Sick Chicken w Pics, I've no idea what's wrong

[casportpony]

She weighs right around 5 lbs.

Five pounds is a great weight for a leghorn!

I just took a minute to read over that article about how to examine your chicken, thanks again, it's fantastic!

You're welcome!

 

[casportpony]

Like someone else said, I don't like to just start throwing a bunch of meds at birds without knowing what the problem is. I did this in my early days and many times the birds got worse.

The key is knowing what medications are safe to give and being able to provide proper supportive care. Corid and Safeguard are safe, and they can be given together.

 

[OG Anomaly]

My first question was going to be if she recently stopped laying or produced softshells. Since you mentioned she has been laying softies and missed an egg today it makes me wonder if she had an egg break inside of her? I thought some of those slimier looking droppings looked a bit like a mix of albumen. That could create an infection as well. I've had a couple of birds with droppings like that who eventually cured up on their own after a few days. I also had one leghorn die this spring of egg peritonitis.

Corid definitely won't hurt. I had a bird producing dark cecals and a fecal test came back negative for all parasites. So sometimes it's hard to say. That same bird has frequent loose stools despite a worming and then a week of Corid. I made up some of my own oregano tea from leaves out of my herb garden and after a few days of serving that they began to become more solidified and lost the hint of green.

Like someone else said, I don't like to just start throwing a bunch of meds at birds without knowing what the problem is. I did this in my early days and many times the birds got worse.

Do they get a layer feed? If not do they get oyster shell on the side? You want to correct the soft shell issue regardless if that is the underlying cause or not.

I'm glad you mentioned the 'gooeyness' of her poop because I had noticed that as well and forgot to bring it up.
Is there a way to tell if she has a soft egg stuck in her? In the past I found an article on here about different egg anomalies and was trying to find it again, to look into the soft eggs & haven't been able to.

We were feeding crumbles, but recently switched to pellets & they have oyster shells in them. They also can get more oyster shell, if they want, from a dish we kept in the area from before we used the pellets.

I've seen others mention the use of oregano, what is that for?
Personally, I prefer to try a natural approach first (if I can find one), but if standard meds are needed, that's fine too.

Thank you for your input & I'm sorry about your loss.

 

[OG Anomaly]

If you felt the breast and it feels like she would make a decent meal then I believe you. A 2 you wouldn't want to eat, and a 1 would have almost zero breast meat. No need for pictures.

She is definitely at least a 2, possibly a 3.

 

[OG Anomaly]

Five pounds is a great weight for a leghorn!

You're welcome!

Oh, that's good to hear!
I think we've been pretty lucky so far, being this is the first time we've ever dealt with birds. This whole project was my son's idea & I got roped in, lol.

 

[OG Anomaly]

The key is knowing what medications are safe to give and being able to provide proper supportive care. Corid and Safeguard are safe, and they can be given together.

I will get some Safeguard asap.

 

[casportpony]

If she was still pooping that yellow/green stuff I would have suggested starting her on the amoxicillin, but her poop looks pretty good, save it for another time.

If she has a soft-shelled egg she is trying to pass that certainly could explain many of her symptoms. When I have one like that I give them calcium orally (250 mg for her size), wait a couple of hours, fill my bathroom with steam, place them on the counter in a crate or open box, and turn the lights off.

 

[casportpony]

If you're really careful you might be able to check her for a stuck softy. To do it you put on a clean glove, apply water-based lube, gently insert finger no more than one inch. Go straight in and maybe up a little.

 

[casportpony]

I forgot to ask, how is her crop today?

 

[OG Anomaly]

If you're really careful you might be able to check her for a stuck softy. To do it you put on a clean glove, apply water-based lube, gently insert finger no more than one inch. Go straight in and maybe up a little.
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I really like your teaching aids!
Do you think I should do this? She still hasn't laid an egg yet.