Sick chicken

[heathercara]

Hi! I have an Ameraucana I got at the end of March as a chick, so she's 4 months old. She's not laying yet, though I had my silkie lay an egg in the last few days (my first), so maybe she will start early? She's usually kind of feisty, doesn't want to be touched, and runs away from me.

She has always run a bit funny (head sticking out first), but in the last two days, her strange running has become more pronounced, and she's lethargic and almost drunk acting. She stands with one foot on top of the other and kind of wobbly on her feet. She was also laying down a lot and lets me handle her no problem. Her vent looks good (no issues, prolapse, mites, etc.), crop has been empty (wasn't really eating), not egg-bound that I can feel, comb is red, no mites, no apparent injuries, bleeding, etc.

It's been hot, but the others are fine and have plenty of shade, food, and water, and I'm giving them frozen fruit. I also added some electrolyte water for the others just in case.

I isolated her and put her indoors. She's in a dog crate. I fed her some Greek yogurt mixed with her feed, and she ate well. She also ate blueberries like crazy. She's not really drinking, but I'm offering her electrolyte and probiotic water in a syringe several times per day. I also gave her a short warm bath, then cooled down the water in case she was hot.

Anything else I should do?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would continue to get her rehydrated with fluids or electrolytes. Watermelon is usually good to offer. Mixing some chicken feed with a lot of water, plus a bit of yogurt might get her eating. Although she should have built some resistance to coccidia, I might think about starting her on some Corid for possible coccidiosis. Dosage is 2 tsp of the Corid liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of wtare for 5 days. Symptoms of coccidiosis are lethargy, weakness, puffing up or hunched posture, runny poos, and poor appetite. How do her poops look? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease? Dehydration would be first on my list.

 

[heathercara]

I would continue to get her rehydrated with fluids or electrolytes. Watermelon is usually good to offer. Mixing some chicken feed with a lot of water, plus a bit of yogurt might get her eating. Although she should have built some resistance to coccidia, I might think about starting her on some Corid for possible coccidiosis. Dosage is 2 tsp of the Corid liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of wtare for 5 days. Symptoms of coccidiosis are lethargy, weakness, puffing up or hunched posture, runny poos, and poor appetite. How do her poops look? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease? Dehydration would be first on my list.

Thank you so much!

Her poops are between okay and runny. Yes, she was vaccinated for Marek's as a baby.

I made her a scrambled egg with some of her feed, and she ate well. She also started drinking some eletrolyte water on her own. I'll have to get her some watermelon. She loved the blueberries.

Her appetite seems good now - again, she ate a ton of the Greek yogurt/feed mixture, and ate most of the egg/feed mixture that I made her and the blueberries - all on her own. So should I still give the Corid?

I just checked on her - she's still alive and in her crate on top of the shavings I put in there.

What makes a chicken get dehydrated?

 

[AmyJane725]

What makes a chicken get dehydrated?

Same kinda things that make a person dehydrated. Too hot, not enough shade, not enough water available, not drinking enough water (even if it is available), diarrhea, vomiting (though chickens really shouldn't be vomiting), etc.

 

[heathercara]

Same kinda things that make a person dehydrated. Too hot, not enough shade, not enough water available, not drinking enough water (even if it is available), diarrhea, vomiting (though chickens really shouldn't be vomiting), etc.

Thanks so much. It's so weird because the others are fine. It's been in the 80s, which is hot for here even though I'm in CA, so I'll keep an eye on that. I've fed the other ones frozen fruit, and they have plenty of shade and access to their coop that has open windows. Thanks for all your input!

 

[Dixieldy]

Hello-
Just curious how your chicken is doing. I have one that seems sick now too. It's been brutally hot here so may be from the heat. I left my son over the weekend with them while I went to visit my relatives. All the chickens were fine before I left. It just wants to lay. Her comb looks pale looking and lays over a bit. I have one chicken that is well and the comb is nice and Red but it lays over. Is that normal in some? I'm not sure if my sick chicken is laying yet. She is around 6 mos old. My chickens look alike and they are free ranged so I haven't seen them all laying. Believe it or not, she is in a nice container with chip bedding and I put her in my bedroom so I can watch her. I think she feels a little cold and felt that way outside in the yard. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello-
Just curious how your chicken is doing. I have one that seems sick now too. It's been brutally hot here so may be from the heat. I left my son over the weekend with them while I went to visit my relatives. All the chickens were fine before I left. It just wants to lay. Her comb looks pale looking and lays over a bit. I have one chicken that is well and the comb is nice and Red but it lays over. Is that normal in some? I'm not sure if my sick chicken is laying yet. She is around 6 mos old. My chickens look alike and they are free ranged so I haven't seen them all laying. Believe it or not, she is in a nice container with chip bedding and I put her in my bedroom so I can watch her. I think she feels a little cold and felt that way outside in the yard. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Can you post some photos of your pullet and her poop?
What symptoms are you seeing?

 

[Dixieldy]

Here is a photo of her. She slept in my room last night so I could keep an eye on her. I had 1 other chicken act like this before but got ok. I'm not sure if she is laying nor not but she hasn't pooped all night I'm not sure how to check her but she looked ok from behind.

 

[Dixieldy]

She is drinking and I gave her some watermelon that she did eat a little of.

 

[Dixieldy]

Why would the comb not be Red? What causes it to flop over? I have an awesome healthy one with a comb laying over.