New Flock, New Owner, RIR Hen is lethargic, tips please!

[Shallon]

OK, so I got a flock of seven chickens yesterday. My first chickens. According to the previous owner they are six months old. She said she suspected the two RIR may need worming due to runny poo. So the day I picked them up I got Strike III Medicated feed.
Today one of the RIRs is just lethargic. She is literally standing next to the scrap plate hardly moving, eyes drooping. Everyone else is wandering, pecking, active, etc. When I had thrown a box in for temporary feeder, she sat in the box and wouldn't get out.

Should I separate her from the flock?

Also with the wormer, how long do I feed it for? I mixed 2 scoops with 2 pounds of feed so far, haven't given it to the chickens yet.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Wynette]

OK, so I got a flock of seven chickens yesterday. My first chickens. According to the previous owner they are six months old. She said she suspected the two RIR may need worming due to runny poo. So the day I picked them up I got Strike III Medicated feed.
Today one of the RIRs is just lethargic. She is literally standing next to the scrap plate hardly moving, eyes drooping. Everyone else is wandering, pecking, active, etc. When I had thrown a box in for temporary feeder, she sat in the box and wouldn't get out.

Should I separate her from the flock?

Also with the wormer, how long do I feed it for? I mixed 2 scoops with 2 pounds of feed so far, haven't given it to the chickens yet.
Thanks in advance!

I hope you haven't been sold sick birds...they'd have to have an awfully big worm load at 6 months to be that lethargic.

First, I would separate her from the others right away - if she IS sick with something, you don't want the rest of the chickens to get it. Though they have already been exposed, it's always best to quarantine ill birds.

Is she eating at all, and drinking? If you have a dog kennel you can separate her to, and give her feed cups for food water (you can get them in the bird supply section of most any pet store), you will have a better idea of whether or not, or how much, she is eating and drinking. Diarrhea would tell me they (or her??) is dehydrated...it would be a good idea to get some electrolytes into her. Also, take a very close look at them for external parasites (lice, mites). The easiest way to do so is to wait until dark, and then shine a flashlight right around their vent and/or under their wings. You have to look very closely, they are tiny. But if you see them scurrying about, you'll need to treat for that right away if that "could" potentially be the cause of illness.

BEST of luck with them - I would personally hold off on treating them with anything until you are more sure of what may be going on.

 

[dawg53]

I've never used the Durvet wormer you mentioned, but here are the directions:
http://www.durvet.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=380:strike-3&Itemid=66
You're not going to be able to get your RIR to eat the treated pellets. You wouldve been better off using a liquid wormer such as valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer or safeguard liquid goat wormer. That way you could administer either liquid wormer orally to ensure your hen got properly dosed.

 

[Shallon]

OK, I have a dog kennel I can keep her in. That way I can also get some of her poo and check it for worms.

 

[Wynette]

Good luck....hope she's alright.

 

[Shallon]

She's been in the kennel for half an hour now while I worked on building a better feeder. She was very interested when the flock started eating at the new feeder and making the eating noises, she stood at the kennel door and made a few noises. I put some food and water in there and she's eaten some.

 

[Wynette]

She's been in the kennel for half an hour now while I worked on building a better feeder. She was very interested when the flock started eating at the new feeder and making the eating noises, she stood at the kennel door and made a few noises. I put some food and water in there and she's eaten some.

Well, it's great that she has an appetite. I really would think about getting some electrolytes into her. They're quite inexpensive, and available at any farm store (like TSC, Family Farm & Home, etc.). They come in a packet & you mix it with water. If you get them, don't give them more than 3 days, though. Also, if you have any plain yogurt, that would be beneficial for her digestive system...you can just plop a dollop right onto her food. Warning: they can get quite messy with it, and get i all over their faces!

 

[Shallon]

OK, so I got some electrolytes and yogurt, and luckily last night she perked up again when I brought scraps out for the others, was trying to escape the kennel. This morning she was perky again and I saw her eat and drink. The rest of the flock had runny poo so I looked up and figured it was coccidosis. I went to the feed store and got Cormid and just added it to everyone's water according to the dosing thread here. My sick RIR is back to standing there doing nothing this afternoon, but I did see her drink some of the water. I hope she makes it through this. The two RIRs were some of the friendliest in the flock!

 

[cafarmgirl]

I was going to suggest coccidiosis so I'm glad you've already started the treatment. I would give that sick bird the medicated water with an eye dropper or a needless syringe every few hours this first day or so and see if she doesn't perk up and start eating/drinking more on her own.

 

[Shallon]

Thanks, there was a lot of info on the forums about it. I had checked her poo and couldn't find worms and it seems a rather common ailment with chickens. I just checked on her and saw her drink. She's mostly been standing in the same spot all day.