worming with Safeguard is one of the first things I do. I also have blackhead here, so quite often I will also give them metronidazole (Flagyl, Fish-Zole, Meditrich). What antibiotics do you have?

Your hen is a large hen, so she should be getting 60-120ml of fluids and fluids and food several times a day. How much have you been tubing?

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

What does her poop look like since you started tube feeding?

-Kathy