Need help.. Sick & lethargic

[casportpony]

Thanks for the reply. We have a 2nd sick bird. Not as sick, but walked into the pen this am and observed him laying down, slow to rise, and not wanting to get out and about. I grabbed him, stood him up, and he stood, but his wings were droopy, and he was lethargic. We grabbed him up and started him on electrolytes and put in some Tetracycaline with the water. His droppings were normal, and have become a little runny after the electrolytes.

We've noticed that the birds that we get from reputable breeders don't have the problems that these guys do. Is there a good inoculation drug that we can give them sorta like what they get shipped with? They're approximately 6mos old.

We are quite good at giving horses shots, but no idea about how to give a bird a shot. I'm going to check YouTube to see if I can get started there, and any input on your part would be appreciated. What antibiotic would you recommend?

According to my avian vet, treatment for blackhead/histomoniasis is Metronidazole (Flagyl or Fish-Zole), 30mg/kg once a day my mouth for 5 days and de-worming with Safeguard for Goats/Cattle (fenbendazole 100mg/ml), .5cc/kg by mouth and repeat in ten days. The faster you start treatment, the less likely you are to have the secondary bacterial and/or fungal infections and death.

If you can, get your birds in a place where you can see all of their droppings. I've had blackhead outbreaks where some of the poops were yellow, some had a little blood, some had a lot of blood and some that looked almost normal. This link has poop photos - All but the poops on the paper towel were from peachicks with blackhead: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/719075/lightbox/
All of the chicks were treated as I stated above, and all survived.
These are photos of another chick with blackhead: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/714542/lightbox/

If you can, get to a vet ASAP and get some Metronidazole and ask them if you should give an additional antibiotic and/or anti-fungal.

 

[casportpony]

She died this afternoon, but so that I may know how to address this in the future, I'd like to step through this in the event the other 3 are sick.

Sorry for your loss.

I got to her late, and immediately started electrolytes and water.
She had runny yellowish poop.

Classic Blackhead

Wings were drooped.

Sign of sick bird

Laying down.

Sign of sick bird.

Gaping every 30-45 seconds.

Often part of the dying process.

Distressed breathing.

Often part of the dying process.

Pupils were dilated severely, and her eyes were listless, and she wasn't wanting to open them.

Coma, I think.

Weather in Phoenix has gotten chilly at night.

Bring inside and give access to heat source.

They are living and free ranging with the chickens until our big coop is built for them. We are planning on separating them.
It's possible, but unlikely that she ate something toxic. They free range, but we don't have a lot of critters running around right now.

@Glenmar, thanks. After looking into it, is going from healthy to dead in under 24 hours consistent with a parasite/worm?

It can be with blackhead.

If anyone knows a breeder here in Phx that I can get a few more from once we figure out what we've got and how to deal with it, and the new coop is finished, it would be appreciated.

 

[casportpony]

Both Coccidiosis and Blackhead can kill quickly as peafowl can hide symptoms fairly well. Both of these diseases are more prevalent in younger birds.

The yellow droppings sounds like Blackhead to me. The medication would be Metronidazole (Flagyl). If one has(had) it the others might also. You may want to consider treatment of all of them. You certainly want to be be worming young birds regularly if they are on the ground.

As a side note, with both of the problems discussed above, what actually kills the bird tends to be both the disease and secondary problems/infections. Having an antibiotic handy and introducing it by injection at the first signs of distress can help save a bird and buy time for the treatment of the root cause problem.

X2 on all the above.

 

[casportpony]

More suggestions... Weigh each bird daily when you suspect an illness. My 5 month olds put on about 20 grams a day except when they are sick, so any weight loss is a cause for concern. Can you send your deceased bird for a necropsy?

 

[PeaDaddy]

Thanks for all of the responses.

The second one died last night after spending the day fighting with the illness. We started him on Terramyacin early yesterday, and went to the vet at 4pm. He was doing well, and then not so well, doing well, and not so well, and at the vet, he started the steady decline. We started fluids, and did an injection of Baytril. I don't recall why we did Baytril vs Metronidazol, but it had something to do with the vet thinking it was bacterial vs parasitic.

At 8:45, he started crying loudly, and when I picked him up, he died. We are going to necropsy him to see what he died from. I'm not sure I can deal with having something like this tear through my flock. Pretty frustrated.

The other two appear to be doing well, but weighing them is an excellent idea, and on your suggestion, just did it.
George- M- 5.5 mos old- 1721G
T.G. - F - 5.5 mos old- 1624
Are these weights normal for age and sex?
They appear to be fine. We put the Terramyacin in EVERYBODY'S waters yesterday.

I spent $100 at the vet, and found it $100 very well spent. I learned A LOT about these guys, and hopefully we are well enough prepared to combat any future occurrences.

I'm posting some pics I shot of them the day before they got sick in the "Show Off Your Peas" thread.

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks for all of the responses.

The second one died last night after spending the day fighting with the illness.
Sorry for your loss.

We started him on Terramyacin early yesterday, and went to the vet at 4pm. He was doing well, and then not so well, doing well, and not so well, and at the vet, he started the steady decline. We started fluids, and did an injection of Baytril. I don't recall why we did Baytril vs Metronidazol, but it had something to do with the vet thinking it was bacterial vs parasitic.
Baytril is the "big gun" of antibiotics, but it won't resolve a blackhead problem.

At 8:45, he started crying loudly, and when I picked him up, he died.
They often do this right before they die.

We are going to necropsy him to see what he died from.
That's what I do, but I don't wait to start treatment when I think it's blackhead.

I'm not sure I can deal with having something like this tear through my flock. Pretty frustrated.
I would treat the rest with Metronidazole with no less than 30mg/kg one a day for five days.

The other two appear to be doing well, but weighing them is an excellent idea, and on your suggestion, just did it.
George- M- 5.5 mos old- 1721G
T.G. - F - 5.5 mos old- 1624
Are these weights normal for age and sex?
According to my data, no, and you should see daily weight gain. Any loss is cause for concern.
These were weighed yesterday.
Hatched 6-23, M - 2420g, F - 2388g
Hatched 7-23, F- 2378g, F - 2190g
Hatched 8-4, F - 1750g
Hatched 8-23, M - 1755g

They appear to be fine. We put the Terramyacin in EVERYBODY'S waters yesterday.
Peafowl often don't show symptoms until it's too late. At this age, mine still put on about 20 grams of weigh a day, so if yours aren't gaining weight, I'd be willing to bet that they are sick. Seems that blackhead kills the older ones much slower.

I spent $100 at the vet, and found it $100 very well spent. I learned A LOT about these guys, and hopefully we are well enough prepared to combat any future occurrences.
Call you vet and tell him that you want to treat the rest for blackhead. If he won't sell you the drugs, overnight some Fish-zole and treat the two with that. You also need to get Safeguard for Goats, but you can get that at TSC.

I'm posting some pics I shot of them the day before they got sick in the "Show Off Your Peas" thread.

Thanks for all of your help.

 

[casportpony]

Some may think that I'm too outspoken about blackhead, but the last time someone here posted about a a chick that had yellow poop, I didn't say what I thought and that chick died. Would it have died anyway? Probably, it also had systemic E. coli and fungal infections.

 

[casportpony]

The other two appear to be doing well, but weighing them is an excellent idea, and on your suggestion, just did it.
George- M- 5.5 mos old- 1721G
T.G. - F - 5.5 mos old- 1624
Are these weights normal for age and sex?
They appear to be fine. We put the Terramyacin in EVERYBODY'S waters yesterday.

How much did the two that died weigh?

 

[casportpony]

I weighed the peas again this morning. Listed are DOB, sex, current weight and difference from yesterday.

6-23 , M, 2458g, +38g
6-23, F, 2450g, +62g
7-23, F, 2435g, +57g
7-23, F, 2268g, +78g
8-4, F, 1803g, +53g
8-23, M, 1791, +36g

Hope this helps.

 

[AugeredIn]

Whether the rest have blackhead already is not significant. What is significant is that there is obviously a source of the disease in their environment. They will eventually ingest the carrier. In my opinion the terramyacin is not highly effective for bacterial infections in peas.