Take a look and see what you think this could be

[Oztexchix]

Hi everyone! As I patiently wait for our first egg to show up, I noticed my sweet buff Orpington hanging back from the crowd, when I opened the pen yesterday. I was too busy to really pay attention then, but checked on her again today. She is definitely having some sort of issue. I thought it might be impacted crop, so I grabbed her up and started feeling her crop. It feels empty to me, but I'm a complete newbie. The real issue seems to be her holding her head in so that she looks like she has a pidgeon neck. I took some pictures so take a look and let me know what you think. :/
Thanks,

A'Lisa

 

[cafarmgirl]

Chickens will often stand around with the head pulled in like that if they don't feel well. How old are they? Were they added to an existing flock?

 

[Oztexchix]

Thanks for your reply. These 6 girls are about 20 weeks old and have been together since 5 days old. They are on laying ration crumbles. They free-range in our backyard during the day, eating bugs and lots of winter rye grass. I give them apples cores, lettuce cores, strawberry tops and other kitchen scraps, as well as meal worm treats. She does seem to be at the bottom of the pecking order, although she does get her head in the feed bowl plenty often. Could she be getting ready to lay? I fear it's not something good, though.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she eating normally or having any runny droppings with mucus or any blood? Coccidiosis can cause puffed up or hunched posture, lethargy, diarrhea, and poor appetite. It's treated with Corid (amprollium, Ampromed) in the water for 5 days. Worms could also be a problem. You can check inside her vent with a finger an inch or so for a stuck egg (wear a disposable glove.) Check her crop first thing in the morning to check if it has emptied overnight.

 

[Oztexchix]

I decided to take her to the vet, since this is my first sick chicken. No worms, not egg bound. She did have 107 fever! Doc injected her with antibiotic and b12, and gave us amoxicillin to administer. We are treating the flock drinking water with corid 9.6 liquid....is the dosage 2 Tbl per gallon? Keeping sick hen isolated and hoping for the best! Any other advice?

 

[Oztexchix]

And her droppings look fine.

 

[casportpony]

I decided to take her to the vet, since this is my first sick chicken. No worms, not egg bound. She did have 107 fever! Doc injected her with antibiotic and b12, and gave us amoxicillin to administer. We are treating the flock drinking water with corid 9.6 liquid....is the dosage 2 Tbl per gallon? Keeping sick hen isolated and hoping for the best! Any other advice?

Do you mean 2 teaspoons per gallon or 2 tablespoons per gallon? Most people give 2 teaspoons per gallon.

-Kathy

 

[Oztexchix]

YES! Sorry, I meant 2 teaspoons per gallon. When we went to give her the second dose of amox, she had left a rather large, nasty poop. It was a runny mess of dark brown, white and red. That was the first nasty poop I've seen, anywhere in the yard. I hope we got her on meds in time. No sign of illness in the other ladies, yet.

 

[Oztexchix]

After doing some reading in the learning center, it seems like the symptoms most closely fit those of a staph infection. On the chart that shows disease symptoms, fever is only a symptom for Staph and one other condition, and she doesn't have symptoms of the other condition. Her temp was over 107! I also realized there is a nasty pool of water next to the dog dish, and I have seen the hens drinking there. That would also make me suspicious of staph, after reading the description on BYC. Has anyone else had to fight this in their flock?

 

[Eggcessive]

I kind of doubt that staph is the problem, but could be wrong. Staph infections are more likely to be when their feet get infected with sores or bumblefoot. Chickens also can have variable body temperatures. A lot of that depends on if they have eaten or have been starving. Their temperature will decrease when not having eaten for a day or two. A normal temp can vary between 103 and 107. Bacterial enteritis is another thing they can get from the soil, but my hens will drink the dirty water I pour out of their pans like it is ice cream, and chickens peck in the dirt all day long. I would treat them with some probiotics (plain yogurt or Probios powder) to help their gut flora, but many feeds now have probiotics in them if you check your label.
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/poultryprofi...tion_principles/Chapter7_air_temperature.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/576010


Normal Rectal Temperature Ranges

Species

°C

°F

Cattle





Beef cow

36.7–39.1

98.0–102.4

Dairy cow

38.0–39.3

100.4–102.8

Cat

38.1–39.2

100.5–102.5

Chicken (daylight)

40.6–43.0

105.0–109.4

Dog

37.9–39.9

100.2–103.8

Goat

38.5–39.7

101.3–103.5

Horse





Mare

37.3–38.2

99.1–100.8

Stallion

37.2–38.1

99.0–100.6

Pig

38.7–39.8

101.6–103.6

Rabbit

38.6–40.1

101.5–104.2

Sheep

38.3–39.9

100.9–103.8

Adapted from Robertshaw D. Temperature Regulation and Thermal Environment, in Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Reece WO, Ed. Copyright 2004 by Cornell University.