sheila is sick---lethargic, water in stool, feathers puffed

[Barnyard]

I am not sure if you can mix all those together or not. How long has she been on the Sulmet? What are you giving the Oxy-mycin for?

 

[coopMOM]

I put all of the chickens on Sulmet before LOLA died last week and it didn't work for her, but I was finishing the treatment. It is over today. The chicken lady told me to give her oxy-mycin, so I was going to start that tonight. Many people said I should worm too, so I was wondering how all of those things would work together. We are working on a warm brooder in the garage right now, and will move her in there in the next half hour. I just don't want her to die.

 

[Barnyard]

Have you got any vitamins and electrolytes? If so I would start her on that and keep her in a quiet place and keep her warm. You may have to make her drink by dipping her beak in the water. I would go ahead tomorrow and worm her, I think, and go from there. I looked up oxymycin and it is used to treat bacteria infection's. Not sure if that is what you are dealing with. I would hold off on that and try the wormer if it was me. You have already done a round of Sulmet, so I would think that would be better than the oxymycin. I really hope she makes it for you.

 

[beautifulbirds]

Yep, been through it and if you don't take action she will up and die on you.

Treat her as if she is highly contagious which means you wash your hands before and after you handle her and sterilise all her eating and drinking dishes, bowls etc. and try and use glass as it is easier to keep clean.

Move her if you haven't already.

Get 10 cloves of garlic and steep (soak) in boiling hot water until cooled (stick your finger in it and make sure it is not hot) then get an eye dropper and sterilise it in boiling hot water and give her three squirts down her throat every morning for three days. Ensure that you sterilise the eye dropper between dosings and do not use it to does any of the others, so keeping it in a jar of water labelled with er name on it is a good idea. Just keep it separate.

Also. Can you find anyone who has fresh wheatgrass juice in your area? If you can then you give her three squirts at night, after she has eaten, sterilising the eye dropper between the garlic and the wheatgrass juice. The juice must be fresh. One 'shot' will last three days when you will have to chuck it and get some more.

Feed her normally, whatever she will eat. Corn is good and will help to keep her warm. Try bread soaked in milk.

You dose with garlic in the morning and wheatgrass at night for three days and then you wait for three days and then you repeat the process.

Keep me posted and email me if you have any questions.

Good luck.

 

[beautifulbirds]

PS: Don't mix your drugs, you may kill her in the process of trying to save her which is why I have suggested using the garlic. If she is swallowing a lot she may have a sore throat. The garlic will deal with any infection and the wheatgrass will give her extra nutrition. Try it, you will be surprised.

 

[coopMOM]

Thank You.

 

[Barnyard]

GOODLUCK and keep us posted on how she is doing.

 

[silkiechicken]

Have you taken a fecal sample to the vet?

There are different strains of cocci, and if you treated with sulmet for the entire duration of treatment to no effect, it is possible she has a resist strain of the protozoa and a different cocci med may work. The most common strain is the only one with blood int he poo and so on, but there are other ones out there which by now could be resistant to the commonly available drugs.

As for worms. It is also possible she still has them but they are now resistant too if you were just that unlucky to have created them during the last time they were wormed. How is her weight? Any respiratory issues or just listless with with no appetite?

Cocci or worms can cause listlessness and weight loss, but the use of wormers and other drugs can also damage the flora in the intestines and cause diarrhea if they get too much at one time. If treatment is to be through water, mix according to bottle and don't force them to drink it, as it may cause a dosage overload if the body isn't working right. You probably don't want to mix drugs either as that could damage the liver and other internals.

I personally don't think the primary issues she has in bacterial, but if you do treat with antibacterials, finish the whole course and try not to over use such things as they may make the same family of drugs useless in the future for even yourself as even harmless bacteria can gain resistance and pass it to all other bacteria in the environment.

As for contact with things that aren't just right, even the overhead bird or way word bug popping through their run could be a vector for disease. Did you take your other bird for a necrocopsy to find out why she died? That may have been a good key to figuring out what is going on.

Do heed warnings to not mix drugs and finish treatments before moving on.

 

[Barnyard]

I agree with Silkiechicken.... that is the reason I told her not to use the oxymycin, JMHO, but I think one round of med's is good for right now.

 

[coopMOM]

Hi Everyone- Shiela is still alive and seems a bit perkier(sp?), but her stool is not normal. In fact I am wondering if she has some sort of blockage because her crop is huge, but she is not pooping. I have to check her now because I have been gone for a few hours. Another chicken is sick I think now too. Someone suggested an infection in the crop. I will let you know. I am so worried about them. Thank you for the support. (I also have a one year old of the human variety who is sick).