Sick hen!

[SloanC]

I got 15 new hens. They were 3weeks old when I got them. They are now 8 weeks old. I had an outbreak of coccidiosis. I put them on Corid and they all began to get better. I have them on a low dose as some droppings still have blood. However I noticed one hen closing one eye and keeping it closed most of the time. So I removed her from the rest and have been flushing her eye and using Neosporin. There is no signs of mucus, dirt, cuts, bumps or abnormalities around her eyes or head. The next day she was closing both eyes and only opening them when she needs to. She is eating and drinking plenty and her poops look good. She is however lethargic other than that she isn't showing any other signs or symptoms. No coughing etc. I have her inside and have been cleaning her eyes and been giving her Duamycin IM but have seen no improvement. I have had hens before but have no idea what is wrong with this hen and was hoping someone might know what could be wrong?

 

[HuskerHens18]

I don't think there's any problem with her eyes, they close them when they feel discomfort. How does she feel weight wise? What is she being fed? Pictures of her and her poop would be helpful.

 

[SloanC]

Thanks for the reply. I thought it was strange that the first day she was only closing one eye. Which led me to think there was something wrong with the eye until she started closing both. She keeps them closed most of the time unless she hears something then she'll open both and then close them again. Even when she's eating she will close one. She is lighter than she should be especially compared to another hen which is the same age and breed. I thought that was because of the cocci. She was one of the bunch that was affected more aggressively. After the initial treatment of Corid she was doing well and was gaining weight again. But I feel like it's stagnated again. But still on low dosage and poop looks good. I want to stop the Corid but I'm scared incase its still affecting her. I'm feeding them nutrena country feed chick starter grower 18% crumble. I did change the feed 10 days ago from what they had been getting which was made up of corn, roasted soybean, wheat and limestone with added minerals & probiotics. 22% protein. I will send pictures tomorrow of her and the poop. Thanks again.

 

[SloanC]

Here are some pictures of her and her poop.

 

[Eggcessive]

Some probiotics may help her get back to normal after Corid and antibiotics. After Corid, several days of vitamins would be good as well. So many things can affect chickens, but hopefully, she is just feeling weak and tired from coccidiosis. After your treatments, if you have a vet locally who would do a fecal test and a gram stain for enteritis, just to make sure she has no further problems, that would be good.

 

[ShanasCastle]

Thanks for the reply. I thought it was strange that the first day she was only closing one eye. Which led me to think there was something wrong with the eye until she started closing both. She keeps them closed most of the time unless she hears something then she'll open both and then close them again. Even when she's eating she will close one. She is lighter than she should be especially compared to another hen which is the same age and breed. I thought that was because of the cocci. She was one of the bunch that was affected more aggressively. After the initial treatment of Corid she was doing well and was gaining weight again. But I feel like it's stagnated again. But still on low dosage and poop looks good. I want to stop the Corid but I'm scared incase its still affecting her. I'm feeding them nutrena country feed chick starter grower 18% crumble. I did change the feed 10 days ago from what they had been getting which was made up of corn, roasted soybean, wheat and limestone with added minerals & probiotics. 22% protein. I will send pictures tomorrow of her and the poop. Thanks again.

There are some antibiotics that cause light sensitivity. Could she just be reacting to the light?

 

[Eggcessive]

There are some antibiotics that cause light sensitivity. Could she just be reacting to the light?

That is a good point. Tetracycline drugs including doxycycline and oxytetracycline can cause photosensitivity.

 

[chickendreams24]

What was the dose you gave them of Corid? Hoe long have they been on it? Are you sure it was the correct dose?

Have you changed their bedding since treating them for cocci to remove it from their environment(that is to say as much as possible from their environment)?

If you're sure it was correct that's fine. I would suggest taking them all off Corid and treating with probiotics and electrolytes while continuing to monitor her food and water intake.

If you have a vet that can do a fecal great! We don't have access to that in our area, many people don't.

 

[SloanC]

Thanks for the advice - in response to all your questions.
- after 2 weeks of treatment I gave them all probiotics and electrolytes to help give them a boost.
- the last 2 days I've been giving my sick one 1/2 cc of nutri drench orally.
- I'm not sure about the fecal exam, I'll look into seeing if someone locally does it.
- I like the thought about the photosensitivity but she had the eye problem before I gave her the antibiotics. Could Corid cause photosensitivity?
- the cocci outbreak was severe so I treated them with 2tsp of Corid per gallon of water for a week. Changing the water every day. Then I put them on 1tsp per gallon of water for a week. Then stopped and gave them some probiotics and electrolytes for 3 days. I was still seeing some blood in some droppings with the outside hens so I have been giving them 1/2tsp per gallon of water for the last week. If I'm still seeing blood should I continue to treat on the low dose?
- I clean all droppings and coop out every day.
- I've stopped giving my sick hen the Corid to see if it helps.

 

[Eggcessive]

If she still has coccidia in her stool after the severe dose and the lower dose for additional time, then it wouldn’t do her any good to have more Corid in my opinion (not a vet.)
Some strains of eimeria can be Corid resistant, and vets usually will prescribe sulfa antibiotics (sulfadimethoxine or Albon, SMZ-TMP.)

You could get a fecal test by a local vet to check for the pressence of a lot of coccidia in the stool. She could have enteritis which having a gram stain might diagnose. Or you could just keep trying to get her to perk up with what you are doing, trying to get her eating and drinking.

Chickens close their eyes when they are lethargic or don’t feel good. Some with Mareks in their flocks have reported seeing affected chickens sometimes closing one eye, but I think it would be way too premature to even think about that.