sick pullet, eyes closed, lethargic

[Muffinburgler]

No feedstore I've visited so far has carried it. The only place that came close told me to buy chick starter because it has Corid in it. What a pain.

The good news is she seems perky this morning. She clucked at me when I uncovered her cage and both eyes were open with minimal fluffed feathers. Hoping it was just a tummy ache, but I'm going to keep hunting for Corid anyway.

 

[Eggcessive]

Tractor Supply should have it in the cattle medicines. It won't be in the chickens aisle. If you absolutely can't find Corid, you can use Di-Methox (sulfadimethoxine) or Sulmet (sulfamethazine), but the Corid is best.

 

[Muffinburgler]

I swear I must be cursed because every feed store in a 30 mile radius either doesn't sell or is out of stock on any kind of medicine that would treat coccidiosis. She doesn't seem any worse, at least. She's talking and she'll eat whatever I give her, and a bit ago she was scratching in her cage. She's still acting very sleepy though, eyes closed and head drooping. But everything else seems fine, her poop is looking better too. Once I get someone to help we'll check her butt for mites just to cross that off the list.

Maybe she's just exhausted from being at the bottom of the pecking order?

 

[Eggcessive]

If she is eating for you, she may not have coccidiosis. I would give her some scrambled egg to eat, and make sure she has plenty of water to drink. How are her stools today? It is pretty easy to check for mites and lice. Just hold her securely on her back and look under the vent close to the skin, parting the feathers, and look over the rest of the body. Here are links with pictures to tell lice from mite eggs: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

 

[Muffinburgler]

Her poop appears to be relatively normal. Green and watery but no blood or the yellow from yesterday. I looked her over for mites but her butt seems clear. Right now she's talking to herself as she scratches and kicks everything into her water. She'll stop every once and awhile to doze off though.

 

[Eggcessive]

Once she is back to feeling better I would worm her with SafeGuard liquid goat wormer or horse paste--1/2 ml of either one, and repeat in 10 days.

 

[Muffinburgler]

She's acting extremely strange this morning. She's alert and clucking, but she can't lift her head up. It's like it's weighed down and just too heavy for her. I don't know what to think anymore!

EDIT: Could it be Botulism? I did notice some mold in their yard the other day from rain water getting under their food.

 

[Eggcessive]

Has she had any other problems with paralysis in her legs the last day or so? Botulism doesn't come from eating mold, but from eating decayed vegetation, maggots, or dead animals or fish that have been in an airless environment as in a compost bed or a lake or creek bed. Botulism starts with paralyzed legs, then wings, then progresses up to the neck. She sounds extremely weak. Her sysmptoms are puzzling. Can you get some electrolytes, Pedialyte, or make some? Link for botulism: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism

HOMEMADE ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION by the Chicken-Chick.com

1/2 teaspoon salt substitute
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 gallon water

Can mix a smaller amount in a quart waterer.​

 

[Muffinburgler]

What about a leaking septic tank? Ours is bubbling up nasty water and the chickens run over to drink it. We're trying to block it from them but they keep finding ways in. We do give them our old meat but I don't think it's ever been in that kind of condition.

Her wings are drooping and dragging across the bottom of her cage. She'll turn around but I haven't seen her walk yet, so I don't know if her legs are paralyzed. Her head is hanging completely down, she can't lift it at all. We're grabbing some Pedialyte from the gas station right now.

EDIT: Got some pediatric electrolyte. How often should I give it to her?

 

[Muffinburgler]

She seems perky and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed now, she just can't lift her head. She's talking to me and fighting me when I force her to drink a little, but it's like she's just lost the ability to hold the weight of her head up. She can stand and walk. I have no idea what to think. No one else in the flock is behaving oddly.