needin' the unicorn-- all input appreciated

[kinnip]

I have a BC Marans pullet who is roughly 15 weeks old. She shows no indication of sexual maturity, neither do her broodmates. This morning I didn't notice anything amiss when I let her out to the run. This afternoon she was standing with her head retracted and one eye persistently closed. About an hour later, I noticed she looked like she was dozing off periodically, too. I separated her from the flock and administered 3 drops of poly-vi-sol, a bit of water(she wasn't finding what I put out for her and wormed with 1/4 cc Eprinex. Her condition really resembled a parasitic infestation until a couple of hours ago when I realized that both eyes are shut, even when she's awaking and complaining. She does open them rarely and they look clear and appropriately dilated (no sign of conjunctivitis). It's apparent that she can see out of them, because she panicked when she saw the dog approaching. She's mostly sleeping, except the occasional growl. Her hackles keep lifting in the back of her neck, not all the way, but in a pulsating manner, like she's experiencing discomfort. Other than the sleepiness, the persistently closed eyes (photosensitivity) and the behaviours that indicate some kind of discomfort, she's in great condition. No feather ruffling, no weight loss, crop feels empty (I don't think she's been eating). She has not had a bowel movement since she's been inside.
I have been battling with scaly leg mites, so I know she has some parasites. Hopefully, the Eprinex will clear that up. Her irises are not grey and her pupils are dilated, so I doubt it's Marek's. I have been to another farm with poultry recently. There was no indication of illness there other than a CRD carrier. What I'm looking at here in no way resembles CRD, no discharge or watering of the eyes and no respiratory symptoms. I did spray my boots with bleach and change clothes when I got home, but I also brought home a dog who wasn't groomed for a day and a half. She really didn't go near the coop, but I did pet her on my way out. All in all, I'm not leaning toward infection from that route. I did leave a feeder out last night by mistake. There are a lot of large chicken farms around here, so wild birds are definitely suspect. Also possibly pertinent is whitewash. I dropped some in the run yesterday and the day before. She may have eaten some of it. It contained salt, water and hydrated lime (accepted as a safe insecticide in the coop, also found a study confirming it as a feed deterrent for avians). I think that about covers it. If you've made it this far, please feel free to contribute anything you got.

 

[kinnip]

Just got a massive watery, white, mucousy poo.

 

[Solsken Farm]

oh boy. I am so sorry. I can't help at all. You have done an excellent job taking stock of her condition. I hope dunicorn or someone comes on. Sounds like you really need to talk to a vet. Can you call your state extension service first thing in the am?

 

[spook]

Hang in there Kinnip! Some where there are reccomendations for aspirin. Perhaps she is in pain. Also, with the white bowel movement, that could be sign of kidney issues.
Do you have any antibiotic on hand? I wonder if it could help. Also, are you able to hold a spoon up to her beek with fluid in it so she will get fluids into her.
I certainly hope Unicorn or another mod can see this and have words of wisdom for you!

 

[kinnip]

Thanks. I'm hesitant to medicate her any more without knowing what's wrong. I got the number of an avian vet from my cats' vet, but I don't know if she'll see chickens. I'll try in the morning. The good news is that she's still complaining vocally and she just stood up like she was trying to find a place to go.

 

[kinnip]

Anyone have any experience with cryptosporidiosis?

 

[dlhunicorn]

Do not use aspirin with these symptoms (only indicated for pain such as leg pain etc.)
In re to your question re cryptosporidiosis (why do you ask>symptoms you believe are related to this other than what you have posted?) here is some basic info and based on what you have posted here it is not something I would have directly thought of:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/43/cryptosporidiosis
(excerpt)
"....Signs

Snick.
Cough.
Swollen sinuses.
Low weight gain.
Diarrhoea.

Post-mortem lesions
Sinusitis.
Airsacculitis.
Pneumonia. ...."

...please note the difference between diarrea and polyuria :
...diarrea will present with no form to the faecal portion...in other words a "pea soup"
... polyuria is excess water/fluid portion surrounding the faeces

...have you read my poo thread?
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=poos
....it is a lot of info but may help you define more specifically the symptoms and possible problem... an initial guess on my part with the little info you have posted would be some kind of enteral problem ... For enteral disease such as dysbacteriosis a low dosage of tylynol has been described as an effective treatment but I think we should first have a better look at the symptoms as you yourself have stated... need more info though

is there any unprocessed feed visible in the faeces?
What exactly are you /have you been feeding?
What is the housing environment and weather conditions/what bedding do you use/does this bird free range/tap or well water and is there any source of natural water such a pond or puddles?

Re the treatment of the scaley leg ... internal ivermectin/ivomec Eprinex is insufficient to treat the scaley legmite...it must be topically applied to the lesion (.1 or .2% solution... let it soak in then dip in oil... clean with chlorhexidine/novalsan or hibiscrub/hibiclens and use a soft brush to remove excess gunk after 36 hours and reapply the ivermectrin or eprinex once again to the lesions and dip in baby oil...)

 

[kinnip]

Thanks, I've been using the Eprinex all wrong, just putting on the back of the neck.
It is diarrhea. There are no solids. It's a clear and off-white, chalky liquid with lots of mucous. She's being fed Purina Flock Raiser, plain yogurt and some fruits and veggies. Sat. afternoon she ate some watermelon. I didn't see her eat on Sun. She's on pine shavings with a bit of DE at night in a hutch, the run is dirt. The hutch is dry, but it sits on the ground. She has no other source of water except the apple cider vinegar laced water I give (since last night she's been on plain water). She doesn't free range, but my BF often gives them grass and weed clippings. She is partial to eating insects.

I know the cryptosporidosis is a longshot, but it does explain the mucousy diarrhea, the the disinclination to move or eat, and the irritation in her eyelids (this was the first symptom I noticed). Her right eye seems worse than her left. She can open it, but won't open it all the way. Mostly she stands there with it closed even when the other is open and she clearly wants to look around. It really has me thrown because it's not swollen or draining, just irritated, or her eye is photosensitive.

She did do a lot of panting last night. It stopped when I turned the AC on her. Kind of weird since I was freezing.

Right now, she's up and down. She'll stand up like she's going somewhere, then doze off/zone out standing up. Her tail appears to be a little more erect, but that could be the perceived threat from the cats and dog (house critters). She's till uninterested in food and water. I'll be forcing some in her shortly and more poly-vi-sol. She didn't fight last night when I gave her the drops and some water via a syringe. She swallowed it all. Her food and water area so close to her I have difficulty believing that she can't find them, she just isn't interested. She does seem to be moving more this morning, but I could be imagining things, it's been a long night.

 

[kinnip]

Just a thought-- Is it possible that the diarrhea was caused by what she didn't eat yesterday and isn't an actual symptom? When I eliminate the diarrhea, I find myself back at mites, especially if some sort of anaphylaxis is at work. I wonder if the panting was due to inflammation in the throat or mouth.

 

[kinnip]

SHE'S EATING!!!!!!

O.k., she didn't eat much, but just showing interest is an improvement. I'm still wondering about that throat irritation, hmmm?