Sick chicken/info on how to transition back to cold weather

[bmetz]

Hi all. New to chickens this year and LOVE this website. I have a chicken who has been having diarrhea. Pale comb and wattle, weight loss, ruffled up appearance etc. Ordered some Corid/amprolium(local store was out of corid and wormer) and getting some wormer(going to try safe-guard) to try to help. She has had the Corid in water for two days now. I also put Sav-a-chick electrolytes in water as well. Due to diarrhea(mostly just liquid- urine like) she had some on feathers. Tonight when I went out to collect eggs(when I arrived home from work) and make sure all in and on roost... she was acting ok on coop floor but when I placed on roost she had a hard time standing on it then she actually fell off onto tray(short drop at least -poor girl) Almost like her feet were frozen, also had a large thing of frozen poop(again more so a liquid than not-so it was ice) on her. Temps were in negatives last night(-7 in early am). Long story short, I brought her in the house and gave her food, water, and a box with shavings. Feet looked irritated(pink/red) in multiple spots after she warmed up. I have some vetericyn spray I could use? I want to doctor her up but also worry about temperature acclimation/ the others picking on her after recovery. Not sure I am doing any of this the right way! Not ideal to have in house because of these issues but not sure what else to do. Any advice before I pull my hair out(haha)-treatment, transition back to cold etc? Sorry so long- new to me and worried about her. Thank you!

 

[The Phantom]

@casportpony

 

[sylviethecochin]

Have you got a laundry room or another place where you could close the door and open a window to readjust her gradually? That's what I would do.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

I believe corid and electrolytes should not be used together. Just corid in water for 5 days, nothing else. Have you gotten to clean up her vent area?? Good long soaks will help, you may need to clip those feathers to prevent build up with your cold temps.
It does sound like she needs to be kept inside (warm) so re-integration will be necessary and may or may not take time. Each case is individual.

Could you post pictures of her feet, poop, and general appearance? It could really help people here offer more advice.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Regarding acclimatizing - it can be done so I wouldn't worry too much about that just yet, get the little one right first.

Oftentimes people will place the chicken outside for short spells of time during the mildest part of the day for a few days, gradually leaving them out for longer (once the chicken is fully recovered!). This way the chicken will not be able to get used to the cold.

 

[bmetz]

Have you got a laundry room or another place where you could close the door and open a window to readjust her gradually? That's what I would do.

She is in my sun room/laundry room in a crate today and was in a box with shavings(so she could nestle in/stay warmer). How long do you think it would take to not stress her(once she is feeling better)? I won't be able to get too low in there because of plumbing but can lower temp with windows etc. Thanks for your advice!

 

[bmetz]

I believe corid and electrolytes should not be used together. Just corid in water for 5 days, nothing else. Have you gotten to clean up her vent area?? Good long soaks will help, you may need to clip those feathers to prevent build up with your cold temps.
It does sound like she needs to be kept inside (warm) so re-integration will be necessary and may or may not take time. Each case is individual.

Could you post pictures of her feet, poop, and general appearance? It could really help people here offer more advice.

I used together as I saw on another post about corid and electrolytes together. Wasn't sure. Knew it said they needed it after at least if not during. I have not gotten to clean really, she was pretty stressed last night but it did melt off overnight so I am sure that is some relief to her, poor girl. What is the best way to clip the feathers there? I assume could just cut but want to make sure doing the right way. Yes she seems quite thin also. I feel so bad for her. She was feeling quite feisty this morning though- she bit me...she didn't attempt that last night. I will get some pics when I get home from work. Her poop had a little more substance to it this morning. Kind of similar in color to feed crumbles. She is an ISA Brown and is 8 months old. Her feet also looked better this morning except the bottoms still looked red/irritated. I think the foot issue is due to her not wanting to squat/roost really. She kind of seems like ruffled up/hunched up when walking etc. She will usually roost when I put her up but hesitates to squat down...which must have caused the foot issue the other night. Thanks for your advice!

 

[bmetz]

Regarding acclimatizing - it can be done so I wouldn't worry too much about that just yet, get the little one right first.

Oftentimes people will place the chicken outside for short spells of time during the mildest part of the day for a few days, gradually leaving them out for longer (once the chicken is fully recovered!). This way the chicken will not be able to get used to the cold.

I thought about that when weather a bit warmer. Any thoughts on temp I should try to keep in sun room or just worry about that down the line? Don't want too cold for her but don't want it to hurt her in long run either.

 

[Eggcessive]

Vitamins are not to be given at the same time while on Corid, and I would not mix Corid with anything else. Make sure that she is drinking well, and Corid water may even be mixed into some chicken feed to get more into her. Has she been laying eggs recently? She should be laying in her first season most every day. There could be some sort of reproductive disorder if she is not laying. Coccidiosis could be a problem, but she should have gotten resistance built up by now unless she has an underlying problem with immunity. We always consider something like Mareks in the first year if they have problems with walking or immunity. It probably would not hurt to check for egg binding by inserting a finger into the vent one inch.

I would keep her inside until certain that feet are not frostbitten or damaged. I would not put anything on them right now, and do not massage or handle them. If she is chilled, she may need some extra warmth, since sick chickens cannot regulate their temps. It is always hard in extreme winter weather, dealing with a sick chicken because of getting them used to the cold again. When the droppings have dried you may be able to pull some of it off, or trim the poopy area slightly.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I have used electrolytes with corid, and the chicks did recover faster than a previous batch that same year had. Not a huge sample size, and I wasn't measuring/timing, but I don't think the mixing hurts.

Both batches of chicks were bantams, if anyone thinks that's relevant.