Pale comb, not eating and skinny :(

[flamie]

Hello. This is my belgium called Bell. She started laying eggs about 5/6 weeks ago but stopped about 5 days ago when I noticed her comb was pale.

2 days before her pale comb my coronation sussex died- i suspected from respitory illness as she was breathing heavy.

I immediately isolated my belgium and her buddy since those two are always together. Ally other chickens are fine.

Symptoms:

Runny poo- started off light brown, then went to neon green and yellow and is now back to dark frown but not as runny.

Firstly i wormed them but nothing came out in their poo. The next day I started a course of sulpha 3 in their water for 7 days thinking maybe coccidiosis. It is now day 4.

Her comb is pale and at times sits hunched. But when she is walking her tail is up and and looks fine.

I checked if she was egg bound but i don't think she is.

She has loss of appetite but drinks loads of water. Sits by water bowl most of time and drinks.

She will pick up food as if to eat it and drop it immediately and not even try.

She is very quiet- normally noisy ,outgoing and a bit of a stickybeak.
I can feel her keel bone, but above her bone it feels a bit fatter so then i was worried it was sour crop. But i really don't know.

I had mite powdered them a few days prior an i didn't think i could feel her keel bone then.

I try to spoon feed her yoghurt. I got curious and opened her beak and noticed blackness and a little bit of gunk on the inside of beak. I was able to scrape a little but i need an extra pair of hands to look at further and to take a better photo.

Do u think she has a sore on the inside of her beak.?
I am really unsure what to do.


(Btw i am based in australia)

 

[Eggcessive]

I would also look down into her throat. She could have canker in her beak, but some say that wet fowl pox can look like canker. I would treat her with metronidazole (Flagyl) 250 mg orally daily for 5 days. It can be purchased online as Fish Zole, and you may also get it from your vet or at a fish or pigeon store. Here is a link on canker and one on Fish Zole:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/690374/abscess-in-chickens-cheek-and-mouth-canker-remedies
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fish-Fish-Zole-Metronidazole-250mg-30-Count-/121073772925

Oral Canker

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Oral Canker is a condition which can be found in a wide variety of birds and most commonly in pigeons.
Causes

It is caused by a motile protozoal parasite called Trichomonas gallinae.
This parasite can cause caseous lesions of the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus and in certain circumstances, further down the digestive tract. These lesions can become extremely extensive.
This causes the birds to stop eating and drinking, in severe cases the extensive nature of the lesions combined with not eating and drinking leads the chickens to die.
Diagnosis

Diagnosis is often based upon clinical signs but wet smears can be examined under the microscope to confirm clinical suspicions. Speak to your vet.

​

Treatment

The treatment traditionally involved the use of a drug called Dimetridazole, however, this drug is no longer available or licensed for use in the UK.
The affected chicken in these photos was treated with Metronidazole, this is a UK licensed medication but is not used in poultry therefore it had to be prescribed under the rules of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate cascade. This also means that any eggs the chicken may lay during treatment and for a specified period after treatment would need to be discarded. Her eggs must never be sold for human consumption. The owner of the hen was extremely pleased with the outcome and has supplied us with plenty of photos to monitor the hen’s progress.

 

[flamie]

Ok. Wow! Should I be worried other chickens will get it??

I order se inline but it will take like 3 weeks to get here in australia

What could I do for her while waiting for it to arrive?

 

[appps]

If she is congested like the one that died she may be having trouble eating because everything is so blocked eating blocks her only breathing. Is she also sitting with her mouth open like they do when hot?

We had only die from very bad congestion and she was mouth breathing with beak open and it then progressed to her eye looking sunken because her sinus was so blocked. (At first I thought she had lost an eye).

To encourage some food into her, take some of her pellets and add some hot water till it just starts to crumble and fall apart. COOL to just warm. Add some scrambled eggs and mix through. I also have some cage bird powdered vitamins I sprinkle on top. Mine will always eat that when they won't touch anything else.

 

[Suzie]

Can you obtain any gentian violet ? This may help with any mouth lesions if she has any...use a cotton bud or q-tip to dab some onto any lesions...sorry it is going to take quite some time to get the correct medication...

A pharmacy should be able to make some up for you if it is not readily available in a shop...it is not expensive..and may be of benefit to her until you get her metronidazole.

Good luck!

 

[flamie]

Hi, thankyou for your reply.

I have been keeping a close eye to see if she is having trouble breathing.... But so far no runny nose and is breathing fine. Hopefully it is not something that is yet to come. I never looked in the other ones mouth. I wish i did now.

I will try mash up some food for her in the morning. Thankyou

 

[flamie]

Thanks so much for that. I will try call around some pharmacies tomorrow. Fingers crossed there will be one that will do it without a pescription.

 

[Suzie]

You should not need a prescription...my pharmacist here in France makes it up for me while I wait and it only costs 2 euro's

I have used it on my chickens both for fungal infections and to dye any blood marks...turns the marks a lovely blue/violet colour...warning..wear gloves...both to deter cross infection and it will dye your hands blue....

 

[Eggcessive]

Ok. Wow! Should I be worried other chickens will get it??

I order se inline but it will take like 3 weeks to get here in australia

What could I do for her while waiting for it to arrive?

The metronidazole should also be available as Flagyl from a local pharmacy. A veterinarian may also stock it or write a prescription for your chicken. Scrub your waterers out very well and sanitize them and the feeders. Don't let the chickens drink out of puddles if possible. Acidified copper sulfate from a garden or farm store can be added to water 3 days a month--1/4 tsp per gallon--to help prevent infection in chickens. I'm not sure if this would have any affect on your sick chicken now though. I feel so bad for you that it will take that long to get medication.

 

[flamie]

Big arvo.

Bell was all bubbly and mucus inside mouth with big yellow scab. I thought the cankas had esculated quickly.We were calling around vets and were going to get her put down coz she was suffering, heavey breathing, awful yellow and creamy white diihrrea all at her back end and looked like she was gonna cark it. It waa terribe.

But the vets were all closed being a weekend so...

We were trying to clean her mouth and discover it was a corn seed stuck in her mouth amd not a yellow scab.

Poor thing couldnt eat or drink all day.

We cleared all the gunk out of her mouth, cleaned her back end and syringed her some water and then put her to bed.

She is too skinny.

I worried that wven if I am able to bring her back to health- how can I regain her weight.

I found a ver that is open tmro that i will try take her too if they take chickens.