Options for egg bound bantam pullet

[Wyorp Rock]

You may find grit in the poop, I would make various sizes available, they seem to pick and choose LOL
Not all grit will be lodged in the gizzard, some will pass on through.

I'm not sure about the Turken being nervous. Sometimes youngsters go through stages when they seem to be flighty, more nervous, especially if they are going through a juvenile molt.
If she's eating/drinking, then I would just keep an eye on her like the rest.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I just had some chicks to hatch today. I have been treating every chicken here (all of my flocks) even the week and a half old serama, with Corid. Should I start treating the new chicks since we're on Day 6 of the severe outbreak dosage? Or start them on the lower dosage that everyone else will move to the day after tomorrow? They're still in the incubator right now but they'll be moving into their brooder in the next couple of hours. Their brooder will be in the tiny bathroom of my dog grooming shop, beside the Serama's brooder. We don't use this bathroom as it's full of chicks (brooder) so the risk to them is lower but of course it's still there.

 

[azygous]

Were the chicks hatched in the flock by a broody or incubated? If the chicks have been hatched by a broody, they have been exposed to the coccidia. So they should get the treatment, too.

If the chicks were incubated apart from the flock, you will probably want to use either medicated feed with the chicks or the preventative dose of Corid in their water when they join the flock. By that time, the coccidia should be at manageable levels. But it wouldn't hurt to have a random stool sample run by your vet to determine the levels.

This is a question that deserves a discussion. I am by no means an expert on this subject.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I generally don't give just hatched incubator chicks Corid to start. I provide them with fresh water most of the day and a vitamin/electrolytes for around 3 hours a day for the first couple of days.
Chicks get grit and chick starter. You can use medicated or unmedicated - I use whatever I can find that is the freshest - I go by mill date when it comes to chick starter.

After about 3 days in the brooder, I bring in a mix of dirt - a little sifted from my runs, some "fresh dirt" or plug of sod from the yard and maybe add a bit of ash or sand too. Goal is exposure to what is found in their environment. I usually put chicks outside after a week, the dirt goes with them and is refreshed. I try to get them on ground fairly quickly to further exposure.

I do keep Corid on hand and monitor poops.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

The chicks hatched in an incubator and I have others hatching in the incubator today. I am changing shirts very often and of course scrubbing my hands, arms, and neck really well as I go in and out of the chickens, chicks and incubator. I didn't add Corid to the chicks water but after reading this, I think I'll try to find some medicated chick feed or add the preventative dose of Corid to their water if I notice any questionable poops with anyone. We are done with the "Severe Outbreak" dose of Corid and today is Day 7 full day dosage of Sulfa in Raymona's flock (Day 8 total but the very first day was started late). So I'll begin a preventative dose for the next week for Raymona's flock and all other flocks, including the groups of chicks that were getting Corid because they've been here since this all started. I'll heavily monitor things and slowly expose the new chicks/future hatchers

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I keep chicks in my shop for a while (definitely way too long), but do let them outside daily, once their about 2 weeks old (unless it's bantams). Maybe that is some of my problem. They're not getting outside early enough and then being brooded indoors too long. Then once they go outside, their systems haven't had enough exposure. I've always done things like this but I did purchase some 2nd hand coops not very long ago and Raymona and her flock was in one of them. Maybe I missed something in a corner that they were able to scratch out and eat.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous I have a silkie hen that hatched at the beginning of Aug 2019. She brooded some chicks and has made her own flock with them. Her "babies" are actually 71 days old today. She free ranges several hours a day, and she really makes the most of her time. She ranges farther than any bird has ever ventured off to, but seems to check in on her chicks often before disappearing again. She's been back to laying for about 3.5 weeks now and did lay an egg today. My concern is that she's been very different today. She didn't venture off and was ready to go back inside before dark (I usually have to wait for her to make sure she gets back safely after dark as she's always the last one ready to go up). She didn't seem interested in covering the chicks like she always does (they certainly don't need it) and sat in a corner. Since the chicks are little tiny Dutch pullets, her poop is pretty obvious. It was formed perfectly but green. This is not her normal, even after lots of free ranging. I did find intestinal lining so they have had Corid added to their water for the past 3 days (since losing Raymona, I start Corid if anything is off). I have Valblazen that I picked up a couple of days ago. I don't have anyone that will do a fecal float unless I take the sample to a lab a couple of hours away in a very large town (Raleigh, NC). The doctor there told me that I should bring in the stool, not mail it. So, my question is, how would you treat Bella, if you were in my shoes? I thought about adding Sulfa to their Corid water but I haven't noticed any blood. I'd like to worm her with Valblazen, because I've not wormed her before and this behavior has me worried. I also thought about starting her on a round of Amoxicillin or Amtyl, but I'd hate to give them antibiotics if they're not necessary. Any suggestions on how to proceed? I'll try to post a picture of her poops in the next post below

 

[azygous]

My suggestion is to observe her for one more day before you embark on a treatment. Her behavior being "off" is a signal to observe and investigate. Jumping into a treatment before you have accumulated enough information to point you in a direction may be inadvisable. Quite often, we see a hen have an off day and bounce right back to being normal the next day. This has happened to me with my chickens more times than I can count.

The green poop, normally formed, could be merely green vegetation. I see this in my flock a lot. Green poop that is from a sick chicken is usually green bile chunks floating in a puddle of white, runny mucous.

Orange-red intestinal lining in no way indicates coccidiosis. It's not very likely your flock is having another bout of it so soon. They usually enjoy a period of resistance afterward. Treating with Corid too often risks setting up your chickens for a thiamine deficiency. That is something that can open a can of worms you would rather not have to deal with.

Your Silkie may be transitioning from brooding the chicks to getting back her normal life. Her hormones are dwindling, and that may have an effect on her behavior. Think how "off" a woman feels after giving birth and nursing, then having that halt. Hormones can really take a toll, both coming and going.

If this hen is getting sick, you will see more definite signs in the morning and by noon tomorrow, you will have a good handle on whether she's sick or not. Also, take this opportunity to check her crop in the morning so you can rule that out.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

She eats Purina Flock Raiser Crumbles and Nutrena Hearty Hen. She doesn't seem to want any feed but would take some scratch (they rarely get this). I can feel something in her crop, but I'm anxious to feel it in the morning to make sure it's empty.

I don't like how the urates look in this next one. It wasn't fresh, but still made me nervous. Another reason I thought Valblazen would be a good idea.

I was worried this one had those small black beetles in it because I have noticed them around (and plan on spraying for them this weekend) but it was some smooth rocks that I'm guessing her gizzard was finished using.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thank you so much for your fast reply. You have summed up some thoughts that have raced through my mind, but i am still in "find and treat any and everything before they all die" overdrive. I didn't even think about some things you mentioned but it certainly makes perfect sense. I've heard her chicks (are they considered chicks at 2.5 months old?) screech a couple of times today. Although she is still very gentle, it does seem as if she's over being "mama". The more I think about it, whenever she settled into the corner, she did the "broody shake" very slightly (not the full on twitch) and almost like she wasn't interested in covering the Dutch girls and was more annoyed by them. I believe I'll stop the Corid before I create a problem. Thank you so much for your very informative, kind, and always helpful reply. I'm anxious to check her crop in the morning since it felt odd. I'll keep a close eye on her and reevaluate in the morning. Thanks again.