Sick lethargic chicken ;(

[jessicaroo]

My friends chicken is a 6 month old speckled Sussex, she recently fell ill. Lethargic, yellow poop, not eating much an not drinking much. They have isolated her from the flock. She was laying eggs, but not anymore. Any ideas? Not sure if she should just be culled? Thank you!

 

[jessicaroo]

And she has droopy tail feathers, won't raise them up.

 

[jessicaroo]

Correction: not sure if she's laid yet. Can't feel anything in her crop or an egg in her belly

 

[akchickenlady]

Any ideas? Anyone?

 

[BantamLover21]

Most importantly, tell your friend to get her eating and drinking! Greenish/yellow diarrhea is common in chickens that aren't getting enough to eat, and chickens can die of dehydration and/or starvation in a small amount of time. Try enticing her to eat by giving scrambled eggs, moistened feed, applesauce, mealworms, or anything else that she likes. If that doesn't work, try opening her beak and inserting some wet feed, or you might consider tube-feeding. Put vitamins/electrolytes, and possibly probiotics in her water. Drip some water on the side of her beak or dip her beak in water to get her to drink. You could also try something like Nutri-Drench to give her nutrition and liquid at the same time.

As for what is causing this illness, I would think it would be either worms or Coccidiosis. The tail down, lethargy, and lack of appetite are both symptoms of those problems. First, I would worm her. Some good wormers include Valbazen, Wazine (though this only works on roundworms), SafeGuard, Ivermectin, or (the one I use), the Worminator. You can purchase the Worminator from here: http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=584, and the other wormers can probably be found at a livestock supply store.

After worming her, if you see no improvement, I would treat for Coccidiosis. The best medication to use is Corid. Corid comes in either a powdered or liquid form; the one I've used in my chickens that had Coccidiosis was the liquid form. You can usually find Corid at a livestock supply store, as well. The dosage for Corid liquid is 1/2 teaspoon Corid per quart of drinking water for 5-7 days. During this time, do not give vitamins, as certain vitamins interfere with the Corid's effect on Coccidia. Probiotics are fine, though.

If you don't want to try these treatments, culling is the best option.