Sick Chick

[SadesBlack]

Good Morning,
Well, I wasn't wanting this type of issue for my first post on BYC but...life happens. I would like to say I have learned so much already and really, deeply appreciate all the sharing of information and care on this site. It's wonderful! Thank you!
So, on to our issue. We have a 2 month old barred rock hen named Inky that has come up sick. Thursday she was perfectly fine. I went to get my boys from a church activity around 8 and when we got back she was standing tall with her mouth open a little and not wanting to move. I checked inside her mouth and throat and felt around her neck and crop but found nothing abnormal. However, it was obvious the right of her crop was sensitive.
The next morning she had mucus in her mouth along with the other symptoms, a pale tongue, and she was very tired. Her crop was still sensitive but empty. Still no weepy eyes or running nose or any other outward signs. We sat at the vet's office for two hours while she slept.
I don't think we got the experienced "exotics" vet because other than suggesting an x-ray, he didn't seem to know what to do. We are poor, so no x-ray, but I'm pretty confident I couldn't feel anything lodged in her crop or throat. We got antibiotics though. TMS syrup 200 mg/40 mg 5 mL 0.7 mL every 12 hours. And Tylan powder to mix in the water Inky shares with our other bird, HenHen.
I am very experienced with mammals, reptiles and birds of all kinds. However, I've been blessed to not have experience tending chicken illness. I'm not at all sure what she is experiencing. I think it's some kind of infection though. I feel it's been too long for her to still be sick if it were a poison and we don't have anything I'm aware of around. Her droppings have stayed completely normal. She is hungry but can't eat or drink well because of the mucus. She looks tired around her face earlier in the day and tires easily, needing naps. Her face looks better by bedtime but she is very tired then anyway. She is slightly improved with the antibiotics and doing her best to peck around outside and even scratching a little. However, i feel like she should be more improved by now if the antibiotics were the appropriate treatment. I'm sorry this is so long but I tried to include all I could in this post. I'm sure I'm not thinking of everything to look for and beg someone's experience in helping diagnose what is going on. Our other young hen is fine. Can someone please give me some ideas of what illness this could be so I can mention it to the vet and get treatment? She is an exceptional chicken. So calm and gentle, even with our crazy busy boys. She even comes to us to snuggle. We hope, with help, we can get our Inky back to her good-natured, healthy self asap. Thank you in advance for any help. We very much appreciate it!

 

[alinas2010]

Hello, sorry to hear about Inky. Have you isolated her from the rest of your flock by chance? You may want to consider doing so incase she is contagious.

Could you post pictures of her and her face? Have you been able to check inside her mouth? Check the slit at the roof of the mouth. See if you can see any lesions around and in her mouth or throat. Sometimes a protozoan infection called Canker can cause chunky, hard, yellowish lesions in and around the mouth, throat and crop. This can result in mucus build up and difficulty eating. It is brought about by wild birds such as pigeons having access to your flock’s water/feed. Is it possible wild birds can access their food/water?

Another possibility I can think of is lice or mites. They can suck life out of poultry and make them a bit lethargic. Check the base of her feather shafts for clusters of eggs. You’ll want to check very closely under her wings and in warm spots for the mites/lice themselves.

 

[SadesBlack]

Hello and thank you for your reply! We only have the two young hens right now and the stress of separation was causing more trouble than helping. I know it's not the best idea but I put them back together and it has helped Inky be able to rest easier. I got a good look at her mouth and throat earlier and did not see any lesions or sores. I was helping her drink at the time. I did notice though that her tongue was pulled way back inside while she drank. Idk if that is a normal chicken thing? It's normal now but still a little pale. I can't find any lice/mites and no obvious signs of worms. She is still having trouble eating and drinking but the mucous has also been getting clearer instead of yellow greenish and pus-looking. I'm attaching a picture of her resting on me. She is most comfortable around someone. You may not notice but she looks very tired to me. It is not her normal, healthy look. Also, she keeps scratching her beak and throat off and on. And she is napping with her head on her back/under wing which is also not normal behavior for her until she got sick. Thank you again! This is a special bird by anyone's definition and we want her to be happy and healthy again.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

It sounds like wet pox to me though I’ve only dealt with dry pox personally. Is it possible for you to get pictures of the inside of her mouth? I think with wet pox there will be mucous there

 

[alinas2010]

Aw poor darling. She is cute. I hope the mucus is clearing bc the antibiotic is helping. How long ago did she start on it?

Yea sometimes it is less stressful to keep them together. I suppose if the other one has already been exposed it’s a moot point to separate them. Does the other have any symptoms? Do either have a tough time breathing or sound wheezy, open mouth breathing?

Could be wet pox, I agree. But there are usually lesions seen with that, too. Here is some information about fowl pox, including wet pox:

https://www.petmd.com/bird/conditions/skin/fowl-pox