Stunted Chicken- What's wrong with her?

[theawesomechick]

One of our chickens is a week older than the rest, and she was perfectly healthy and stronger than the others as the chick, although her poo was always rather runny, so we didn't get very concerned. Recently, though, I started noticing how much smaller she is than the other chickens, and she doesn't seem to eat much and drinks a lot of water. When I picked her up (after a large amount of chasing and frustration), I found that her chest area seemed very empty. I haven't isolated her from the other chickens, since I'm not sure where to put her and she's been with the other chickens for two and a half months and they all seem fine. After reading other BYC posts, I'm suspecting coccidiosis, but I'm not sure... please help this newbie!


Here she is, posing gorgeously... she's an extraordinary flyer for a two and a half month old chicken!


The small white chicken in the center is her. Remember that the chickens next to her are actually a week younger than her!



Any help would be greatly appreciated. This chicken happens to be my favorite, and all the other chickens practically bow down to her, so I don't want anything to happen to her!

 

[Eggcessive]

In this picture her crop looks distended. Checking it first thing in the morning when it should be empty would be the best time, but if it is balloon-like and squishy then I would suspect sour crop. Impacted crop would be hard and full in early morning.With coccidiosis, she probably would be lethargic, sitting puffed up a lot, and having diarrhea or blood in the stools. They will usually have built up resistance to cocci by age 10-16 weeks, but she still could have it. How old is she? Treatment for coccidiosis is Corid (amprollium) liquid 2 tsp per gallon of water for 5-7 days. It is possible that she has an internal issue that has affected her ability to gain weight. Here is some info on sour crop: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

I might consider some vitamins and probiotics in the water, but hold off until after giving Corid if you decide to treat.

 

[theawesomechick]

She is about thirteen weeks old, so I think maybe it's not cocci... You said vitamins and probiotics help? What types do you suggest? Oh, and do you think I should isolate her?

 

[Eggcessive]

I can't see any reason to isolate her. Have you wormed them yet? Valbazen is one of the best wormers, getting all chicken worms. It is sold as a cattle/sheep wormer that is also used for chickens. I'm not saying your hen doesn't have coccidiosis, but it is hard to know why she is not thriving. It certainly would not hurt her to treat her.

 

[theawesomechick]

Thanks! Where do you usually get medications for your chickens? We haven't raised chickens before, so I have no idea where to get everything.