sick chicken

[hdgddd]

One of our Rhode Island red hens has been acting sick. She will be fine one day and then she starts acting sick. Her comb on her head is fallen over and she does this thing where she acts like there is something in her throat she is trying to get out. We have looked and there is nothing stuck in her throat. She did this awhile back for a few days but then she was fine and got better. Now she is doing it again. She just stands there and don't want to eat or move around much. Has this happened to anyone else's chickens.
I give her antibiotics in the water. Don't know what else to do.

 

[Judy]

No reason for antibiotics.

Do a search on "gapeworm" and see if that is what you think she has.

 

[threehorses]

First, there's a post at the top that acts as a sort of guideline of what information we need to get a good picture of what's going on with your bird so that we all can better help you.

It's here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3569 If there's informaiton there you can provide, it would be accepted gratefully!

I'd like more information on the antibiotic, please. What's its name, how long have you been giving it, why did you give it, etc? Incidentally, please avoid using antibiotics until you're sure there's a bacterial infection. This doesn't necessarily sound like one. Antibiotics are very rough on birds' systems and are often overused unfortunately due to industrial practices. So it's best to wait before medicating. It's not your fault - this is the common advice of most feedstores. "If you don't know, give them this packet of _______". It' not great advice, unfortunately. But you're giving them now so you **must** give them at full strength for the full number of days. Otherwise you risk that antibiotic not being useful to you again.

OK, the bird... have you considered gapeworm? Is she making a choking or coughing noise, acting like she's trying to dislodge something from her throat? Is she an adult bird?

In the mean time, you'll need to jump start her nutrition and hydration. Separate her if you must. make a mash of her pellets (ground down in the blender), some water (pedialyte - generic is preferable - if she's not been drinking), part of a boiled egg yolk (freeze the rest for later use), a dab of plain yogurt, a dash of honey for some energy - or of karo syrup. Mix into a moderately moist but not very wet mixture, see if she'll eat it. If she doesn't, take a portion of this and mix with more pedialyte. Dribble into the side of her moutha few times of day. This hopefully will jump start her energy and increase her appetite.

Glenda Heywood on here has a recipe for a mash including vitamins that is a very good way of putting vigor back into an ailing bird. I'd highly recommend that you look it up, or PM me and I'll get it for you. It has a few things mine doesn't, a little more pumped up.

In the mean time, can you give us whatever info is on the post I've provided above (especially description of her droppings which will tell us her nutritive state at the moment) - and we'll do our best. Thank you!

 

[NicInNC]

Hi Everyone. The OP lives a few houses from me. Her chickens and my chickens have had this happen once already. I treated mine with Tylan 50 injections for about a week. Her chicken is acting the exact same way one of mine was a month or two ago (I'm sure you can find a ton of posts from me regarding it). I was positive mine would die, but it survived.

I saw her chicken today and I honestly think it's got a respiratory illness because her wings are droopy, her comb is limp and the eyes are a bit swollen.

Should she start injections on the chicken?

Here is what I went through with mine:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=170719&p=2

 

[NicInNC]

bump

 

[hdgddd]

Amelia is doing alot better today. She is eating and drinking and coming out of her coop. Her comb is looking better and standing up more. We still haven't given her the Tylan shot. Should we? This is the second time she has done this. I hope she is getting better.

 

[threehorses]

I wouldn't give her the Tylan if this is working. It's correcting something that has happened to her twice and is probably happening to her without her showing symptoms, just finally getting her to the point where she's weak. Just continue the antibiotics in her water until completely done, and then **please** give her probiotics afterwards or this will become a cycle that repeats itself until the bird is depleted.

You'll need to find out why she's doing this. Again because we haven't been given much information, we won't be of much help until we have a bigger clearer picture of what's going on.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

yes chickens that have been sick for so long need help
with gut flora and fighting E.coli in their intestinal cavity

Here is some good information on my friend Nathalie's "threehorses" post some time bacl

Your feed contains probiotics. However, probiotics don't neccessarily do well in feed-bag conditions. So during this stress period, and *always* during medication, I'd give all your babies another form of probiotics in addition to what's in their feed. That could be plain yogurt, acidophilus capsules, Probios or Fastrack (etc - horse/cattle aisles) from the feedstore. Just make sure there are living colonies of bacteria in the probiotic you choose.

This is absolutely necessary! Chicks aren't born with good bacteria in their gut; hen-raised chicks are 'innoculated' with bacteria by pecking their mothers' droppings and thus injesting her bacteria.. They MUST have good strong beneficial bacterial colonies or they will become readily ill and never thrive. that's why your food has probiotics in it. Again the living bacteria sometimes die off in bags of food. So always, with babies, give them a little extra probiotics to start them off.
do this

now the
natural probiotic recipe is:
1 qt of dry crumbles
2 qts of milk, sweet, sour, or buttermilk or a mixture of all or some
1/4 cup of non flavored yoguart ( no artificial sweetmer)
mix good

NOW THE IMPORTANT INGRIEDIENT FOR EACH CHICK FED
and add 1- 1000 mg of Vit E by cutting the end off the vit E capsule for each chick fed this wet mash
and 1 seliunium tablet crushed for each chick fed this wet mash
putting it in the wet mash

this for each chick your treating
so for each chick use 2 tsp of mixture and 1-1000 mg of Vit E
and 1 sleinium tablet crushed in the wet mash probiotic
twice a day for them till the manure is solid


and feed each chick
2 tsp full of the wet mash probiotic and what they will clean up in 20-30 minutes
then clean wet feeders and restock dry crumbles

do this twice a day for a week
till the chicks manure is right
then quit the Vit E and selinium make just the wet mash probiotic
then once a week for life

All the while after you are done medicating the birds use
do not use ACV with medication


2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar per gallon of the chicken water so their gut flora wil be regulated
they should have this at least 3-5 days a week
then three days a week after they are over coccidiosis

email me for any questions