New BYC-er; are my chickens sick? Have you seen this before?

[Titania]

Hi,
so, I'm new to this as of this year. My first flock got eaten. My second flock is alot safer but they're young right now. They range from 2 weeks to 2 months old. yesterday when I was changing out water & food, I noticed a long, stringy, clear gooey thing. Kind of like clear snot. There was a considerable volume of it. I instantly checked all my chicks for any crusty noses and I didn't see any gooey noses or bubbly eyes. Could it have been vomit? Should I be worried? Could maybe one have over-drank because it was thirsty and then vomited it back up (like my dog does)? Or do I need to investigate the issue further?

More importantly, I have a buff orpington that always has cuts/lesions since it was 1 week old. I thought it had fallen and cut itself and kept inside for 3-4 days while I tended the cuts. They improved, but while washing its cut foot in warm water, the skin of its foot just came off. Literally, like I was boiling it or something. Anyway, sometimes it's got a red dot on an eyelid and can't open it. But, it'll be a different eye the next day. And now, it just always looks sooo beat up. Its legs, comb, nostrils and eyelids always are cracked, lesioned and bleeding.

Has anyone seen a chicken like this? Could it be pox? I'm inclined not to think so since it's the only chicken in the flock and is ALWAYS coming up with new lesions. Could it be some autoimmune disease? Suggestions? Ideas? I'd really appreciate some help on knowing what's wrong with this chick and what I can do for it. While it's made it to 4 weeks old, it always has its feathers fluffed a little bit and is not one to go and play in the run but would rather stay in the coop under the heat lamp. But it will perk up just fine when I change out the food and water or when some "action" happens. Never has a droopy head or anything. I just don't know what to think. I would really love to hear anyone's thoughts on this bird.
thanks!

 

[speckledhen]

Is their bedding wet/damp? High ammonia levels? That would be my first thought. What bedding are you using? If cedar, get them off that ASAP. Oils in cedar cause trouble. Have you treated for coccidiosis? What are they eating? Need more information.

 

[PunkinPeep]

As to the slime....possibly a little regurgitation. I wouldn't worry unless i saw it repeatedly.

As to the lesions....that's strange. Fowl pox generally spreads to other chickens, so i don't think it's that. There are probably other types of pox i'm not familiar with. I would definitely do some research to figure out what that is - and maybe isolate that chick. The inactivity and sticking close the lamp when everyone else is running around are signs that she is sick - with something.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Possibly mites, but the eyelid thing and mucus makes me think otherwise. Might be an allergy. What kind of bedding do you have them on? Are they on cedar? If so, change it to pine or another unscented wood (cedar is toxic to chickens).

 

[Titania]

hmmm. all of the suggestions are things I'm worried about.
More information:
1. The clear "snot" was not from the buff chick. It was on or around either a 5 week blrw or a 4 week spitzhauben. Both looked healthy when I examined them. As did the rest of the flock.
2. All the chicks eat chick crumbles. The ones that hang out in the run more often eat 6-8 week pellets.
3. all of my chicks were hatched from eggs. I have not brought in any chicks, only introduced new hatches once the newbies are 1 week old
4. The bedding is only ever wet if they knock over the chick jar waterer. It happened yesterday. The bedding does not stay wet. I add new bedding every week. They scratch up the bedding frequently and it gets stirred pretty well
5. The bedding is pine chips for horse stalls that I buy at either tractor supply co or the local feed store.
6. The brooder lamp is on in the coop but I leave the pop hole open during the day so the older ones can be out and about.
7. The buff orpington does seem to be nursing some injury or illness but it will hop up and walk around & has normal level of interest in eating/drinking/reacting to the flock. Sometimes I think that its legs bother it
8. The lesions come and go quickly, just like cuts. it's like it's getting new cuts repeatedly.
9. I have never treated them for anything since they're all young and all hatched out of my incubator. They get clean water & food everyday & a layer of fresh bedding every week. To answer the questions specifically, I have not treated for mites or coccidiosis or anything. Their food is non-medicated as well. (should I be treating them regularly? At the moment there are 20 chicks)

A thought: do you think the fact that its skin seems to be thinner or more sensitive (it peels off comletely in mildly warm water) might make it get cut or scraped more easily?

Again, thank you for thoughts, ideas, suggestions.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I have no idea what is going on with your chick's skin. I even did a little research and came up with nothing. I imagine the "thinness" and the cuts or scrapes are related, though. It is possible there is a vitamin deficiency, so if it were me I'd pick up some infant vitamin drops (it's always recommended to get the kind without iron) from the drug store or some sort of supplement from the feed store. You can put two or three drops on the side of its beak and let it take it into its mouth, or add some to the water.

I'd also do something about the water to be sure it does not get knocked over. Set a brick on it, get a bigger and heavier waterer, or one with a wider base -- something. You don't want molds and such growing in the litter.

 

[PepsNick]

Maybe she's being picked on by the others? It could be cocci or a respiratory disease, keep a look out for that snot. They probably have it IF they spit that stuff up when you pick them up. Also check for bloody poop.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
Just to be clear, cocci and respiratory diseases are completely unrelated and have completely different symptoms.

Spitting up water when picked up is merely a symptom of having been picked up in a way that interrupted the water's going down, so to speak. If they spit up something that smells awful, like it has been fermenting for a few days, that could be a sign of a sour crop, maybe, but that's also something completely different from the other two.

 

[Titania]

definitely haven't seen any bloody poop and definitely no bad-smell from the "snot". I think those are both good things, right? I also have not noticed any deterioration over time. He/she just stays the same. Do you think it could be getting picked on?

 

[Judy]

I think getting picked on is a possibility. I wonder if the chick maybe has some problem that the others sense and that is causing the pecking, too.