Poor lonely little girl...

[Beckaberry]

Hi everyone, I have read through some of the other posts about this, but because I am a worried mommy I must ask my question. We have 6 chickens. 3 Barred Rock and 3 Austrolorpe. They are very sweet, but lately I've been noticing one of them "Billie" has been a little left out of the sleeping huddle. All of the girls roost up high in the coop, but it seems that they are running out of room to all fit. Billie has taken to a lower roosting spot and been there by herself sleeping for about a week. Now, it seems that she is always by herself and is acting really subdued. This morning she was all puffed up in the corner and shaking a little bit. It's been getting chilly at night and I think she may be cold by herself.

There are no signs of physical harm to her by the others. I just feel like her little chicken feelings are hurt. Should I intervene and make the sleeping roost bigger so they all fit? Should I be concerned? I am worried for her...

Any advice is appreciated!!!!!

 

[aoxa]

How old are they?

I can't help giving them human emotions either. I swear I see loneliness in them.

Many chickens can fit on a small roost. She is probably just the lowest on the pecking order, and therefore banished to the lower roost.

 

[Beckaberry]

I know, the human emotion is sooo hard not to attach to every living thing...

They are 3 months old. Other than sleeping, they are friendly with eachother. I just have noticed that she is often by herself and this morning she just looked dejected.

She was always my spazzy one as a little baby and now she lets me pick her up and snuggle her which is totally unusual...

 

[JanetS]

Could she be sick? Is she eating and drinking? Eating treats? I would keep a close eye on her for a little while just to be sure.

I just added on to my chickens roost. They are 6 months old now and it was getting pretty crowded on their roost. I think they are happier with a little more room to move around. The roost (2x4) is shaped like a Y. They are all together but can separate a little.

 

[Beckaberry]

Well, Billie is dead!!!

She was weak and lethargic on Saturday. I placed her is the sun with a bit of cantaloupe (which she enjoyed a little of) and then later in the evening sat by the fire with her to keep her warm. She wasn't moving around a whole lot and just kept choosing to sit down and not keep up with the rest of the flock.

After a while by the fire I put her inside in a box with some water and literally 10 minutes later went to check on her and she was craned out and stiff. Poor girl.

I don't know what happened? My biggest concern was that as soon as I found her (which was very soon after she died), she STUNK!!! She smelled like she had been dead for hours in the sun. The twenty minutes before this she smelled totally fine. What gives?

I did a little research and there are a few diseases that stuck out, but mostly I was thinking "rot gut" or NE. The symptoms were not all present, but I figured maybe becuase she smelled so bad?... Any other ideas out there?

All of the other chickens are doing fine. They seem to sense that she is no longer there, but are not acting sick at all...

RIP Billie

 

[leadwolf1]

I am more thinking Coccidiosis or Sour Crop. I'm going with coccidiosis due to her age. Treat all the others with Corid. Do not delay. If one had Coccidiosis it is likely that the others do also. You can find Corid at most Tractor Supplies in the cattle section.

When chickens die, their muscles relax and it is not uncommon for the smell to be terrible as the contents of their crops and their bowels release.

If they have Coccidiosis, Corid will cure it. If they don't, it will not hurt them at all. It is best to treat...your girl showed signs of Coccidiosis. I'm sorry I didn't see this thread before as, I think dosing her with Corid might have saved her.

 

[Beckaberry]

Ok, thanks for the advice. I haven't noticed any type of poo other than there healthy normal looking stuff and the occasional cecal poo, which looks like a melted Hershey kiss. Like I said, they are all acting totally normal and the sanitation in their run and coop is very good. We clean it all out once a week.

I am having a difficult time finding the Corid, but am going to order some off the web. Any advice on dosage since the girls are not really showing symptoms?

It sucks losing a little chicken, but I saw a great quote on here the other day that said, "Where there is livestock, there is deadstock..."
It's the sad truth


I see that there are 9.6-20% solutions for their water which would be the easiest approach for me. Which strength should I use?



Thanks again~