Sick chicken..day 3

[marigold38]

I have a 18 mos old BO and she is ill. Symptoms: puffed up feathers, standing still or sitting, no engagement with other hens, slow walking, tail stays up, very alert, comb is a little droopy(her comb has never been straight), less eating each day, still drinking, loose stool. Doesn't seem to be and lice/mites, etc. I am treating the flock (4 hens) with Corid now. I didn't think it is egg binding..I don't feel anything around her abdomen, she is not walking like a penguin, and her tail is up. idk. Also, doesn't appear to be any worms in her stool. Any ideas?

 

[DobieLover]

I have a 18 mos old BO and she is ill. Symptoms: puffed up feathers, standing still or sitting, no engagement with other hens, slow walking, tail stays up, very alert, comb is a little droopy(her comb has never been straight), less eating each day, still drinking, loose stool. Doesn't seem to be and lice/mites, etc. I am treating the flock (4 hens) with Corid now. I didn't think it is egg binding..I don't feel anything around her abdomen, she is not walking like a penguin, and her tail is up. idk. Also, doesn't appear to be any worms in her stool. Any ideas?

Welcome to BYC!
Have you checked her crop function? Is it empty in the morning?

 

[marigold38]

Just checked..crop is empty. She is walking a little bit now.

 

[marigold38]

If the corid works..do i clean and disinfect the coop? I use sand. I changed all the bedding.

 

[Iluveggers]

If the corid works..do i clean and disinfect the coop? I use sand. I changed all the bedding.

Yes definitely clean & disinfect. Also if you are treating with Corid, do not give any vitamins or supplements beyond regular food as they can mess with the effectiveness of the medicine. What are you feeding your flock? Do you need the dosage for Corid? Might take 48+ hours to see an improvement with her if it is indeed Coccidosis.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she starting to molt? Mine are right now. They tend to be stand-offish, eat less, and rest. You can’t really disinfect against coccidiosis. It is in the dirt and in their poop. It helps to keep bedding stirred and dry, and change it out when needed. Raise up feeders and waterers so droppings don’t get kicked or scratched into them. Most healthy chickens gradually build up a tolerance for small amounts of coccidia in the soil.

If you have not wormed them this year, worming with Valbazen 1/2 ml orally to each one, and repeated in 10 days, would rule that out. You might want to check her crop to make sure it is emptying by early morning. I also give my molting chickens a little scrambled eggs or tuna to snack on. If they don’t show interest in those, something may be wrong.

 

[marigold38]

Flock gets organic layer crumbles in feeders. A bit of scratch and mealworms in the morning. We are in south Texas, so it's still super warm. Crop is good. No molting yet. We had one do a mini molt last year, so I've seen that. Made a little cornmeal just now. She took one bite. That was it, but she is moving a bit more. Silly question, but do I remove all the sand in the coop (big job) and then wash it down with vinegar? Bleach?

 

[marigold38]

She has always had a floppy comb. It's just a little more floppy now.

 

[Chicken poppy]

She has always had a floppy comb. It's just a little more floppy now.

Hi, im not a expert, but i can give my opinion.
her comb isnt to bad looking (from the photo) some combs are floppy like that. but i do see what you mean. Make sure its not fowl pox to (it doesnt sound like it really, just some of the symtpoms sound a bit familar) try giving her a bit of electrolytes maybe? If she is sick, i would slightly isolate her from ghe rest of them til you understand what it is,

 

[marigold38]

Thank you for advice. They get rooster booster all summer to hel them thru heat and humidity. I just stopped it to give the Corid. I will research fowl pox.