Ridged egg and head twitching UPDATE:Things are getting WORSE HELP

[sammi]

I'd consider taking a fecal sample to a vet for testing if you can't take a hen in..

what kind of wood shavings do you use?

droppings..are they foamy?

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

check for mucus from eyes and beak
any bubbling from eyes
any eye /head/wattle swelling?
any wheezing?

any unusual eggs?

make sure they are warm and draft free.

 

[threehorses]

OK let me get this straight. Are you needing help for the past illness (the respiratory etc)? Did your chickens recover for this except for the reappearance of the head shaking?

I think what happened previously was simply a respiratory illness. It's possible that the head shaking, at that time, could have been caused by their respiratory illness. But I don't think it is this time if they're showing no respiratory symptoms.

I also don't think head shaking has anything to do with E. coli. However that being said, I really like dlhunicorn's post on the subject.

As for how things stand, if my assumption about just the head shaking being the issue (and that one funky egglayer), I wouldn't worry about it. However, I'd mark it on a calender or in a notebook if you keep one for your birds.

On laying*, you can always get a fecal egg count or sample to a vet and have them check it. Since you haven't wormed before, that would be a good idea. Note that tapeworms won't show on the sample if you birds have them.. However, they're not one of the more common worms. Also, a clean fecal on one bird doesn't necessarily mean your entire flock is clean. But it's a good start.

(By the way, I meant to say "on worming," here.)

 

[tlm724]

Thank you everyone for your quick and informative responses. I really appreciate it! This morning all the girls seem happy and alert, just head shaking, no other signs of resp. problems. Perhaps I am an overprotective mother hen, LOL. The head shaking and ridged eggs bother me, that being said , I think I will continue with the electrolites/vitiamins and deworm them with Ivermectin pour on. Does this seem like a good idea?? Again thank you all, you are great!!

 

[threehorses]

I really like the pour on, yes. If you've never wormed, however, I'd go with wazine 17 (Piperazine) first. It's not a terribly effective wormer, but that's a good thing for the purpose it's used. It's strictly effective against roundworms, the most common worms our birds have. If your birds have an infestation, that's the one they'll have the most of.

Sometimes if we worm them and they have more than we think, the resulting dead worms can cause them to go into anaphylactic shock (think rejected donor organ effect) because the dead worms suddenly become rejected by the body as a foreign protein. (While they were living, this doesn't happen.) Also loads of dying worms can clog the bird as they're passing them.

So to hedge our bets, we do a weaker worming first - piperazine. With Wazine 17 (piperazine 17%) you do a tablespoon per gallon of drinking water as their sole water source for a day. Remove it the next day. Withhold eating any chickens/eggs for 14 days. This can be done on birds 2 months or older. I personally don't worm my young chickens, but wait until they're a few months old first.

Anyway after a while, 6 weeks or so, you can do the drop-on ivermectin. There's a post on the board here that has the treatment dosage for it. Personally, I love the stuff. After an initial worming with wazine, I just use ivermectin now. That way I know every single bird got the exact dose of ivermectin needed, and the eggs are supposed to be safe.

I'm glad your girls are doing well. That's wonderful news for a Memorial day weekend! Take care.