Sick Chicken - Need some input from the Brains Trust! Any advice is welcome, too much detail inside! :)

[Gategirl5353]

Hi all,
I have a chicken, about a year and a half old, good layer ISA brown. She's been off and I can't figure out why. Her abnormal behaviors are, not laying, holding her wings out (she's inside now so it's not heat related but it looks exactly like she's trying to cool off) She is eating and drinking now as well, I first thought it might have been impacted crop but the crop emptied overnight so it can't be that, thought she might be egg bound but shes passing poo, which by the way has a green tinge to it but otherwise looks normal, no undigested food in there. I can not find any swelling or hardness in her body that shouldn't be there, She has lost weight, current weight is 1542gms and she went into the coop early the two nights before my brain clicked that she wasn't right and I separated her from the flock. She's not keen on moving far or with any vigor, but her gait is steady and she is not showing any of the classic unstableness, lameness on one side with Mareks. I don't think it is respiratory, no sneezing or wheezing and no discharge from eyes ears or nostrils. She's not right and I can not figure out why. I've got some antibiotics I'm trying with her but it's too early to tell if that is having an effect. Vet isn't available till Monday so I'll zip her over there then but until then, Brain's trust... any thoughts?

 

[TheCluckyClucker2]

@azygous Help? More people to tag?

 

[azygous]

You've ruled out crop issues and egg issues, but there's still room for coccidioisis, intestinal bacterial infection, chronic reproductive infection, and tumors from either lymphoid leucosis or Marek's. The one-sided paralysis is only one of many symptoms of Marek's. LL tumors can affect brain, nerves, joints, and organs, producing few or no specific symptoms. In both avian viruses, the only outward symptom often is a general "off" behavior. Weight loss is common with both.

When I face such an obscure set of symptoms, I start treating for the most likely issue such as coccidiosis. I often use an antibiotic along with the Corid to treat bacterial infection at the same time, as infection often accompanies coccidiosis. Neither if these treatments do any harm if you're wrong. Failure to improve with treatment just helps you rule out coccidiosis and infection.