Sick hen/droopy tail not acting normal

[Fluff Queen]

It seems as though I have just have one problem after another with these guys. This evening I noticed one of my 7 month old pullets was standing around while everyone else was free ranging. She had her tail feathers down and was just standing there. She also had had very watery and greenish poop for the last three days. She is still eating and drinking and going to bed at night. Any help would be great.

 

[azygous]

Has she started to lay? Have you checked her crop? Do your chickens dig in a compost pile where spoiled food is tossed? What is your location and current weather?

 

[Fluff Queen]

She has been laying for about two weeks and her crop has been empty in the mornings. I did see them in the compost pile a few days ago and I did throw some of their old food out so maybe that could be it? I am in Michigan and we had warm weather in the 70s last week but the temp went down again so we are back in the 30s.

 

[azygous]

Do you have any antibiotics on hand? Anything left over from a human prescription?

It's entirely possible this hen is suffering from botulism toxin from the compost pile. Composting discarded kitchen scraps and old chicken feed may seem ecologically virtuous, but if chickens have access to this toxic "stew" while it's decomposing, it can be deadly. Over the many years I've been on BYC, I've seen any number of cases of death by compost, including in my own flock. I no longer compost anything other than horse manure.

Getting this little gal on an antibiotic immediately could save her life. If you have no antibiotics and have a family vet, contact them and ask for amoxycillin or something similar to treat Clostridium bacteria.

There is also a chance that this is mold toxicity. To be sure you aren't leaving that untreated, you can start her on activated charcoal capsules, two now, two at mid day and two at bedtime, slipped directly into her beak. Provide plenty of fresh water for her to drink.

To summarize, it's possible she has either or both Clostridium bacterial infection and mold toxicity. Treat for both. Tell the vet they don't need to treat since most will refuse anyway, that you only need to buy the antibiotic from them to treat a chicken for ten days at 250mg twice a day. You can buy the activated charcoal capsules at Walmart where the vitamins or stomach remedies are shelved.

 

[Fluff Queen]

I just emailed the vet to see if I could get the antibiotics and he said he could get them to me by this afternoon. When I went out to check on her this morning though there is now another one who is showing the same symptoms although now they will not eat their food. Carmen, the one who first started showing these symptoms did peck at a few treats but did not eat her food. Dixie who started showing symptoms today did not eat anything but did drink a ton of water. When I checked her crop it wasn’t fully empty and it felt like there was still some scratch/food in there from yesterday. Could an impacted crop cause these symptoms as well? They are currently standing in a corner with their tails down and looking a bit puffed up, although Dixie is looking worse than carmen now.

 

[azygous]

Impacted crop is not just a partially emptied crop. It's a full, usually lumpy crop. The odds are in favor of another chicken needing antibiotics. It's great your vet will go along with your request, so inform them you need enough to treat a second chicken. The fact you have two chickens with similar symptoms lends weight to them both having been infected by the compost.

Infection can slow crop function, so unless the crop is bulging and full, it's probably a symptom of the infection. Were all your chickens spending considerable time in the compost? If so, you need to watch the others for symptoms. And shut down access to the compost pile.

 

[Fluff Queen]

They normally spend most of their time in the field of the woods, not around the compost area as far as I have seen. I will keep them in the coop for a few days while I get rid of the compost. Thank you for all of your help, I really appreciate it!

 

[azygous]

I just thought of a problem giving charcoal with an antibiotic. It would interfere with complete absorption, so go ahead and pick up a bottle to keep in reserve if you see signs of mold toxicity - lameness and balance problems, and only give the charcoal if you see these symptoms while the chickens are on the antibiotic.

 

[Fluff Queen]

They have not had any sort of balance problems yet which is good. I have them in the heated garage at the moment and they both seem to have perked up a bit. Carmen’s poop now is looking normal again but Dixie’s is very watery and whitish. Still not eating but drinking constantly.

 

[Fluff Queen]

Question on mold toxicity, would walking with their wings out and looking wobbly be a symptom? I got them to eat a bit of egg today and drink some electrolyte water but now when I set them down they use their wings for balance and won’t walk. If this is mold related, does that mean there is mold somewhere in the coop and that the others could be at risk also?