Sick chicken, digestive problems? $800 vet bill, what can I do at home

[aart]

The meds all look good—clavamox, a good antibiotic, meloxicam for inflammation and pain, and reglan injection for slow to empty digestive tract.

Thanks for the details.

she had coccidiosis as a 9 week old so it can’t be that.

Wonder if she has damaged intestines from this, could be what is 'slowing' her digestion.

 

[Courtney Jane]

When she went broody a couple of weeks ago, did she pull out her chest and belly feathers when she was sitting? Some of my hens who have gone broody will have a fuller puffy but soft crop. They also stop laying for a couple of weeks after being broken. The meds all look good—clavamox, a good antibiotic, meloxicam for inflammation and pain, and reglan injection for slow to empty digestive tract. I would not massage the puffy crop, since that can cause her to regurgitate her crop contents. I think @casportpony can help you, so glad that she is here. She seems awfully young to be having problems, unless maybe she is starting to molt. Molting is really hard on them. Do you motice any messy feathers?

YES!!! The molting is INSANE right now. Been going on for about 2 weeks. She also has mites which I was treating with DE but have seen no results. They’re getting worse but this problem has become priority so have not been to get proper mite powder yet..

 

[Courtney Jane]

Also thanks for the information on what the medicine was for! Very helpful

 

[aart]

She also has mites which I was treating with DE but have seen no results. They’re getting worse but this problem has become priority so have not been to get proper mite powder yet..

Ohhh well, mites can make a bird terrible unthrifty...get some premethrin pronto.
How long and how bad has the mite infestation been going on?
The vet didn't see or was informed about this?

 

[Eggcessive]

Mites are very hard to get rid of apparently, especially if you cannot get a proper insecticide. Are the mites on her 24/7 or do they just come on at night and disappear into the cracks and crevices? If you can get permethrin or something with pyrethrins, that would be good to use on her every 7 days for a couple of times. But the coop must also be treated, emptying and burning or disposing of old bedding, and spraying with permethrin. If you can locate some Elector PSP or a product that contains spinosad, that is supposed to be the best for treating coops. But it is pricey, but permethrin is not.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

YES!!! The molting is INSANE right now. Been going on for about 2 weeks. She also has mites which I was treating with DE but have seen no results. They’re getting worse but this problem has become priority so have not been to get proper mite powder yet..

No you need to get rid of the mites too - treat the whole chicken, not just the crop problem. If she's infested, mites can suck the life out of her.
Can you get some mite powder?

 

[Courtney Jane]

Mites have been going on for maybe 2 weeks. I was dusting with DE every few days but no change. They are relatively bad now but I wouldn’t say infested. I will get some powder tomorrow morning. The mites are on the chickens all the time. Not the kind that hide in the coop and come out at night. I did say to the vet ‘also I am aware they have both mites and scaly leg mites I am in the process of treating them’ and he was just like ‘ok’. That was all..
the mites are about 1mm, transparent-ish with a red/brown border around them?

 

[casportpony]

the mites are about 1mm, transparent-ish with a red/brown border around them?

Like this?

 

[Eggcessive]

They could be lice or mites. Lice will leave clumps of wite or grey eggs at the base of feathers around the vent. Here is some info on how to identify:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[ValerieJ]

I think mites are the issue you are dealing with. Although I'm a big supporter of FGDE in the coop for mite prevention, I would not trust it to rid an infested chicken of mites for a minute. Neither would I ever put FGDE directly on a chicken. You definitely need to get permethrin or pyrethrin, I prefer the latter more organic version, and treat all your chickens, but this one especially quickly. I have not personally dealt with mites, but I understand they alone can make your chicken ill, and indeed be fatal if not taken care of.