Sad little cochin bird...i need advice

[nursemimi]

hi there! we have 8 sweet chickens, all different breeds. they are all approximately 10 months old. we lost our two leghorn chickens recently, and now one of my cochin birds is acting strangely. i cannot tell if she is sick or just super afraid of her sisters? she is withdrawn from the flock, neck somewhat pulled in, and hides often. some of the others peck at her, again, im not sure if its bc she is the smallest or bc she could be sick. i did worm all my girls after we lost the first two with ivermectin. she doesn't scratch or dust bathe at all, kinda just hovers in the corner. when i bring her inside she devours seed and water. i have noticed some sticky tail feathers, not from diarrhea, pretty sure she just is so weak and doesn't have energy to stand. she hopped out of the nesting box today and crumbled. another new development, just after she eats she does a weird thing with her neck, almost like she is adjusting something or trying to swallow oddly? she is only ONE pound. please any advice appreciated! i am so sad!

 

[DobieLover]

Have you checked to see if her crop is empty in the morning and full at night? What are you feeding your birds?
Why did you worm your flock after the LHs died? What did the LHs die from?
If your cochin is 10 months old and a full-size (not bantam) and only weighs 1 pound, something is very wrong.
The neck movements suggest a crop/digestive issue possibly secondary to a reproductive tract issue. As does the low weight.
Can you post pictures of her and your coop/run set up?

 

[nursemimi]

yes! crop empty in the morning and full at night. i thought it could be sour crop? Im feeding them a combination of pellets and crumbles. i have 4 little girls so they do get lots of treats too and tons of love! i am in texas and called the chicken farmer who we got the chickens from when my LH died. she suggested worming them, said she suspected mites is what got the first one? i may be off on her age. i think she is only 8.5 months old. i will try to post pics of her and our coop. thank you for your help!

 

[DobieLover]

It sounds like the farmer is just guessing. Worming should be done after a fecal float verifies a load requiring elimination and identified which species of worm you are dealing with so the correct drug can be used.
If one chicken was killed by a mite infestation, your coop and the rest of your chickens will have mites. I'm curious why she would have suggested such an issue.
Have you checked for mites?
I would isolate your sick girl, give her a few drops of Nutri-drench or Poultry cell directly in her mouth and offer her some feed that you have soaked first. You can also offer her some cooked eggs for additional nutrition. She will be much easier to monitor this way.
Where are you located in the world?
Once the experts arrive on the scene you will get more suggestions on diagnosing the problem.

 

[nursemimi]

 

[nursemimi]

Thank you! I’m in Waco, Texas. I have offered her the egg (she doesn’t love eggs) and did the nutridench directly in her mouth just earlier! I’m so anxious for her to get better!! She seems so weak and clumsy. I did check for mites and didn’t see any. The LH got bad diarrhea and a very pale comb. The farmer suggested I worm just to be safe. Now I’m wondering if the other LH wasn’t eating well?

 

[DobieLover]

Are her poops normal? You said no diarrhea but what do they look like? Any new chickens introduced to the flock recently? Can she walk normally?
You mentioned you got her from a farmer so she likely was not vaccinated against Marek's.

 

[nursemimi]

Yes, completely normal poops. I originally thought diarrhea bc there was some on her feathers, but now i think she was just too weak so she went sitting down. no new chickens. yes she can walk normally, just sometimes a little unsteady. she acts seriously afraid of the other 7. runs from them and hides. yes i got her from a farmer. im assuming she was vaccinated for mareks. i will ask.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you have a dog crate where you can separate her, but that she can still be with the flock, and try to get her eating well, that would be good. Offer wet chicken feed changed daily, tuna, chopped liver, cooked egg plus a tsp of plain greek yogurt for probiotics, and hoepfully, she will gain some weight. Then, you could also let her out with her flock in the late afternoons to interact, once she has eaten well. Since I have some meeker chickens, I put out food and water in 3 locations, inside and outside my coop, so that everyone has a chance to eat. It would not hurt a bit to give your chickens some Corid (amprollium) for 5 days just in case of coccidiosis. It is not an antibiotic, so plenty safe. If you can get a short video (posted to YouTube with a link here) when she has the odd neck movements or problems walking, we can take a look.

 

[nursemimi]

Would a small dog crate work? We are supposed to get a significant cold front tonight and I’m afraid I need to keep her inside the coop with the other girls. Also, how often should I give her the Nutridench?