Pullet is throwing head back, doesn't get up and stretches legs out.

[dlhunicorn]

Look on the package and see if it says
1) "selenite" or selenate"
OR if it mentions the word
2)"organic" or "yeast(form)" or "seleomethionine"....
The first (1)are INorganic form of selenium (not recommended) and the second (2) are ORGANIC form... a few years back I did extensive research on the two (well researching the studies which at the time had not really filtered down yet to feed and industry and were at university and pubmed) > I knew there was a big difference and concern over toxicity between the two forms as my step father had struggled for years with prostate cancer and KSU were (dietary measures) were advising selenomethionine and NOT the INorganic form in supplement...
The organic/yeast form is as far as I know is always in the geltab and usually the dry pill form will contain the INorganic form . Now dont go thinking you have poisoned your bird if it turns out to be selenite/selenate if you have adhered to the 50 MICROgram level... it is just that studies have found the organic form over the INorganic form to have better results (it is a bit too complicated to summarize here)

ETA: I just ran across this in the feed industry news :
http://www.feedindustrynetwork.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=25220
"...Greater safety
There has long been concern that selenium can be toxic when fed in too high of doses. Roch presented a trial in broilers with a high dose of selenium yeast (5 ppm), showing a significant improvement of performance (feed conversion rates and slaughter weight), and a significant increase of the animals' blood, liver and muscle selenium content. She claimed that an equivalent dose of selenium in its mineral form would be highly toxic. The lack of toxicity of high selenium yeast dosage is another important argument in favor of selenium yeast.

Roch told the seminar participants that selenium yeast was the most bioavailable and lower toxic source of selenium to be used in poultry diets..."

 

[threehorses]

You can also use a ziplock bag and a regular can of food to crush it, too. I'd probably use karo rather than molasses unless you really thin it down as molasses makes things pass through the gut quick, and you want the vitamin E to be slow. Heck - mix it in some boiled mashed egg, or oatmeal and see if she'll just eat it as another alternative in addition to robin's good suggestions.

 

[sleepyt]

Thanks for the info. I checked the bottle and the selenium is from yeast. I was also wondering if I can give her the polyvisol drops in her feed too. I'm not good at using the dropper...I'm not sure if she is getting the proper dosage.

 

[threehorses]

If you put the drops onto a tiny bit of boiled egg yolk, that should work well. Otherwise you won't know that they're getting it really. Or try a very tiny bit of cooked yogurt. Whatever she really likes. A small bit of bread.

 

[sleepyt]

Hi Everyone,

It has been a week and my baby is getting stronger but still not walking. I brought her up to the cottage with us for the week (there were no pets allowed but I wasn't about to leave her at home to die..I'm sure when they said no pets allowed they weren't talking about chickens).

A couple extra things I wanted to mention just in case you guys have any more ideas. Abagail is now twelve weeks old and here head doesn't have feathers yet...is this a sign of anything. She still has no balance..she can take 2 steps but then falls over. Sometimes she stretches her legs out and twists her neck down and to the side. Her head shakes sometimes too. She's eating well and pooping regularly. Has diarrhea once in awhile. She sneezes sometimes and her beak still clicks when she eats.

I have given her the polyvisol and vit B and E. I was expecting the oxine I ordered before I left to be here when I got home but nothing came. I'll have to call the company. Do you thing oxine will solve her problem...I really hope so. I've grown really attached to her.

P.S. thanks Threehorses for the advice about putting her drops on bread. I was able to monitor her medicine intake properly.

 

[muell112]

What did you end up getting for bedding? Pine shavings work well. If you have a feed store nearby they should sell it, as would a local mill (make sure to check with them about whether or not it's been treated with anything). When it starts to get damp at all/broken up, change it. In the winter I read you can just keep adding layers of dry bedding and it'll start composting underneath and keep the birds warm. I read that straw is not good bedding for chickens.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I'm glad you were able to get the meds in her. The improvement signs, though slight, are good. It makes me wonder which issue it was. B usually is quicker, but neurological issues are longer.

I probably asked this before - the beak clicking - is that congestion inside her nose, or something else?

When her head shakes, does it shake like palsy? Or like she's trying to shake something off of it?

 

[sleepyt]

For Abagail I have pine shavings in her box but for the rest of the flock I cleaned out the coop and bought new straw...I hope straw is good I just bought 25 bails.

I think the clicking noise is from congestion.

I'm not sure what palsy looks like. When she shakes it doesn't look like she is trying to get something off her. What does palsy look like?

I was reading a thread about dusting for lice and a red abdomen was mentioned. Abby has a little red on her belly just where her bone ends.

Is there a website I can go to see the anatomy of chickens to see what is normal and what isn't?

 

[threehorses]

If you suspect congestion, I think I would consider going ahead and treating her as this wasn't a passing congestion issue.

For that, I would consider Duramycin 10 (oxytetracycline 10grams per 6.04 ounce package, foil package, water treatment - 3 teaspooons per gallon x 14 days). New solution daily. (works out to about 0.75 or 3/4th of a teaspoon per quarter waterer).

In the cause of Duramycin, you can no longer use yogurt as a probiotic but particularly because of the length of treatment, she'll need one. In this case, acidophilis from the grocery store vitamin section, or Probios powder or paste from the livestock section of feedstores. Use the powder from one capsule or tablet, or 1/4teaspoon of Probios. You can sprinkle on feed or mix into a quickly eaten damp treat.

Continue daily vitamins.

Her red abdomen is probably from her lack of normal standing and airing out her underside. But do check for mites in case.

INcidentally, can you photograph her? We might be able to see something abnormal in her stance. A photograph of her "down" would help, too.

Palsy is more like an uncontrollable shivering, like a very old person's hand. Shaking is more like what you've described - which could be new feathers coming in (by the way, what protein is her feed) or her trying to clear her sinuses. Or feathers in her ears. Usually the clearing sinuses if there are clacking issues.

To clarify on the congestion before treating, I would definitely listen to her head - then her back. See if you can pinpoint where the noise is from. I'd also open her beak and look on the roof of it and her throat - see if fyou see any white anywhere - like cheesy nodules or bumps, pimple-head looking bits, cheesy areas around the top of the roof of the mouth (which should be wet but clean and pink, the 'teeth' on the roof of the mouth should be sharpish, not inflammed and coated with white).

 

[muell112]

Quote:
According to Storey's guide to raising chickens by Gail Damerow (I highly recommend) good bedding should be absorbent, dry quickly, doesn't pack readily, has medium sized particles, is free of mustiness and mold among other traits. They recommend pine. "straw, unless chopped" mats too easily and, when combined with mauer, creates an impenetrable mass. Of the kinds of straw, wheat is the best, followed by rye, oat, and buckwheat, in that order. Any of these, chopped and mixed with shredded corncobs and stalks, makes nice loose, fluffy bedding."