Sick RIR Hen

[Stasi]

Please help.... one of my RIR hens is acting strangely. She is usually very active, but for the last couple days she is lethargic. I have seen her drink yesterday and today, but not eat. This morning she was still in the coupe when I went out to feed the flock. Yesterday she laid an egg but it was out in the pen, not in her box. I have not seen her lay an egg today. All the other girls are acting normal. Only other thing I noticed was her poo was somewhat watery. Eyes and nose are clear. Nothing differerent that I can see anywhere else. She won't let me pick her up. Any ideas? Should I seperate her out from the rest or will that cause too much stress on her? Should I medicate their water? I have no idea which way to go...How do I know when she is in real trouble?

 

[Gonzo]

I might try quarintining her until you know for sure. Have you gave her any vitamins? I would put some apple cider vinager and poly vi sol with out iron in her water for a few days and see if she doesn't perk up. Might even give her some plain yogurt mixed with her layer food to help her appitite. Good Luck! I hope this helps!

 

[chickletranch]

The fact that she won't let you pick her up is a good sign. If she becomes weaker, you will need to pick her up and check her thoroughly (crop, vent, look for injuries, fluid or masses between her legs/under vent). In the meantime, see if she will eat some fresh corn, fruit or scrambled eggs. Vitamins in her water are a good idea if she's drinking. I wouldn't medicate her until you have a reason to do so. Keep us posted, Lynn

 

[threehorses]

I just wanted to support the posts of these other two posters. Their advice is the way to go until there's more to go on.

 

[Stasi]

Thank you for the replys, all. She is taking the vitamins and her poo seems to be closer to normal. She is still lethargic but is eating and drinking now. She still won't let me pick her up and like you said - that's a good sign.

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN. I appreciate your help.

 

[threehorses]

That's good to hear that she's doing better. however, to keep up the progress, you really do need to find a way to pick her up and check her out.

Good luck with her.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

Try and read this as possibilities for the hens lethargic problem and runny poo
I will give some items to think about

(1 do any of them not eat or drink yet?

(2 do you see any signs of blood in the manure?
can be slightly if first day
most times they only drink not eat

(3 for coccidiosis I like amproylium best generally corid
but most feed stores don't stock it

My friend here gives some info on coccidiosis
Nathalie Ross" "threehorses"

(1 coccidiosis I think it might be helpful for you to know that coccidia are
very VERY hard to trace in a fecal. When I worked as a vet tech, it
was common procedure to go ahead and treat with a combination
antibiotic/antiprotazoan medication like Sulfa products (Sulmet being the most
common) based on symptom diagnosis rather than physical evidence of the
oocysts. use Sulmet to treat them for coccidiosis

(3 gut bacteria ..............................................................................
At 7 weeks, the babies are still in the
process of getting their gut bacteria in order. See, they're born
without any bacteria at all in their gut. So they eat at day 2, and put
food in there as a food source for themselves but also for bacteria.
Basically, it's first-come-first-serve for bacteria. If the bad ones get
there first, they take over and your birds get ill. IF there are some
good but mostly bad, the same thing happens. If you give your birds
probiotics (substances containing live beneficial bacteria) your GOOD
bacteria will have the advantage. Those good bacteria crowd out the bad,
make it impossible for the bad bacteria to live in anything but minimal
numbers, and thus help your birds to stay healthy. So I always
recommend giving probiotics weekly from week 2 til point of lay. Then I move
to once a month or as needed. You can use live-culture yogurt

(1 teaspoon per 8 newly hatched, moving up to 1 teaspoon per point of lay
bantam, 1 tablespoon per point of lay large fowl - no more please). You can
also use powdered livestock probiotics (Probios dispersable powder
being my absolute favorite - it's the choice of exotic bird breeders, and I
also have hookbills).

Or, you can go to the human health food store
and pick up a human supplement like "acidophilus" (Lactobacilus
acidophilus), or a combination of acidophilus and B. bifidum sold to combat
yeast infections. The latter is a particular useful thing for a poultry
hobbiest to have. The addition of b. bifidum helps combat thrush.
Thrush is essentially a yeast infection that is common to birds because of
the way their crops store feed in wet conditions. Things tend to get
fungus and yeast there, and thus the yeast infection. That infection
goes throughout the bird's system and is really a mess, so that
bifidum/acidophilus mix is the best. Try to find a non-dairy liquid, and you'll
have the ultimate probiotic.

(4 E.Coli ................................................................................

.............THIS IS VERY PERTANT FOR YOUR BIRDS
In case your babies are said to have an infection of E. coli (most
likely case) then you can try putting some vitamin E in their feed.

......................................................................
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOUR BIRDS NOW
( GLH- advises using the 1000 mg capsules cut end off and squeeze into wet mash
and putting in a wet mash for them to eat

( use one capsule Vit E per bird treating and do this twice a day for a week
Vitamin E helps fix E. coli overpopulations. You know what else helps fight
E. coli? Guess:
b. bifidum. It secrets a substance that E. coli just
can't stand. See where this is going?

Nathalie Ross, Houston, TX

Put the amt of corid in the gallon of water for 7 days
also make this wet mash with corid for two mornings
when they finish it clean out the wet feeders and restock the dry feed

if using corid 9.6%
for 9 chicks
18 tsp OF of dry mash
36 tsp of water
add 2 tbsp of corid 9.6% to the water
feed 2 tbsp per chicken for a feeding
feed this two mornings to get the medication in the birds
also at same time put the corid or sulmet in the drinking water for 7 days

each chick get 2 tbsp of the wet mash with coccidiosis meds

speckled hen gives corid(9.6%) liquid in 3-4 tbsp of corid per gallon of water

and after medicating give the following things

THIS IS FOR YOUR CHICKS NOW

the corid amproylium will work for coccidiosis


THIS IS FOR YOUR CHICKS NOW GLH
but now you have a difficient gut problem with the E.coli
and it needs to have the Vitamin E put in the wet mash probiotic to help the E.coli gut problem
do this

now the
natural probiotic recipe is is:
1/2 qt of dry crumbles
3/4 QT of milk, sweet, sour, or buttermilk or a mixture of all or some
1/4 cup of non flavored yoguart ( no artificial sweetmer)
mix good
YOU CAN ADD LAST ON TOP OF WET MASH
1/4 CUP OF APPLE SAUCE AS THEY WILL EAT THAT GOOD

NOW THE IMPORTANT INGRIEDIENT FOR EACH CHICK FED
and add 1- 1000 mg of Vit E by cutting the end off the vit E capsule for each chick fed this wet mash
putting it in the wet mash

this for each chick your treating
so for each chick use 2 tbsp of mixture and 1-1000 mg of Vit E

twice a day for them till the manure is solid

and feed each chick
2 tbsp full of the wet mash probiotic and what they will clean up in 20-30 minutes
then clean wet feeders and restock dry crumbles

do this twice a day for a week
till the chicks manure is right
then quit the Vit E make just the wet mash probiotic
then once a week for life

All the while after mdicating the birds use ACV IN THE WATER
do not use ACV with medication


2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar per gallon of the chicken water so their gut flora wil be regulated they should have this at least 3-5 days a week
then three days aweek after they are over coccidiosis

the vit's are neccessary to clean up the damaged gut problem

email me any questions so you are not confused

 

[HorseFeathers]

Definitely quarantine until you figure out what is wrong.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

BASICALLY LATHARGIC IN CHICKENS IS EITHER OR BOTH
worms
coccidiosis

IT IS ALWAYS THERE AND NEEDS DONE IMMEDIATELY
SO SHE CAN BE PUT BACK WITH THE FLOCK
as the flock needs treating for either or both diseases
and see she eats the wet mash with medication and then the wet mash with probiotic's and vit's

any questions email me