SICK HEN!!! (she is listless and unsteady on her feet...will only lay down not able to walk)

[chicken_chik]

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Sussex Hen, 8 months old, weight is normal
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
She is laying down, puffed up, very listless, with her eyes closed or half closed. Unsteady on her feet, lacks balance. Breathing sounds a bit labored, but not much. She went outside this morning, and I noticed she was laying down outside (unusual). WHen I got home from work I opened the coop door, and she was right next to the door and didn't get up or move. I picked her up and she didn't budge when I was reaching for her. She is not "laid out", she is sitting like she would sit in the nest box, upright with head pulled close to her body. She doesn't seem interested in walking around, and cannot get up on the roost, since she is so unsteady to even walk.

Side note, possibly related: We returned from vacation at the end of January, and I noticed one hen was missing feathers on her back. It was the first time the chickens had to stay in the coop for a few days because it got really cold during that time. I though maybe was was picked on by others. But now 2 more hens have lost back feathers, and today the rooster is starting to lose some too....so maybe mites/lice?? Could mites or lice cause this hen to be sick like she is? She shows no signs of feather loss and I don't see any creepy crawlies on her when I search.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
One day (today - 2/7/12)
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
Not currently
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma?
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]no.[/FONT]
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
I do not know
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Egg layer feed, scratch, apples, wheat bread. DOes NOT drink. I am giving her electrolytes in water by syringe
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
I do not know right now.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
She is isloated in the house where is it 68 degrees in a quiet room. I have the heat lamp on her right now too.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Would like to treat myself
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use.
chickens are in a 8x10 coop that is well ventilated, without drafts. THey have shavings for bedding that I pick and turn every few days.

 

[saltnprepper]

I really want to see some posts on this. My post today is very similar. Mine would not roost last night, could not stand by morning and died this afternoon. Out of nowhere no other symptoms, almost exactly what you described. I hope you have a better outcome.

 

[klmclain1]

Have you looked her over VERY well especially by her vent for mites, lice, etc.?? Has she recently been wormed? If so, what wormer did you use? It sounds to me like she's got some sort of parasite. If you decided she might/does, do a quick search on here for mites or lice, or if you think it might be worms, look for any posts regarding worms and Valbazen by dawg53 - he's the guru. If it's mites or lice, you'll need to go through all the procedures to clean out her living/bedding areas.

 

[BlazeJester]

Does you girl have her feathers puffed up like she's cold?

I have a pullet with very similar symptoms as well, though she has been going downhill for 3 days now. No mites or lice to speak of (er, see). I suspected she was having trouble being egg bound so gave her a nice bath and massaged her abdomen, but couldn't feel an egg at all. Now I'm concerned she may be laying internally.

I wormed today with Valbazen, for better or worse, as I had meant to get around to it since a couple pullets both came up lame in one foot and the forum turned up that it might be caused by a parasite of some sort. This girl also has one swollen foot that she does not want me to touch (though she doesn't want to be touched at all in general).

Other measures I've taken are a "heat lamp" (75watt bulb in heat lamp housing), electrolytes in the water - which she DOES drink - and trying to get her to eat just about anything. Her poop is almost exclusively liquid at this point and the feathers of her entire bum are soaked from these squirty poops.

I certainly hope your girl recovers, and will let you know if mine takes a turn for the better or if I figure out what's going on.

 

[chikinfarmr]

Been though this several times. Listless hens, sitting all the time, easy to pick up, head drawn in towards body, wobbly, limping.

Ours had mites and roundworms. Dusted hens with DE and a little sevin dust. Wazine in the water. And Wazine 12 days later. They come back quick. The feathers will look so much better after also. I have a dusting box in their pen with dirt and DE for them to dust if the yard is muddy now.
3 days or so after worming I give electrolytes in their water. I can't remember the brand name. Comes in a little foil package. Electrolytes and vitamins. I have heard yogurt does the same thing.

 

[chicken_chik]

She died this morning.

 

[BlazeJester]

I'm so sorry to hear that

mine too

I'm trying to decide whether to open her up and find out whether she was egg bound or see if I can find any worms.

I wormed the rest of my flock just in case... it has been a very rainy winter and apparently wet & warm is breeding grounds for transmission of parasite. I will follow through with the worming schedule and keep it up, and the coop gets a thorough cleaning and DE dusting today.

If you choose to worm with Valbazen (which kills everything) the dose is 1/2cc (mL) for each large fowl bird and 1/4cc for bantams. Follow up in 10 days to kill any that hatched from eggs in the interim. The timeline is important because if you wait longer, the new parasites will have a chance to reproduce again. Egg withdrawal is 14 days after each dose, so 24 days from the first dose/14 days after the second.

 

[chikinfarmr]

Sorry for your loss.....