Skinny-as-can-be Chicken

[chickneggs]

Okay. So the waiting game continues, but with hope. I was able to talk with one of our veterinarians this weekend. She said to bring in a fecal sample and she would see what she could do. So I did so today. Hours after, before the office closed I was told she had taken it home and is doing further research... She believes it to be round worms - the Wazine will help that - but she doesn't want to stop there. So I'm holding my breath to see if she finds anything else. ((Hoping NOT. Hope, hope, hoping.))

Bless her heart for stepping out further to help me. Their office does cats and dogs only. She's taking her personal time to do this. <3 Animal lovers ARE the best!!

 

[deacons]

That's great! I'm glad you found someone who could help. It makes life much easier to have a little guidance on next steps. Hope your girl gets some answers soon!

 

[Eggcessive]

I'm glad the vet is helping you with a fecal test. It could be that one of the chickens that you rescued in the past year might have had something that could have infected her. Even a new strain of coccidia can be brought in and make a chicken with poor immunity sick. Corid is good for coccidiosis. I hope that you can get some answers.

 

[chickneggs]

I'm glad the vet is helping you with a fecal test. It could be that one of the chickens that you rescued in the past year might have had something that could have infected her. Even a new strain of coccidia can be brought in and make a chicken with poor immunity sick. Corid is good for coccidiosis. I hope that you can get some answers.

I'm hoping not. Since I rescued the chickens through animal control, each were checked out by a chicken specialist that was available at the time. (BUT no one is perfect though - that's for sure.) But I certainly didn't wanna jeopardize my flock at all. My chickens are my life... along with my rabbit and shepherd. Lol (Rabbit and dog are like brother and sister and my dog is VERY protective of the chickens - almost going through window when stray comes in yard.) LOL (Has gone through screen to chase a stray dog away.) ALL because of chickens...

So happy tonight and hopeful - Miss Chickums ate a bit more on her own and started drinking more. Heard a lot of ruckus from the crate. So lots of movement compared to the last couple days. Also too, she has fallen asleep comfortably, even with the noises of the house. Rest will do her good. Letting hope soar, just as the sun rises each morning!!

Oh and thank you for your wisdom with treatments!! I certainly appreciate all the information!!

 

[chickneggs]

Tonight the veterinarian and I talked. She said the sample I gave her, under the microscope only show one egg and that one egg looked deformed. I shared about giving the chicken the dewormer and hooray, this is good! She said that the sample should have had multiple eggs and the fact only one was there and it was misshapen, the wormer has worked! Today too, the chicken was squawking like a crazy, happy chicken. I put her out with the others while they were free ranging and since then, she seems happily back in the coop.

Still keeping my eye on her, since she is skinny, but glad to be making strides through this.

Hopefully soon I'll have a coop with 8 happy chickens, all laying eggs...

 

[chickneggs]

Okay, so a lot has happened since the last update. Had another chicken fecal done. This time it turned out to be a hookworm.

Not sure if the first vet made a mistake or if this is just a new issue. But instead of dwelling on that... I had gotten Panacur for Miss Grace. Vet said to give it to her for 5 days - she got it for 6... in a half. This mama wants healing. (And I was assured it was safe to do so.) And during this period, I cleaned out the chicken coop. (None of my other girls have showed signs of sickness.)(I had 8.) Then I witnessed finally who was being a bully recently. Twas one of the two I took in last fall. So I decided to re-home them. (Mama ain't happy if her coop ain't happy. Lol) I found them a happy home. (They were two peas in a pod, even after finding their spot in the flock.) So I'm back down to only 6 chickens. Oh and read sometime after, that the coop will be more susceptible to issues from different angles if it's overcrowded. (Never had issues these past three years until months after taking in the two extra.) Do I regret taking the two in? Nah, I learned something new and they ended up with another nice, loving home. But with saying that, my coop is back to being the small, happy flock it used to be. Just hoping for Grace to find health.

But now I ask: Hookworms. I cleaned the coop out first midwinter. (Before knowing of this hookworm issue.) But read hookworms can't live in the freezing cold.

So the old bedding that has been tossed near the woods, I'm not worried about. Read too, hookworms can't live in clay. My entire property is clay. (Grass barely grows.)(Kinda sad.)(Oh and chickens have not been out of their run at all.) But the new bedding, I threw out near the old bedding: today I tried moving it to the dumpster I have here. (It's just me here and I have joint issues and back issues, etc.) Wasn't easy. Wimpy me shoveled three loads via wheelbarrow. Then burning right now is NOT allowed. So, the new remaining bedding that is on the corner of the woods... I would like to "deworm" it as well. But Borax is poison to the chickens and the Wondercide EcoTreat is nothing cheap. (Or quick, being I have to order it.) But I read the ingredients of it is cedar wood oil and Ethyl Lactate. Hmmm, first of all I know cedar is not good for the chickens. So cedar wood oil... how safe is that for them? I have some here in my essential oils and I'm willing to use the entire bottle mixed with a gallon of water to soak the area. But will that even help? Am I just being too hopeful? Or is that unsafe for the chickens as well? Just want to create a safe environment again so my girls can some out of their coop/run this summer.

Thank you for continuing patience and any words of wisdom!!

 

[Weehopper]

I have no experience with hooks in chickens, but quite a bit with dogs. What I ended up doing, and still do to this day, is worm them twice a year with a wormer that covers most kinds of worms, including hookworms. I was told by my vet years ago that hookworms, once in the ground, stay there, and can infect dogs by migrating through the bottoms of their paws. Never even considered that a chicken would get hooks, and am wondering now if it's the same flavor of hooks as what dogs get. And, that Pancur can be used on chickens. That is good news to know. My point is, maybe you should not worry about trying to sterilize the ground, but rather, worm routinely, twice a year. Just a thought. We have always routinely deloused and wormed our chickens (just not for hooks).

 

[chickneggs]

Yeah, I was told the same thing about them staying the ground. I was just hoping I could find something to kill them. And being winter just left and my chickens haven't been out, I'm hoping the newest bedding that was tossed out would be the primary place for the hookworms. (Since freezing temps and clay make it difficult for them to survive.) Was hoping to hit that area and not have such a worry. But I can easily deworm them twice a year. What do you use for dewormer?? Oh and yes, they are the same flavor as what dogs get. The first thing the vet asked me is if my dog is ever around them - to make sure she gets wormed as well. (Gladly she is NEVER on the same ground as them.) Fenced in yard for her!

Thank you for your response. I will focus on worming them instead of fearing the ground area.

 

[Weehopper]

Currently I am using a deterrent type of wormer called Poultry Booster (or Rooster Booster), which also has some nutritional value. And there is no withdrawal time for eggs. But now, I will be picking up some Pancur.
For my dogs I like Pyrantel Pamoate (Nemex is one brand name). It covers everything except tape worms.
Just a little FYI: When your chicken's faces look sunken in, and pale, rather than puffy and red (unless they are in the moult), more often than not they look that way because they are wormy.
Anyway, good luck. Keep us posted as to your progress with your hen.

 

[chickneggs]

Thank you so much Weehopper for your replies! With hookworms, the "contaminated" area is in the backyard around the chicken coop. Should I be wary about other parts of my yard also? The chickens lastly roamed the front yard this past winter. (Before I knew anything about the worms.) I ask because I let my rabbit out to enjoy the front yard in spring/summer. (Always with supervision. He would be a hawk's delight.) He loves it! He stays in the yard better than my shepherd. But he is getting older and I certainly don't wanna take a chance if you think it's a bad idea. He's a house rabbit - has been the past 4 years. I found though he is smart in the yard. If something scares him, like a vehicle driving by, he hops straight to the front porch instead of looking for me. But he LOVES sun bathing in the grass for short increments and stretching his legs while hopping around.

I feel like these hookworms have taken the freedom away from the enjoyment of the yard here. And while I could worm my rabbit, (maybe?) I never have heard about such thing. He's a 2.9 lb dwarf netherland. Certainly don't want to do anything that would shorten his life... But man, his freedom out there was great! Would have chickens roaming one side of the yard and my shepherd tied up on the other side, with the rabbit hopping freely on the same side. LOL People walking by would stop and take pictures.