Sick Chicken, Is it Time to Cull?

[irf1983]

One of my 3-4 month old marans has been sick for several weeks. She is very lethargic, always stoops with her eyes closed, seems to have a hard time balancing, and doesn't really move. I can't see anything wrong with her. Vent, poop, legs, bones, stomach, eyes, nose, all seemingly ok. She used to eat and drink, but now just sits in a box. Her poop has become clear and viscous, and I have to force feed her. For the past week I have had her isolated in the garage and have been force feeding her water with durvet, and I see no improvement.

She doesn't seem to be in pain, but she can't be very happy. If i knew she was going to get better, I'd be happy to continue what I'm doing. But I don't want her to suffer needlessly. Any advice would be great. Is it time to cull?

 

[meriruka]

Is she really skinny? Is her comb pale? Does her abdomen feel normal? How does her crop feel? Any sour smell?

Just trying to see if it's something you could maybe fix.......

 

[daryl]

If that was one of my birds I would cull by week 3

 

[irf1983]

Quote:
She is pretty skinny, but she's fairly young too, she lighter than the others, but not skeletal or anything. Her comb is not noticeably pale compared to the others. Abdomen and crop seem fine and no sour smell.

 

[tulie13]

Why are you giving her durvet? What is that supposed to treat?

Have you given her some extra vitamins/electrolytes? She may have gotten overheated/dehydrated and needs a little "pick me up". Since you have her in a cooler place now, I would think that if heat was the problem, she should have perked up by now, but if she is too far dehydrated she may need some extra help.

Also, have you checked for worms? You might not see a lot in her poop unless the "load" is big (she has lots of them). Heat + some worms could be a bad combo.

I'd still go with the electrolyte/vitamin solution, and I would not treat with "medicine" unless I had diagnosed specifically what is wrong with her. Can you get a stool sample checked for worms?

 

[augustmomx2]

My chicken has almost the same exact symptoms. I have yet to figure out what the heck is going on Now, I can't even force feed her, nor force her to drink. She's on the brink of death (and has been several days). Today, I have made the decision to put the poor thing out of her misery, with the vinegar/baking soda method

Good luck in your decision, I know its never an easy one...

 

[jjthink]

Several weeks sick for a chicken is a very long time. She's trying hard to hang in there. Is there any possibility of getting her to an avian vet quickly?

I had a hen go lethargic on me last fall - and right away got her to the vet. Blood work was consistent with infection and/or inflammation. Meds (antibiotic and antiinflammatory in her case) fixed her up and she is the picture of health today. I don't think the outcome would have been good without the meds.

After all this time your hen is probably severely nutritionally compromised - when did she stop eating and drinking on her own?
3 drops Polyvisol children's liquid vitamins daily (administered gently with dropper dribbling along her beak line so she can swallow without choking).

She'll need a lot more help than this though. Please post everything possible about her diet, etc. so folks can better try to help you help her.

JJ

 

[FluffyColor]

Don't eat a sick bird.That could be dangerous to your health.

 

[irf1983]

I put her on durvet because i suspected she may have coccidiosis. I'm not sure how to check for worms, but I have monitered her poop, and didn't see anything suspicious. I will check more thoroughly however. She stopped eating on her own when I moved her inside. I thought she may be overheating, but when I put a fan on her lightly, she tries to avoid it. I tried giving her yogurt too, but she wasn't interested. I also put electrolytes in her water before the durvet. It's been a week now inside and i don't see any improvement. She just sits awkwardly all fluffed up with her eyes closed all day and when she does stand she wobbles like she can't balance.

 

[fordmommy]

I think that's a problem for the Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures forum. I think they could help you better there.


Edit your post and hit report. Let the mods know that you need to post there. Hope you get your answers and your chicken gets better.