The EMERGENCY Thread!!!

[CleanEggs]

Help! Two birds sitting there, head dropping! I gave electrolytes by medicine dropper. No wounds and were fine yesterday. But I found a dead possum that had maggots and the birds were eating them. I covered up the corpse. The electrolytes seemed to rouse them a bit but they keep their eyes closed. My best layers and consider them pets. Please help if you can!

 

[chickluvinfreak]

Help! Two birds sitting there, head dropping! I gave electrolytes by medicine dropper. No wounds and were fine yesterday. But I found a dead possum that had maggots and the birds were eating them. I covered up the corpse. The electrolytes seemed to rouse them a bit but they keep their eyes closed. My best layers and consider them pets. Please help if you can!

My best guess is botulism from the oppusum. But I really have no idea for sure. Treatment for botulism wold be to flush their systems with a teaspoon of epsom salts and 1/2 a teaspoon of molasses in 8 oz of lukewarm water. Fill a syringe with the mixture and give it to the hens. Here's a thread that has more on the treatment of botulism http://pin.it/q2K5yKt

 

[Isaac 0]

Sounds like botulism.She probably got it from the possum.She is experiencing Limberneck a symptom of botulism.While @chickluvinfreak gave you treatment it would be highly recommended to take her to a avian vet for crop cleaning.

 

[CleanEggs]

Thank you both! If they live through the night I will get Epsom salts first thing! What is crop cleaning?

 

[dreamyj]

NEW EMERGENCY hello I have a year and a half old bo hen who is breathing very strangely. She is barely eating or drinking. I have her inside as of this morning. Please see video here.

I have given her 1 cc la200 injection twice today. Also have vaporizer with oxine.

 

[dreamyj]

She seems worse than this video this morning. She stretches her neck up and opens mouth to breathe. Forgot to mention that I dosed with valbazen a week ago so it would have killed it if this were gapeworm right? I am scared she is not gonna make it through the night and don't know what to do. Please advise.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

New (kind of an emergency):

Hi all. I woke up this morning to find one of my girls acting lethargic which is about the only symptom. She is not really interested in food... i have only just got back to my chickens after a week or two so i don't know how long this behaviour has been going. She still looks fat and healthy though.

She is a black Australorp hen that has just turned a year old. Lays like the wind. Normal red comb, i can't really catch her to feel her over. I might be able to now that she is acting strange. Im thinking maybe it could be sour crop??? but i can't know unless i catch her. Any other ideas?

How is she doing?
Try to get hold of her so you can examine her. If you suspect sour crop, feel of the crop and smell her breath.
Also feel her abdomen to see if there is any swelling or bloat.

Let us know.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

NEW EMERGENCY hello I have a year and a half old bo hen who is breathing very strangely. She is barely eating or drinking. I have her inside as of this morning. Please see video here.

I have given her 1 cc la200 injection twice today. Also have vaporizer with oxine.
My hen Opal is breathing very strangely. I have brought her inside. Currently have the vaporizer with oxine running. She was like this a couple of weeks ago. I had her in for a few days. Treated with tylan 50 injectable and the oxine. She was breathing normal and wanted out of cage so I returned her to the flock. Also gave her a dose of valbazen but have not yet given second dose. She is eating and drinking. Poop is good. She has not layed in quite awhile and her last few were soft shell. She is about 1 1/2 yrs old bo. She also had a bumblefoot which my husband and I performed surgery on. Poor girl has had her share of troubles lately! No one else is showing any breathing issues. Is it respiratory? I made a video but can't figure out how to add it to this post. I have several medications on hand but not sure which would be best for her. I have oxine, tylan, corid, duramycin, la200, sulfadimethoxine, denagard, not sure what else. Oh and I have baytril on the way. Also have safeguard and valbazen wormers. What would you suggest to help my poor Opal?

Have you added any new chickens to your flock within the last 30days?
How does her abdomen feel - any bloating, feeling like fluid (balloon), hard, soft, squishy?

Sometimes an internal laying/reproductive disorder can cause breathing problems as well. Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Ascites, cancer or tumors can cause infection/fluid to build up, which in turn would put distress on the internal organs resulting in respiratory distress. Unfortunately supportive care is usually the only treatment. Antibiotics may help with some of the above conditions, but is short term at best.

You can try soaking her in a warm epsom salts bath, then gently feel inside her vent with a lubricated finger (about 1") to feel for an egg or any obstruction.

It's possible it could be a respiratory illness. Antibiotic treatment will only help with any secondary infection (sinus infection) but won't cure a respiratory illness.



If you have a vet that can see her, that would be best.

Peritonitis and internal egg laying issues:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/6-causes-of-chicken-swollen-abdomen.aspx

COMMON POULTRY DISEASES
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[dreamyj]

Thanks for responding. No new members have been added to our flock. She has lost a lot of weight. There is hardly anything to her. No hard or squishy abdomen to me.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for responding. No new members have been added to our flock. She has lost a lot of weight. There is hardly anything to her. No hard or squishy abdomen to me.

What type of food/treats do you normally feed?
Any obstruction in her beak/throat?
How long has it been since she laid the last egg - when you treated her with antibiotics before, did she lay an egg after treatment - if so what did it look like?

 

[AustralorpsAU]

How is she doing?
Try to get hold of her so you can examine her. If you suspect sour crop, feel of the crop and smell her breath.
Also feel her abdomen to see if there is any swelling or bloat.

Let us know.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

Strangely she is doing fine. I think she just needed to lay an egg! Thanks though