Sick Golden sexlink. Help.

[jnicholes]

Hello everyone,

I have nine golden sexlinks, and one of them is acting very strangely. She is staying away from the other chickens, she has a very pale comb, she is a lot skinnier than the other birds, and the other birds are attacking her on occasion.

I contacted Dunlap hatchery, the place I bought them at in February, and they said that something internal is going on with the chicken. They said I should remove it from the flock and/or butcher it. Before I do this, I would like to know a couple things. First, is there a way to treat her? Second, should I separate and/or butcher her so the rest of the flock doesn't get sick?

Any help will be appreciated.

Jared

 

[SeaPolka]

Hello everyone,

I have nine golden sexlinks, and one of them is acting very strangely. She is staying away from the other chickens, she has a very pale comb, she is a lot skinnier than the other birds, and the other birds are attacking her on occasion.

I contacted Dunlap hatchery, the place I bought them at in February, and they said that something internal is going on with the chicken. They said I should remove it from the flock and/or butcher it. Before I do this, I would like to know a couple things. First, is there a way to treat her? Second, should I separate and/or butcher her so the rest of the flock doesn't get sick?

Any help will be appreciated.

Jared

I'm no expert on illnesses so I hope someone can chime in but I'm just saying that even if you cull her, your other birds have been exposed and could have what she has. If it's internal it could be worms or coccidiosis, in which case all of your pullets probably have it. Or it could even just be lice or mites. In the mean time you should separate her and give her some vitamins and a warm place, check her skin for lice and does she have any other symptoms?? Runny poop, snotty nose, laboured breathing?

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I would guess worms with the weight loss. You may not see worms in their poop. That doesn't mean they don't have them. I prefer Valbazen for worming but there are other cheaper options.
Coccidiosis is always present in their gut. When it gets out of balance you can get bloody poop. (What I call strawberry jam poo.) Corid would be the treatment for cocci.

You can worm and treat everyone for cocci. It won't hurt them. There are egg withdrawal times.

Lice or mites are a possibility. Check around her vent area. That's a favorite hang out for creepy crawlies.

You can give her some extra protein to help her feel a little better. It's not a treatment but the sick chicken diet. Scrabbled eggs are a chicken favorite.
Some nutri drench or rooster booster for extra vitamins can be good too.

Keep us posted.

@KikisGirls @Eggcessive @WVduckchick Thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

If you could locate a local vet who would agree to test some fresh droppings for coccidiosis or worms, that would give you some info to know what to treat. Coccidiosis usually affects younger birds or those who have immunity issues. It is treated with Corid (amprollium) in water for 5-7 days. As SeaPolka said, check her lice and mites, though, since mites can kill. Some chickens just do not thrive, and that could be due to any number of reasons. Getting a necropsy (autopsy) performed by your state vet or poultry lab could identify the disease if you cull her and refrigerate the body before taking or shipping it. Each state has a different cost. Here is some info on necropsy contacts, and another on coccidiosis:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/2/Coccidiosis Management/43/symptoms-and-diagnosis/
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html

 

[WVduckchick]

Good info already given. I'd like to hear from @jnicholes again, especially about her poop. What does it look like? Does she walk and get around ok? Is she laying eggs, and has she laid one lately?

 

[jnicholes]

Hello,

Thank you all for the advice so far. As for her poop, I cannot say what it looks like. It's hard to tell it from the other hens poop. As for the eggs, I don't think she is laying. She is normally a broody hen, and always lays on her eggs. I don't think she laid an egg in awhile. There is a way for me to check, and I will check the poop and the egg production today.

Jared

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Separate her is the only way to be sure. A large dog crate is what most people use. You can leave her in the coop with the flock that way too.

 

[jnicholes]

Hello,

I found out what happened. She wasn't sick. She was attacked. The day she started showing signs of sickness, there was blood on the floor of the chicken coop. I thought it belonged to my rabbit who shares the area with my chickens. (They get along very well,) Anyway, I noticed her feathers were all messed up today. Something attacked her yesterday also. She has been very scared of me and the other chickens, my dogs, and even the rabbit. This morning my mother said, "There was a dead cat in our backyard. If there was blood in the coop, the cat might have attacked that chicken.

The interesting thing is, the chickens don't fight at all, they are very peaceful chickens. I think the rabbit drove out the cat from the area, as her fur was a little

 

[jnicholes]

Hello,

Darn, part of my post went missing while publishing it. Hold on a second

 

[jnicholes]

As I was saying, my chicken was attacked. There was blood on the coop floor in several places, (I failed to notice that until this morning,) and the sick chickens feathers were messed up. She has been very scared of everything, even the other chickens. I think she might be hurt. Fortunately, the culprit was caught. It was a stray cat. It went into the coop and attacked the chickens. The interesting thing is, the cat that attacked them was found dead in our backyard. It suffered a lot of small wounds and then died. I think my rabbit that lives with my chickens peacefully actually fought the cat out of the coop area and hurt it bad enough to kill it. She is VERY territorial and won't get along with any other animal except the chickens.

That is what I think happened, but the chicken is not sick, she is scared and hurt. What should I do to help her?

Jared