Trixie the Americana stopped laying, moves painfully, wobbles and no appetite

[MyDaughtersChickens]

That does look like she may have a reproductive infection. I would get the antibiotic the vet offered. You can use a month’s egg withdrawal for most antibiotics, including enrofloxacin/Baytril. It might extend her life. I have had hens with those droppings last quite awhile. Most egg bound chickens cannot poop. Calcium citrate with vitamin d given in case of egg bound is the usual treatment.

Just learning chicken lingo, so you are saying there are some antibiotics that can flush out of the system over a month?
And if so, the antibiotics you mentioned are for reproductive infections? The urban vets that treat aviary patients are overcharging and ridiculous (I think they are used to treating parrots and house birds.. and didn’t seem to help much with diagnosis) so I would prefer a farm vet that treats chickens and maybe prescribes via a phone discussion.. unless there are other ways to obtain these antibiotics? Thank you everyone for your helpful answers.

 

[MyDaughtersChickens]

Just learning chicken lingo, so you are saying there are some antibiotics that can flush out of the system over a month?
And if so, the antibiotics you mentioned are for reproductive infections? The urban vets that treat aviary patients are overcharging and ridiculous (I think they are used to treating parrots and house birds.. and didn’t seem to help much with diagnosis) so I would prefer a farm vet that treats chickens and maybe prescribes via a phone discussion.. unless there are other ways to obtain these antibiotics? Thank you everyone for your helpful answers.

If anyone has a telehealth type vet, I’d gladly take the connect!

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a trusted regular dog or cat vet who might help? Yes, avian vets for pet parrots are very expensive. This forum became useful because vet care for chickens is rare. Many of us can get some antibiotics for chickens without a prescription online. Right now the amoxicillin or Aqua Mox commonly used for reproductive infections, is pretty much impossible to get due to a shortage. Enrofloxacin is available here:
https://jedds.com/products/enrofloxacin-10
Dosage is 0.25 given orally twice a day for 5 days. Toss eggs for a month after finishing it. It may take a few days to get it, it ask how long.

 

[Kiki]

We have had her for 5-6 months and just exhibited this a week ago.. is it possible for it to lie dormant that long before manifesting? Thanks for your response

Yes. Chickens can be sick for a while before they show signs of being sick. When they stop laying there is usually something very serious going on.

 

[Eggcessive]

Keep in mind that reproductive disorders are common in hens over 2 years old. They also can more rarely happen earlier. If you read the emergency forum daily, there are usually several threads a day about them.

 

[MyDaughtersChickens]

Do you have a trusted regular dog or cat vet who might help? Yes, avian vets for pet parrots are very expensive. This forum became useful because vet care for chickens is rare. Many of us can get some antibiotics for chickens without a prescription online. Right now the amoxicillin or Aqua Mox commonly used for reproductive infections, is pretty much impossible to get due to a shortage. Enrofloxacin is available here:
https://jedds.com/products/enrofloxacin-10
Dosage is 0.25 given orally twice a day for 5 days. Toss eggs for a month after finishing it. It may take a few days to get it, it ask how long.

Amazing, thank you.. one last question, if it ends up being something else, the antibiotics won’t hurt her, will they?

 

[MyDaughtersChickens]

Keep in mind that reproductive disorders are common in hens over 2 years old. They also can more rarely happen earlier. If you read the emergency forum daily, there are usually several threads a day about them.

Unfortunately I don’t know her age.. it was a family offering her with a bunch of other strong and healthy looking hens and the kids were holding the chickens so they seemed more well-cared for than some of the other sellers. But they said she was hatched by them within the last year. But who knows if that can be trusted. We couldn’t start with chicks since that was a disaster when we ended up with roosters and had to figure out how to safely rehome them. How do you guys feel about the chicks from Murdochs?

 

[Eggcessive]

I just noticed she was wearing a crop bra. Does she have trouble with a pendulous crop? If she has had trouble with a sour or pendulous crop, antibiotics might cause more problems with yeast or fungus. If she is treated, I would make sure that she also was treated for fungal/yeats with Monistat cream 1/2 inch given orally twice a day, or Medistatin powder mixed in water. The Monistat can be found in most drugstores and Medistatin is available online for pigeons.

 

[Eggcessive]

Reproductive disorders, infections, internal laying, etc, can cause pressure inside the abdomen, which in turn can lead to a slow down in the crop function. That can lead to impacted, sour, or pendulous crop.

 

[MyDaughtersChickens]

I just noticed she was wearing a crop bra. Does she have trouble with a pendulous crop? If she has had trouble with a sour or pendulous crop, antibiotics might cause more problems with yeast or fungus. If she is treated, I would make sure that she also was treated for fungal/yeats with Monistat cream 1/2 inch given orally twice a day, or Medistatin powder mixed in water. The Monistat can be found in most drugstores and Medistatin is available online for pigeons.

Oh that’s a harness my daughter had on her to take her on a walk.. not there for medical reasons she has been perfectly hearty up until a week ago