Need Help With Sick Egyptian Fayoumi Hen

[microchick]

She stood up in the pen for awhile and YAAAYYYYYY she pooped! Runny and stinky but if she is getting rid of a parasite load I'm not surprised.

I gave her a second dose of Safe Guard and got water down her along with a few bites of scrambled egg. Letting her rest now.

Prolly will worm for both coccidia and with Safe Guard when things have settled down.

Regarding Marek's. I did belt and suspenders with the Fayoumis when I got them and had them vaccinated also. This bird is one of my original girls so I'm hopeful that MD isn't the cause of this.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your sick birds. Botulism, mold, or lead toxin sounds possible. Compost beds can harbor dying vegetation, critters, and maggots. The crop issue is probably related to the paralysis. Botulism starts in the feet, then legs, body, wings, nexk, etc following the spinal nerves. It makes aense that intestines, gizzard, and crop function are affected. I have read that it is hard to diagnose botulism with a necropsy. But if it is mold or lead, you might be able to get a diagnosis with a state vet pathologist doing the necropsy.

 

[microchick]

Thanks, @Eggcessive.

I haven't discounted the possibility of Botulism given the wet spring and summer we have been having.

Usually I pile the old bedding outside the pop door in the run and then DH comes in with the tractor and buckets the debris out and spreads it on the pasture.

This year I cleaned the coop then it rained and rained and rained and rained some more. In the mean time the birds were out scratching around in the litter like it was all new to them. Naturally there is food debris in it so in all honesty I'm surprised one didn't show up with problems before now.

Several years ago I had a couple of hens show up being really thin about this same time of the year. Traced it to earth worms they had been digging up in the run after similar rains.

So could it be parasites? Capillary worms? Yeah, could it be Botulism from eating contaminated maggots they were digging out of the compost? Yeah. Could it be sour crop/candida infection due to capillary worms? Yeah. Could it be all of the above. Unfortunately yeah.

The fact that she is showing improvement today after her second dose of Safe guard is encouraging. She is fighting me now when I give her water or stuff food balls in her mouth. Last round had me wearing as much chick food as she got in her so I'm hopeful that I am at least on the right track.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she's fighting and showing some improvement.
I think you are covering the bases. Hopefully she will get better.

 

[seminolewind]

Microchick, I think you're doing everything you can. And alot of good advice was given. The only thing I can say is to send the next dead body to an animal disease lab. I always felt that the dead birds I sent to the lab were protection for the flock as well.

 

[microchick]

Sadly, Chica died this morning after rallying yesterday.

I was with her. It happened suddenly and she went peacefully.

I won't send her body in and I chose not to open her myself. We all did our best to save her but when I saw her this morning I knew she wasn't going to make it as she wouldn't drink any water for me even if I put it directly in her mouth.

She had decided enough. I briefly left the feed room, came back and she was on her side actively dying. She passed several minutes later with my hand on her petting her.

Sometimes you do all you can do and God says no. Old saying in medicine that if you have your hand on the patient's left shoulder you might as well move it because God has his hand on the right shoulder and God always wins.

The rest of my flock seems to be healthy and symptom free. I have no idea what killed Chica and the little rooster but I have the feeling that whatever it was it wasn't going to be cured. And as much as my curiosity would like to know what killed them, I can't justify the 200+ dollars our local Mizzou university veterinary lab charges to do a necropsy on a bird. I think the last time I checked was almost 7 years ago and it was something like 250 dollars with full blood and tissue analysis. It is undoubtedly higher now and outside our retirement budget.

So my thanks to all who tried their best to help Chica. I told her she had a lot of good people rooting for her. You all are the best.

 

[pennyJo1960]

So sorry Sis

 

[microchick]

Thank you little sis. Consider yourself hugged.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear about Chica.

 

[microchick]

Thank you Wyorp Rock.

DH and I once dabbled in keeping sheep. Early on we talked to a friend who was a veterinarian who raised and showed sheep and we asked him for any sage advice he could give us.

Yes, he said, dig a hole because sheep LOVE to die.

He was right they do.

Early on I learned that chickens love to die even more than sheep do.

But still when one gets sick, we have to try, don't we?