Please help

[BlindLemonChicken]

Have you ever wormed him?

 

[ChickenTenderNewbie]

Have you ever wormed him?

I haven't. What would I use? Should I also treat the rest of my chickens that don't have any symptoms?

 

[Eggcessive]

SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or the Equine paste 1/4 ml per pound given for 5 consecutive days treats round, cecal, capillary, and gapeworms. Feel of his crop first thing in the morning before he eats or drinks to see if his crop is empty and flat, or full and firm or puffy. Does he move his legs well, or does he have any curled under toes. Can he stand for a minute if you lift him up?

 

[ChickenTenderNewbie]

SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or the Equine paste 1/4 ml per pound given for 5 consecutive days treats round, cecal, capillary, and gapeworms. Feel of his crop first thing in the morning before he eats or drinks to see if his crop is empty and flat, or full and firm or puffy. Does he move his legs well, or does he have any curled under toes. Can he stand for a minute if you lift him up?

His crop has been consistently flat. I did mix his feed with water like someone suggested above and he ate it all. If I pay him on his side and pull his leg out he will pull it back in but his feet stay curled. He cannot stand at all. He keeps his legs tucked up when I pick him up.

 

[D Uccle Uncle]

Given the trajectory he's on, I would treat him with first with an antibiotic, then de-worm once he's stabilized and improving. Logic being, even if worms started a problem, his gut is likely compromised where his weight loss is associated with a massive immune response heading towards sepsis (evidenced by seeming to poop more than he's eating). I would avoid giving multiple chemicals at the same time to a very sick animal unless I somehow knew that the drugs were complimentary. I don't know that here.

The antibiotic I would use (Baytril) is not authorized for chickens*, but the dose is 10-15mg per 2.2 pounds, given twice a day, typically for a 5 day course. When using this medicine his crop needs to be monitored until maybe 2 weeks after he's finished the course.

*Not authorized as a matter of public policy that seeks to protect the larger community, even at the expense of individuals lives. You've got a genuinely sick bird. Given that he's only 3 months old, I doubt that his underlying problem is anything but of infectious origin.

 

[ChickenTenderNewbie]

Given the trajectory he's on, I would treat him with first with an antibiotic, then de-worm once he's stabilized and improving. Logic being, even if worms started a problem, his gut is likely compromised where his weight loss is associated with a massive immune response heading towards sepsis (evidenced by seeming to poop more than he's eating). I would avoid giving multiple chemicals at the same time to a very sick animal unless I somehow knew that the drugs were complimentary. I don't know that here.

The antibiotic I would use (Baytril) is not authorized for chickens*, but the dose is 10-15mg per 2.2 pounds, given twice a day, typically for a 5 day course. When using this medicine his crop needs to be monitored until maybe 2 weeks after he's finished the course.

*Not authorized as a matter of public policy that seeks to protect the larger community, even at the expense of individuals lives. You've got a genuinely sick bird. Given that he's only 3 months old, I doubt that his underlying problem is anything but of infectious origin.

Is there an alternative antibiotic that I could get over the counter? I saw some posts of people using fish amoxicillin? I have called multiple vets surrounding me and none of them will see a chicken.

 

[casportpony]

Wattles feel completely normal. He is definitely losing weight. I have noticed today he is still alert sometimes but will start falling asleep out of no where. I gave him some food and he ate a small amount. He is pooping out way more than he is eating though.

Google Baytril for birds. There are lots of places you can get it. Do you have a food scale that you can weigh him on? Would you like to learn how to tube feed?

He looks dehydrated, so I would tube lots of fluids, then food. Let me know if you want to learn how.

Step 1:
Bring the bird inside and place in a warm room, 80-85 degrees is ideal (watch for signs of over-heating).

Step 2:
Weigh the bird

Step 3:
Once warmed, correct hydration and this should not be done until the bird is warmed up. Tube warmed (102 degrees) Pedialyte or Gatorade at 14 ml per pound of body weight, wait 60-90 minutes and repeat. If no poop is produced by 3 hours after first tubing, repeat once more.

Step 4:
Once the pooping is pooping you can start tubing warmed Kaytee Exact baby bird food or a non-lay crumble (lay crumble has too much calcium). Start by tubing 14 ml per pound of body weight and increase a little at each feeding. Do not exceed 23 ml per pound of body weight. Sick birds are tube fed 2-4 times a day.


"Tube feeding, also known as gavage feeding, is an essential part of avian supportive care. Sick birds are often presented with a history of anorexia, and glycogen stores may be depleted within hours in the granivore (including psitacine, passerine and galliform species) secondary to a relatively high metabolic rate. Another important indication for gavage feeding is a documented drop in body weight of 5% to 10%."
Source: https://lafeber.com/vet/tube-feeding-birds/

More tube feeding info here:
Updated - Go team "Tube Feeding!"

 

[ChickenTenderNewbie]

Google Baytril for birds. There are lots of places you can get it. Do you have a food scale that you can weigh him on? Would you like to learn how to tube feed?

He looks dehydrated, so I would tube lots of fluids, then food. Let me know if you want to learn how.

Step 1:
Bring the bird inside and place in a warm room, 80-85 degrees is ideal (watch for signs of over-heating).

Step 2:
Weigh the bird

Step 3:
Once warmed, correct hydration and this should not be done until the bird is warmed up. Tube warmed (102 degrees) Pedialyte or Gatorade at 14 ml per pound of body weight, wait 60-90 minutes and repeat. If no poop is produced by 3 hours after first tubing, repeat once more.

Step 4:
Once the pooping is pooping you can start tubing warmed Kaytee Exact baby bird food or a non-lay crumble (lay crumble has too much calcium). Start by tubing 14 ml per pound of body weight and increase a little at each feeding. Do not exceed 23 ml per pound of body weight. Sick birds are tube fed 2-4 times a day.


"Tube feeding, also known as gavage feeding, is an essential part of avian supportive care. Sick birds are often presented with a history of anorexia, and glycogen stores may be depleted within hours in the granivore (including psitacine, passerine and galliform species) secondary to a relatively high metabolic rate. Another important indication for gavage feeding is a documented drop in body weight of 5% to 10%."
Source: https://lafeber.com/vet/tube-feeding-birds/

More tube feeding info here:
Updated - Go team "Tube Feeding!"

I have googled it and the only places it shows for sale requires a prescription.

 

[D Uccle Uncle]

Is there an alternative antibiotic that I could get over the counter? I saw some posts of people using fish amoxicillin? I have called multiple vets surrounding me and none of them will see a chicken.

I don't know what's available over the counter now. Do you have any feed stores near you that has antibiotics on the shelf? There are other animal antibiotics that would be useful.

Have you looked into online vet services? I've not used one, but it might be the fastest way to get a prescription that you could fill locally.

Do you by chance have access to any human antibiotics? I'm hesitant to name names, but there are a few that I'd used in a pinch like this. If I couldn't access antibiotics, I would treat for worms before trying amoxicillin. Either way, time is of the essence.*

Agree with casportpony that the bird needs more fluids, and with all the diarrhea, electrolytes. If you don't have special poultry electrolyte mixes, I'd just use original Gatorade. Expect to continue providing extra fluids until the diarrhea is resolving.

You need to get the food/nutrition in too, but consider that he was well nourished before he started losing a war with something.

*If you had access to a microscope, you could perform your own fecal float test at home to evaluate for a worm problem.

 

[ChickenTenderNewbie]

I don't know what's available over the counter now. Do you have any feed stores near you that has antibiotics on the shelf? There are other animal antibiotics that would be useful.

Have you looked into online vet services? I've not used one, but it might be the fastest way to get a prescription that you could fill locally.

Do you by chance have access to any human antibiotics? I'm hesitant to name names, but there are a few that I'd used in a pinch like this. If I couldn't access antibiotics, I would treat for worms before trying amoxicillin. Either way, time is of the essence.*

Agree with casportpony that the bird needs more fluids, and with all the diarrhea, electrolytes. If you don't have special poultry electrolyte mixes, I'd just use original Gatorade. Expect to continue providing extra fluids until the diarrhea is resolving.

You need to get the food/nutrition in too, but consider that he was well nourished before he started losing a war with something.

*If you had access to a microscope, you could perform your own fecal float test at home to evaluate for a worm problem.

I have a local feed store I can call tomorrow. Everything I'm seeing online says last year a law was passed that all antibiotics have to have a prescription. I will ask them if they have any recommendations for a vet that will see my rooster. I started giving him electrolytes since Tuesday. I started feeding him the poultry cell directly in his mouth as well.