Please help

[Shetazzie]

Why 17 week old pullet, Turbo's comb is pale and dry and her eye area looks grey. She's eating and drinking fine, but is very tired. Any idea what could be wrong. I looked for mites but don't see any.

 

[sbhkma]

At 17 weeks their combs are usually rather pale. They redden up as they get close to point of lay. If she's lethargic, I'd deworm to make sure you have that covered. Add some chicken vitamins (I use Rooster Booster--not the wormer, the vitamins) to their water. Do you have other pullets too? Are they lethargic as well? Any other symptoms?

 

[Shetazzie]

I have 2 other pullets that are the same age and theirs are starting to redden. Her comb also looks very dry. I already use diatomaceous earth stuff that should take care of any worms from what I was told. I also have a rooster and they are all fine.

 

[sbhkma]

DE does NOT deworm chickens. It doesn't prevent them and it won't kill them. It helps deter fleas and other external parasites, but if your birds have those, DE will NOT eliminate them. You need an actual dewormer to deworm them. Is this lethargic hen acting off in other ways?
Puffed up, staying away from the others.
Is her crop normal, soft and squishy or hard?
Are you sure she's eating and drinking-have you actually watched her eat and drink?
Look under her wings for parasites. Check around her vent for them too. If she has any, dust all your birds (not with DE but with an effective dusting medicine).
Does she walk normally or sort of off-balance?
Is she limping?

Sorry for all the questions, but it's the best way to try to guess what might be wrong.

 

[Wyandottes7]

DE does NOT deworm chickens. It doesn't prevent them and it won't kill them. It helps deter fleas and other external parasites, but if your birds have those, DE will NOT eliminate them. You need an actual dewormer to deworm them. Is this lethargic hen acting off in other ways?
Puffed up, staying away from the others.
Is her crop normal, soft and squishy or hard?
Are you sure she's eating and drinking-have you actually watched her eat and drink?
Look under her wings for parasites. Check around her vent for them too. If she has any, dust all your birds (not with DE but with an effective dusting medicine).
Does she walk normally or sort of off-balance?
Is she limping?

Sorry for all the questions, but it's the best way to try to guess what might be wrong.

X2


To deworm, you're better off using Valbazen or Safeguard. Both of these dewormers kill most or all worms. Even Wazine would be a better idea than Diatamaceous Earth.

My guess is that she either has worms, or possibly, Coccidiosis. Both can cause lethargy. Coccidiosis is more common in younger birds, but can happen at any age. Do her droppings look normal?

 

[Shetazzie]

She stays away from the others for the most part but I have her completely separate for now. I have watched her eat and drink and she takes food from me. Her crop feels fine to me. I looked under her wings and didn't see anything. She walks fine, just a little slow and no limping.

 

[toynutz]

Is her tail drooping at all? Are her feathers all puffed up? It can be so hard to tell what's wrong but it sounds like you're doing the right things so far.

 

[Shetazzie]

I started her on a dewormer about 24 hours ago and put some vitamins in her water, but she seems worse today. She,s just laying there now and I haven't seen her eat or drink all day. I know she ate some of the dewormer yesterday because I saw her eating.

 

[Shetazzie]

Feathers and tail seemed fine yesterday but a little hard to tell today since she won't really get up.

 

[Toddrick]

Uh oh. Sounds serious. Better monitor closely. I'm planning on following the guide below and getting some aquarium air tubing for tube feeding. I plan on just adding boiled egg yolks to crushed crumbles and water as the hand feeding mix, rather than buying the expensive stuff.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding