Something is happening to my girls...

[hmwatts27]

I posted yesterday and recieved some advice, but I am reposting in hopes for a quick response. So I just went to check them for mites, and I noticed that there neck area is very swollen. They are super super fussy and won't let me pick them up to check them out. I am going to call a vet, but I am not sure they will be open. Would massaging the crop be a good idea? That's what I read someone else did...

 

[LarryPQ]

Pictures?

I am sorry, I don't know what to tell you without more info.

 

[hmwatts27]

This was my post from yesterday:

Hello! I am desperate for some advice. A few of my sweet little hens don't seem to be doing well...They just turned 2 on April 1st, and I didn't get them until just this past November. They have a very large coup (there are 8 in total, no rooster), plenty of space in their run, they get clean water every day, they get oats and corn scratch, compost (no meat, coffee grounds, excessive fruit, but I don't pick out raw potato, avocado, and raw beans/peas). They are fed organic feed (pellets), the straw and hay is organic, and I don't give them any sorts of medications. They have a small covered area in thier run that was just recently built to keep some area dry for dusting, although it is still wet (live in Pacific Northwest, rainy!). In the past week I have noticed changes in one of the chickens, and today it has become worrying...

Here are the symptoms, starting with the one I am most concerned about...

Flopsy: Named from her "Flopsy" crest, which is fallen to the left. In the past she has always been very loud and vocal, but recently she has been standing away from her sisters and quiet. Today as I was watching her asking her why she wasn't part of the group anymore I noticed that she was shaking. I picked her up, which I don't often do to her because she doesn't like it, and I realized how very thin she was. I have noticed a few of the chickens seem significantly thinner than others. She is now hiding under the laying boxes in the coop, standing there unmoved with dropping eyelids. I want to help her!!

Scarlet: She was the best looking when I got them (they were molting), and now she is pretty mangy...The feathers on top of her head haven't come back, so she looks sort of bald. She also seems thinner than the others.

Fluffy Butt: She looks great, except that now her crest is starting to flop over to the right, which it never did before. She has a clogged vent (poop) worse than Flopsy.


I appreciate your input!

 

[TeamChaos]

When you say "neck" do you mean their crop? I know I've been surprised when I've felt just how large and pendulous a full crop can be. Do they also have grit/ sand to help digest all their treats? What are the poops like? Last spring, when it was damp here, we had our first round of what I think was coccidiosis, even though the poop was never bloody- I had droopy, shaky chickens. I first did a molasses flush, then a full round of antibiotics in their drinking water- I didn't lose any chickens to it at that time, but I'm new to all this so it may have been dumb luck that I didn't.

 

[hmwatts27]

Yes, I do mean their crop. We have massaged them for a bit, Flopsy's is worse, but she has been was seems like burping up (smells like puke). I did not have grit for them (also a beginner), but I did go out and get some ground oyster shell. They both are very droopy right now, and yesterday Flopsy was shaking.

The coop smells, and so we are going to give it a good cleaning, including the roosts.

I will check out both coccidiosis and molasses flushes.

Thanks for your help!!

 

[chickengrl]

They need poultry grit too. It's insoluble granite to help grind up hard foods. They may also have worms. Have you checked for mites/lice on the chickens.? Something is getting nourishment from them and they are losing weight. Type in worming for more info in the search bar. Good luck!