PLEASE HELP! A couple of problems with my new girls!!

[dmacdo1]

I’m not a first timer, but it’s been almost 15 yrs. since my last flock & I'm having a couple of problems.
My 12 girls are a week old today. When I left for Sunday dinner with my in-laws, they were all fine. But when I returned less than 3 hrs. later, I found one (Candy) limping, favoring her right leg. When she lies down she lays sort of on her side, with her right leg out to the side. Another (Marshmallow) seems lethargic, standing with head & wings drooped. The other chicks were pushing her around & stepping all over her so I took her out. I gave her some water with a syringe & moved her into a small segregated box within the brooder. She has labored breathing with, what sounds to me to be congestion, (like a clicking sound in her nostrils) & diarrhea that she seems to struggle to excrete. When she does lay down, her little tail feathers are up in the air & her wings are spread away from her body. I've been keeping her vent area clean, to make sure she doesn't paste, but I don't know what else to do for her at this point. I've been keeping an eye on Candy, the limper, & she seems to be holding her own with the others, so my first priority is Marshmallow. The 2 girls that I'm having problems with are Easter Eggers. There doesn’t seem to be any other issues with the other 10 girls, but I still watch for anything out of the ordinary with them.

They've all had vaccinations & all came from My Pet Chicken. I'm feeding them Dumor chick starter/grower (until I can find something better...open to suggestions). I clean their waterer & give them fresh water 3x's/day. 2 days ago, I gave them some crushed, dried mealworms & also a bit of MannaPro small sized chick grit. Thursday & earlier today, I gave them a water/chick starter mash treat.

(Should I change them to a medicated starter feed?)

I have: 3 Easter Eggers, 3 Barred Plymouth Rocks, 3 Rhode Island Reds & 3 Buff Orpingtons. I also have 4 Silver Laced Wyandottes coming on the 1st of May, so I would like to get my girls that I have now, feeling better before they arrive.

Can anyone please help with these 2 issues, PLEASE? (I’m afraid to go to bed tonight!)
(I apologize for the novel, but wanted to make sure to cover everything…I think I did!?)
Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Chicken Goddess]

Marshmallow seems to have cocciodiosis. Im not sure how to write it but cocciodiosis is when the chickens eat there own poop. this happens by them stepping in their fieces then stepping on their food. a treatment for this is sulphurdim or poultry tonic. give this to her everyday as instructions say. sometimes its too late but there is a chance. not sure if she does have cocciodiosis, but sulphurdim or poultry tonic MIGHT help.

and with the limping one, she could have strained her leg if she jumped in the wronge foot position. or she could have twisted or maybe broken her leg. try taking her to the vet they could identify the problem. if she strained it, it would clear up over time and resting. but if she broke it, the vet might do something.

sorry my advice isnt good, but this is what ive learnt over time with my chickens. SORRY!

 

[realsis]

get corid for her. corid kills all 9 strains of cocci while other meds only kill SOME strains. you can find CORID at the feed store. this is for the one with coccidosis. not sure about the one who holds her leg out to the side.. but corid will really help the one with cocci. get it soon time is of essence. good luck

 

[dmacdo1]

Sadly, Princess Marshmallow didn't make it through the night. I tried to nurse her through until I could get her some meds, but her sweet little soul passed @ 4:27am. Coccidosis definately moves with lightning speed. She was gone within 12 hrs. I'll be heading out to get some CORID for the rest of the girls, as a preventative. Candy is still favoring her leg. Upon meticulous inspection, there are no obvious injuries or bruising. When I go out, I'll swing into Walmart to grab some Poly-Visol & give it a try. MANY thanks to this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/165536/please-help-my-baby-chicks-are-limping Hopefully, this will help Candy feel better. She's eating/drinking fine, so I'm praying that's all it is.
I want to add that BYC is the best place to be for chicken parents. The wealth of information here far surpasses any other source on the internet or any 10 books combined. I've been lurking on here since January, gathering all sorts of notes, tips & tricks, making lists & checking twice. I should have taken more time looking at the possibilities of unexpecteds while getting myself & my home ready for my girls. I thought I had everything I needed. I've spent months getting supplies in stores & online & researching coops so my girls have the best I can give. I change thier bedding every other day and make sure thier feeder & waterer are clean. I talk/sing to them & give them belly rubs everyday. Most days, I'm with them 24 hrs. It almost seems as though my leaving them for a few hours opened them to the danger and I blame myself for not being prepared for that.
I will be prepared if these issues happen again & I will be spending ALOT more time in the Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures section of BYC.
Thank you all for this wonderful site!!

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss and

.

FYI, I don't think you're supposed to give the vitamins and Corid (amprolium) at the same time.

 

[dmacdo1]

Thank you very much, realsis, for telling me about the CORID!

And thank you, casportpony! I picked up both the CORID & Poly-Vi-Sol & that was going to be my next question!
The CORID was a bit hard to find, but now that I know that Tractor Supply carries it, I know right where to go. I also picked them up a better, medicated feed than what they've been getting. I didn't realize that the Dumor I have from TS wasn't medicated. I've been trying to find local organic feed, but that's been unsuccessful, so far & it's very expensive to buy online...shipping kills!

My next question...when can I start giving Candy (limper) the Poly-Vi-Sol? I'm going to continue giving the chicks a preventative dose of the CORID for at least 7 days. dawg53: "Corid 20% soluble powder dosage is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Don't mix anything else into the corid/water solution." I mixed it at 1/4 tsp CORID to 1/2 gal water. (I don't have a gal jug) I just cut his recipe in half to fit in the jug I have. I've been gently massaging & flexing/extending her leg a couple times a day in hopes it may help. A little chick physical therapy. She was to the point of hopping on her good leg & the bad one was starting to splay, because of the way she was laying (??) She's brings it back underneath her & starts to use it again after a PT session, but by the next time I do its starting to splay again. Is there a way to stop that?

When my next order of girls arrive, should I give them the sav-a-chick probiotic & electrolytes? (the woman at TS suggested this) or should I just stick with the medicated feed & ACV? I really don't want to give them that kind of stuff. (Never did before) Trying to stay as natural as possible. I plan to give all of them the Bragg's ACV, as well. (my order of 4 gals came today, YAY!) Should I wait a day or two after the CORID to start giving it to these girls?

I don't remember everything I used to do with my chicks years ago. I know I never lost one! Our coop was built on the ground & I'll never do that again!! (Rats) I did buy a dogloo for them to use for their dusting box, so it's more protected from the weather. I plan on using sand/DC Earth in the coop/run, for the most part. Only using DL during the colder months, possibly with a hound heater set @ around 40-45. (Hen Heater, lol!) Still in the planning process of it. Want it to be just right to make my girls as happy, healthy & comfortable as can be & as easy as possible for me!! (Disabled)

Thank you for the wonderful welcome!! I'm so very glad to be here!! I've learned so much since I started visiting here, but I obviously still have a lot to learn!
I can see that I've definitely come to the right place!

 

[casportpony]

Just a quick note... I don't think you're supposed to give vitamins at the same time as Corid... Something about thiamine binding?

 

[Haunted55]

Just a quick note... I don't think you're supposed to give vitamins at the same time as Corid... Something about thiamine binding?

Truth and really, if you can, please post some pictures. As for the Corid, stop all vitamins, medicated feed, any vitamin laced treats while using the Corid. It's counterproductive. The way Corid works is by blocking the absorbtion of thiamine from the chicken and the coccidia. Once you have finished the course of the Corid, if they are on their way to recovery, you can introduce the medicated feed and vitamins and a good probiotic.

 

[Haunted55]

Thank you very much, casportpony! I picked up both the CORID & Poly-Vi-Sol & that was going to be my next question!
The CORID was a bit hard to find, but now that I know that Tractor Supply carries it, I know right where to go. I also picked them up a better, medicated feed than what they've been getting. I didn't realize that the Dumor I have from TS wasn't medicated. I've been trying to find local organic feed, but that's been unsuccessful, so far & it's very expensive to buy online...shipping kills!

My next question...when can I start giving Candy (limper) the Poly-Vi-Sol? I'm going to continue giving the chicks a preventative dose of the CORID for at least 7 days. dawg53: "Corid 20% soluble powder dosage is 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Don't mix anything else into the corid/water solution." I mixed it at 1/4 tsp CORID to 1/2 gal water. (I don't have a gal jug) I just cut his recipe in half to fit in the jug I have. I've been gently massaging & flexing/extending her leg a couple times a day in hopes it may help. A little chick physical therapy. She was to the point of hopping on her good leg & the bad one was starting to splay, because of the way she was laying (??) She's brings it back underneath her & starts to use it again after a PT session, but by the next time I do its starting to splay again. Is there a way to stop that?

When my next order of girls arrive, should I give them the sav-a-chick probiotic & electrolytes? (the woman at TS suggested this) or should I just stick with the medicated feed & ACV? I really don't want to give them that kind of stuff. (Never did before) Trying to stay as natural as possible. I plan to give all of them the Bragg's ACV, as well. (my order of 4 gals came today, YAY!) Should I wait a day or two after the CORID to start giving it to these girls?

I don't remember everything I used to do with my chicks years ago. I know I never lost one! Our coop was built on the ground & I'll never do that again!! (Rats) I did buy a dogloo for them to use for their dusting box, so it's more protected from the weather. I plan on using sand/DC Earth in the coop/run, for the most part. Only using DL during the colder months, possibly with a hound heater set @ around 40-45. (Hen Heater, lol!) Still in the planning process of it. Want it to be just right to make my girls as happy, healthy & comfortable as can be & as easy as possible for me!! (Disabled)

Thank you for the wonderful welcome!! I'm so very glad to be here!! I've learned so much since I started visiting here, but I obviously still have a lot to learn!
I can see that I've definitely come to the right place!

I always use the medicated feed. It gives you a safety net until your birds can build up their own defences against the coccidia in your soil. I continue to give it until they have had at least 4-6 weeks on the ground. I don't care if they are 4 months old....if they haven't hit the ground, they aren't off the medicated feed. This isn't a cure, it's a precaution action only. If your birds have something else going on, there could be circumstances that come up where the amprolium [Corid] in the medicated feed won't help. Again, please post some pictures if you are able.

 

[dmacdo1]

Haunted55
Do you want me to post pics of Candy?
I should stop the medicated feed & go back to the non-medicated Dumor, as well?