Still have a sick chicken been two weeks HELP!!

[bdessinger]

So, I have done all I can do without taking to the vet. have a hard time spending over $100 dollars on a chicken that I bought for $1.25. but anyways here is what I have done and the symptoms.

at first symptoms she would not eat. After giving her selmet I think it's called she starting eating again and regular poop after a couple days. Thought it might be cocci. She is a adult chicken. Stopped after 6 days per the bottle she has not gotten worse from what I can tell. I have also been giving vit. and electrolytes.

Symptoms

little to no apittite
sleeps most of the day
when I wake her up she is barely able to stand up
one eye usually shut and cloudy( thought this might be one of the others pecked her)
comb is light pink lacking color
poop was runny but now solid after meds

Have thought about worming her but just seems like she wouldn't be this sick if she had worms and the feed store said don't worm a sick chicken unless your sure it's worms.

She has been sick for almost 2 weeks. She WAS with other birds about 4 days before I really figured out she was sick. She is by herself now. No other problems with my other 4.

Thinking it might be just some freak thing, bad liver, cancer or something?

She is about 9 months old.

Thanks for any imput.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I guess it could be cancer but usually not in such a young chicken. Have you checked her to see if she may be egg-bound? Check this out:

Egg Binding
You first generally notice this ailment rather too late, when it is obvious the hen is in some discomfort. The hen often stands or moves in an odd way, usually with her tail held very low and her rear end tucked between her legs. Sometimes they just sit around looking ruffled, but often it is obvious the bird is straining to pass an egg. If you spot it early your chances of helping the hen are greatest.
Egg binding can happen in young hens just starting to lay or in older birds that have become fat. Lack of exercise can cause fat to build up in the birds body, around the reproductive organs and so cause the egg to get stuck. Lack of calcium in the diet can be a major cause of it. Sometimes the egg is just too large for the bird to pass, sometimes the shell is rough and not easily expelled.
In my experience the egg bound hen, (Unless it's a pullet first starting to lay, these seem to respond better) has not got a very good outlook. If you approach the problem with this in mind then anything you can do to save your bird is a bonus. Unless the egg gets passed without too much fuss, it frequently seems to cause the bird massive shock, the bird often will die. Egg binding can also cause a prolapse, which will forever cause problems with that hen afterwards. However going on the principle that if its going to die without help. You have to try something!

So here are some things you can do to assist the hen, and are always worth trying, especially on a young bird who is just having trouble with her first egg. These birds are usually the most rewarding to treat, they seem to respond better and often it does not reoccur with them, unlike older birds who have developed internal problems.

The first thing to do is to put the bird somewhere warm for a while, often, this treatment in itself can help enormously. As with many bird related ailments, heat can be a wonderful healer. If the hen is in shock from it is vital. A comfortable heat will often give the bird enough of a boost to be able to pass the egg herself. Hopefully this will be the case with your bird. If after a while she is still straining and no egg has arrived, I would suggest gently introducing some slightly warmed oil (body temp) into the vent, cooking oil is fine. Put her in a sink with warm water for a minimum of 15 minutes. Often this is all it takes for her to relax and the egg to drop out.

Many people will tell you that if you break the egg the hen will die. Yes this is very often the case, sometimes the act of breaking the egg may cause the bird to just have a heart attack and drop dead. I've seen it happen, but I have had success on two occasions using this method. I gently and carefully made a small hole in the visible end of the egg, and emptied the contents. The contractions of the hen quickly crushed the now empty shell and I pulled it free. DO NOT leave any egg behind!

If your hen finally lays her egg she will show immediate and understandable relief! I always give the hen some electrolytes to drink and a light feed and usually they are happy to go back to the flock after a brief rest. In the case of an older bird, I usually put her on a light diet for a few days to try to bring her out of lay. Especially if I think it is due to the hen being overweight.

Preventing egg binding:
I have found that by using a calcium/mineral supplement added to the birds layers rations a couple of times a week that this problem has decreased. I have a lot of birds and generally used to expect to have a couple of cases of egg binding during the season. The last couple of years its been very minor, if at all, so I think that the added calcium/minerals may have just given that extra help needed to help prevent this ailment. As calcium is required for the muscle contractions which push the egg out of the body as well as for the formation of the shell I think extra calcium and minerals are a very good idea during the breeding season. I for one will not rely on breeders pellets and oyster shell alone.

 

[pattycake]

Quote:
Oldtimegator: What kind of calcium supplements do you use and where do you get them? I've been having trouble with thin shells even though I supply oyster shell, and think maybe I should try something new.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Have you ever wormed your birds? Are they free ranged? (If so and you have not wormed your birds before then using ivomec Eprinex >a broad spectrum wormer which the others at the feed store are not< would not be amiss. You can read about it here (as it is not "officially" approved for chickens) which also gives dosage (I use the "spot-on" method where you apply it to the skin):
http://www.shilala.com/ivomec.html

I've been having trouble with thin shells even though I supply oyster shell, and think maybe I should try something new.

calcium uptake is not solely dependent upon the amount of calcium but is multifactoral... the calcium phosphorus ratio (which you normally dont have to worry about when you use a commercial ration and do not over treat) and vit D3 in particular is assoc with thin eggshells...
Give three drops of Polyvisol Enfamil formulation (childrens liquid A-B-D vitamins >do not get the one with added iron) in beak once a day for a week then taper off the next.
The above (ivomec and polyvisol) will not harm your bird if it is something more serious like cancer or such... if you do note symptoms which further point to eggbinding you can give a crushed TUM (which is an emergency replacement for the calcium gluconate the bird would get at a vet) and do the warm bath etc.​

 

[sammi]

JMHO:
vitamins shouldn't be given during cocci treatment..
coccidiostats work by reducing the vitamin K in the system..giving vitamins with Vitamin K defeats the purpose.

you might retry the Sulmet without vitamins until treatment is complete..(since you already had her on for 6 days..maybe safer to do a shorter treatment time since the blood is thinned).
or Corid (amprolium)

did the vet do a fecal test for worms or cocci?
he/she should have done that.

follow other suggestions by dlhunicorn.

also..have you checked her crop for lumps, or emptying properly?

what all do you feed? describe her droppings..color and consistency.