very sick hen. Corid didn't work. Worm next?

[chelleigh]

My hen has been sick for about a week. She hasn't stood in about 5 days. Symptoms:
-dark green diarrhea that turned into dark green lumps in sticky white stuff
-decreased appetite- she went a day with eating very little. She will only eat fruit and veggies, but probably not enough. Will drink water. She is losing weight.
-She is pale now.
-Did not feel like eggbound.
-no visual of mites or lice
-no runny nose, coughing, sneezing, head shaking.
-very lethargic, but has moments of alertness to check things out.

She just finished her 5 days of Corid for cocci, but there doesn't really appear to be any major change. Should I try worming next? She has never been wormed and is very weak. Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

 

[pwand]

Did you check her crop in the morning to see if it was completly flat, if its not, you could be dealing with impacted or sour crop. Deworming her is a good idea, only thing is if she so sick, it's hard on them. Try tube feeding to get liquids and food into her.

 

[chelleigh]

I have been checking her crop and it appears to be flat. I am a chicken newbie, and I feel something small and hard in the middle of her chest, but I think that is just a bone, right? Her appetite is increasing fortunately, but not fast enough. I will try tube feeding her to get her more nutrition and then maybe try to worm her. I have some Wazine, and from what I have read, it appears to be the least harsh and best to start with.

 

[pwand]

Here's an anatomy of a chicken.
http://www.poultryhub.org/physiology/body-systems/digestive-system/
http://littleaustinite.com/2009/05/science-at-dinner-anatomy-of-the-rotisserie-chicken/

The crop can feel small and hard as well. Take a look at the pictures, that should help you figure out what your feeling.

The wazine I believe helps with only round worm. Treat her anyway and then look at other options. Lots of good info about treating for worms.

It's important to make sure her crop is flat in the morning before she eats. Than you can rule out crop issues.

 

[chelleigh]

Thanks for the info! I checked her just now and the hard things I do believe were bones. I think I found the crop this time and it was not distended or hard and had little in it. I will check it again in the morning. If not crop issues then I will move on to worming. Yes, there is tons of good info here about worming! I had a hen with tapeworms once and this forum helped me get rid of them. Thanks for your help! I appreciate it!

 

[pwand]

Your welcome.

It would hurt to worm her regardless, maybe she is infected again with tapeworm.

 

[chelleigh]

The next morning her crop felt empty. I went ahead and gave her some olive oil and massaged that area just in case there was something going on in her crop. I just finished the Wazine treatment. If she makes it long enough I will follow up with a broad spectrum wormer. She wasn't the one who had tapes before, it was different hen. It doesn't look good, as I am having to feed and hydrate her with a dropper right now since she won't do very much on her own. Will just take it day by day and will update with the result. Thanks again for your help!

 

[casportpony]

You need to keep her in your house where it's warm, get her properly hydrated. She needs 30ml of fluids per kg of body weight 4-6 times a day. Once she is hydrated, she should be tube fed if she is not eating and/or losing weight. Unfortunately, she might have a disease like Mareks', so tubing might not do any good. You should probably also try an antibiotic like Baytril or Clavamox.

Maybe this will help you, it's a cut and paste from another post of mine:

When mine get sick, this is what I do:

• Thorough exam which includes inserting a gloved, lubed finger into the cloaca, check for cuts, bruising lumps etc.
• Dust for mites/lice with poultry dust even if I cannot see any. DE does not work.
• Weigh on digital kitchen scale (see avatar), record weight and weigh daily. any weight loss is bad.
• Place bird in a warm, quiet place on towel with food and water that it can't drown in.
• De-worm with Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in 10 days.
• Once warm, if not drinking, and crop is empty, hydrate with warmed Pedialyte or lactated ringers with a feeding tube - 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours.
• If not eating after 24 hours and crop is empty, tube feed baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte
• Inspect poop.
• If I suspect a stuck egg, treat for egg binding.
• If I suspect a bacterial infection, treat with antibiotics.

From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf
Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​

by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.

 

[casportpony]

Great info on tube feeding:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

More on tube feeding:
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7933

 

[chelleigh]

Thanks! I didn't suspect marek's b/c she was vaccinated, but that doesn't guarantee immunity. She won't stand but can move her toes, so prob not paralyzed. Those antibiotics aren't available locally. I see that my co-op has sulmet and that name rings a bell from other posts, will that work?