Sick Chicken - Lethargic, not eating/drinking well. Green poop

[MCW]

Hey all - looking for any advice for my sweet Pearl (3 yr old Polish). She has been very lethargic since last Thursday, laying down every chance she gets (kind of on her side), and not eating/drinking much. She also seems to have a bit of a limp. We have done some Epsom salt baths, we did give some ivermectin per instruction from a long-time chicken owner (who thought it could be worms). Having a hard time telling if there are worms in the poop. It is very dark green, which I read could come from not eating well. I have attached a picture of her and the poop. Sorry in advance for the gross pic.

We have 8 other chickens, not currently showing any symptoms. She has been pretty much isolated since late last week and is super depressed.

Appreciate any suggestions y'all have. Thanks so much!!

 

[chicknmania]

Hey all - looking for any advice for my sweet Pearl (3 yr old Polish). She has been very lethargic since last Thursday, laying down every chance she gets (kind of on her side), and not eating/drinking much. She also seems to have a bit of a limp. We have done some Epsom salt baths, we did give some ivermectin per instruction from a long-time chicken owner (who thought it could be worms). Having a hard time telling if there are worms in the poop. It is very dark green, which I read could come from not eating well. I have attached a picture of her and the poop. Sorry in advance for the gross pic.

We have 8 other chickens, not currently showing any symptoms. She has been pretty much isolated since late last week and is super depressed.

Appreciate any suggestions y'all have. Thanks so much!!

If she has a limp it could be a neurological issue like Marek's or Leukosis. The dark green poo can mean that she is dehydrated. What are you feeding her and is she eating/ drinking? She should be separated from the flock in her own cage, and it should be warm and private, but ideally she can still hear or see the others. She could have something that none of the others will necessarily get, and of course they still will have been exposed. It's just better for everyone if she's separated. Whatever it is, she needs water and food. If she's not eating, there are things you can do to tempt her to eat, and also ways you can administer water or soft food. Have you felt her feet and legs from toes all the way up to her hip to see if there's swelling, tenderness, or heat? Looked at her feet to see if there are any black marks or anything unusual? If the limp progresses and gets worse and she continues to not eat, there's a good chance that it's a neuro problem and in that case there's not much you can do, but you can also try giving her some high potency vitamins; Rooster Booster makes B12 and Poultry Cell supplements and sometimes those can help. You don't necessarily see worms in the poop; capillary worms aren't visible but they will make a bird very sick. There is also Hypericum Perforatum, which can be good for neuro issues and some people have had very good results with it. You have to look up the directions on how to administer, and you must use distilled water in mixing it, It is a controversial supplement but as I said, some find it has amazing results. I have not used it for years but if you can't find directions, I can see if I can find mine. Whatever you do, don't waste any time, because when they are that sick, it is serious. You can get Hypericum Perforatum at a health food store,

 

[Eggcessive]

The green poop has some white strands of urates the kidney waste. Dark green poop means she is not eating enough. There is some solid mucus as well. At 3 1/2 years, limping would more likely be from an injury, arthritis, or a reproductive disorder. Cancer is also common in older hens. Does she lay eggs normally? Has she molted this fall? Have you added any new chickens to your flock in the last few months? Mareks is more common in young chickens under 8 months old unless she has been exposed recently to a carrier.

Can you try getting her to eat some soft cooked egg, and offer wet mushy chicken feed as well as her normal dry feed? Hold food and water up to her beak. Chicken sling chairs can sometimes be helpful in birds that are lame if they tolerate them. You can attach food and water to the sling. In the link below look at posts 5, 11-14 for good examples and a video:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[MCW]

Thank you both for the replies. I have been giving her water and eggs, mostly from syringes or by cupping it in my hand which she’ll eat out of but it’s obviously much less than she would normally eat. I let her out in the yard by herself and she’ll pick around a little so getting some substance there. We have checked up and down her legs and whole body for signs of injury, tenderness and haven’t found anything. We did get 4 new chickens in April (they moved in with Pearl and the others in June; hopefully they didn’t give her anything…we did a 2 month quarantine). She is a regular layer (until this happened) and has not yet molted this year.
I’ll pick up some of the B12 in the morning. She doesn’t seem to be getting better or worse so far.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Eggcessive]

B complex tablets are best. Those have all b vitamins including b12. They are around $9 at Walmart Spring Valley brand. Dosage is 1/4-1/2 tablet per day and can be crushed into food.

 

[MCW]

Hi all! It's been 14 days since Pearl got sick. She's not really getting any better. Still very lethargic and not eating/drinking much. Also the poop continues to be very mucousy with dark green in it. I feel like we've tried everything (vitamin B, ivermectin, corid, electrolytes, ACV). She desperately wants to be outside with the other girls but I'm still scared to let them interact.
Any other ideas?

 

[Georgia Chickens]

Have you had any results w/meds, supplements, and vitamins. We have a Wyandotte @maybe 3 1/2 y/o.(got from husbands neice yr and a half back) She’s not laid eggs in about a yr.
Wk before last, was fine, roaming around, free ranging. Sing mid last week, not getting into coop @bedtime, so I’ve been putting into coop @nite. Still has appetite, but very picky @WHAT and how much she’ll eat.
All getting herbal mix in water. Been giving her @least 1/2 syringe of NutriDrench daily. About to give a dose of Liquid B12 & a dose of NutriDrench. She’s inside, in quiet are. When picked up, could feel prominently feel breast bone. At a loss of what may be wrong.

 

[chicknmania]

Is she still limping? Or any other neurological symptoms?

 

[MCW]

Unfortunately no real updates on Pearl. She does seem to be eating and drinking a bit more than she was but still not as much as normal. She continues to lay down constantly. Doesn't really stand for more than a few minutes at a time. The limp doesn't seem as noticeable but she still seems a little uneasy when she tries running, flapping. Continuing to crush up B-12 tablets and put 1/4 tablet per day in with the few tomato scraps she'll eat. Thanks everyone for their concern!

@Georgia Chickens - how's your Wyandotte doing?

 

[Eggcessive]

I posted earlier that you need to give B complex, not B12. B complex is a multi-B tablet with all B’s including B12. But it is B2 (riboflavin) defiency that is what can cause lameness in chickens. NutriDrench does not contain any riboflavin (B2.)