Puffed up, low energy chicken

[Lydiabell]

Help! I'm new to owning and caring for backyard chickens...my lavender orpington is 10 weeks old. This morning we went to the coop and she was very puffed up and her feathers looked very unkempt. She has had a couple loose stools, little to no appetite, not moving around much. She will drink a little water. Her buns are normal color, no redness or swollen areas. I ordered Corid 9.6% solution after self diagnosing her with coccidiosis based on symptom searches and pictures. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? The medicine wont be here until Thursday and I'm afraid of losing her before then. She is separated and in our garage in a pet carrier. Thanks for any and all help.

 

[chicknmania]

I don't know where you are, but you can get Corid in all feed stores. Coccidiosis is a good guess, but do you have a vet that will do a fecal exam for you? Because it might be worms. If I had to guess, I'd say it's one or the other, or both, unless she's showing other symptoms such as paralysis. It sounds like you are keeping her warm. Hopefully you can get meds sooner than Thursday, but in the meantime, you can try to give her a little extra energy by trying to coax her to eat. Bread crumbs soaked in buttermilk, minced grapes, scrambled eggs, yogurt, cantaloupe guts, pumpkin guts, chopped hard boiled egg...are all things sick chickens like. Also, I like to keep sick chickens in an area where they're warm and separate from the flock, but still can see or hear their friends, because I think it keeps them calmer and lowers stress to know the other chickens are nearby. Once you get corid or worm meds, treat the whole flock, not just her. if she doesn't eat or drink in a day or two, you can try dribbling water or fluids, maybe containing some probiotics, into the side of her beak, a little at a time, letting her swallow every couple of dribbles. Some people like to tube feed sick chickens, and it's an option, but I dislike doing this, I think it creates extra stress on the bird.

 

[ChickenLeg]

Yea go to feed store in morning and get corid, if its coccidiosis it can kill in a matter of days from showing signs. Post pics of poop if you have them

 

[Lydiabell]

Thanks so much to the both of you! I went to Coastal Farm and found some! Goinf to mix up a batch tonight.

 

[chicknmania]

OK, i hope it works for you! There's a stronger dose for sick chickens. If I can find it later, I'll let you know, or it might be on BYC somewhere. You could also call the manufacturer and ask. Give it to her (and all of them) for five to seven days. Consider getting the fecal sample analyzed also, it's not expensive. If the Corid doesn't work, you need to get a broad spectrum dewormer, (Safeguard is easiest to get quickly) and give her that. It's also available in feed stores as goat dewormer.

 

[Lydiabell]

This was a dropping from this morning. She was walking around a bit this morning when I took her out of her crate and she was very weak and stumbled around. She ate a couple pieces of grape and I got a bit of corid treated water down her but that's it. I came home and my husband says she camt really use her legs. She just falls to her face when he would put her drown. I feel like it would help for her to see her best buddy, how important is it to keep them separated? Her friend seems a bit down because of the separation. Thank you

 

[coach723]

If they were together before she got sick they've both been exposed already. If it's coccidiosis then I'd treat them both anyway, Corid is very safe. You can give a stronger oral dose in addition to the treated water. I'm going to post the dosing chart also, just to make sure you have the correct dosing for the water, use the severe dose amount.
Dosing for the oral dose is (this is in addition to the treated water:
Corid 9.6% liquid - Do not dilute

• Give 0.1 ml per pound of body weight orally once a day for 1-3 days.

or

• 0.02 ml per 100 grams of body weight orally once a day for 1-3 days.

Corid 20% powder - Mix 1/2 teaspoon powder with 2 teaspoons water.

• Give 0.34 ml per pound of body weight orally once a day for 1-3 days.

or

• 0.07 ml per 100 grams of body weight orally once a day for 1-3 days.
• 

 

[chicknmania]

Don't let her mingle with the others! It's true she's probably already exposed everyone else, but it might be stressful for her to be closer to them. Like I said, you can move her a bit closer to she can hear and see them, but you don't really want them coming over to her. She sounds really sick and I don't like the appearance of the bright yellow droppings. Try harder to get some fluids into her. If you want to try to do tube feeding we can talk you through it. Castcartpony is the best for that.

 

[Lydiabell]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the help and suggestions, she was eating great last night and was drinking quite nicely. Unfortunately I I woke up this morning to find that she had passed through the night...

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am so sorry.... That is so heart breaking...

Be sure to treat the rest of your flock as the others suggested. They have been exposed to whatever your poor girl had.