Very strange issues with a Hen

[FrankeFarm9394]

I'm leaning towards either worms or coccidia. She's not absorbing nutrients, and possibly dehydrated since she was stopped up. Did you see any round worms in her poo?

Nope. We haven't seen any worms at all in any of her poop. I'll swap over to the corid today and see if she starts perking up more. Guess we will treat the whole flock, though I still find it so odd no one else has been acting weird. I wonder if she was just more affected because of the heat and it weakened her immune system but no one else's? No clue.

I read online they tend to show improvement in 24 hours on corid. Is that y'alls experience? When should I expect to see her doing better if she does have coccidia? And if she doesn't improve, what the heck do o do then?

 

[Relleoms]

I agree with the others. If she were mine, I would direct dose her with corid for 3 days, plus add corid & water to her feed to make a wet mash. You could also give her corid in her drinking water, but if she’s eating well, I’d probably just give her plain water. During this time I’d also offer a scrambled or hard boiled egg, but I’d take all other food & treats away. If she’s still acting tired after 3 days, I’d worm. Finally, I’d get her on probiotics following the corid. If these things don’t work, I’d suspect some sort of reproductive issue.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Nope. We haven't seen any worms at all in any of her poop. I'll swap over to the corid today and see if she starts perking up more. Guess we will treat the whole flock, though I still find it so odd no one else has been acting weird. I wonder if she was just more affected because of the heat and it weakened her immune system but no one else's? No clue.

I read online they tend to show improvement in 24 hours on corid. Is that y'alls experience? When should I expect to see her doing better if she does have coccidia? And if she doesn't improve, what the heck do o do then?

Did you give her the calcium citrate pills for 5 days? Has she still not laid an egg?

 

[FrankeFarm9394]

I agree with the others. If she were mine, I would direct dose her with corid for 3 days, plus add corid & water to her feed to make a wet mash. You could also give her corid in her drinking water, but if she’s eating well, I’d probably just give her plain water. During this time I’d also offer a scrambled or hard boiled egg, but I’d take all other food & treats away. If she’s still acting tired after 3 days, I’d worm. Finally, I’d get her on probiotics following the corid. If these things don’t work, I’d suspect some sort of reproductive issue.

What is the direct dosage? We added the 9.6% solution to a gallon of water and she has been CHUGGING water today since we swapped it out. Way more than yesterday.

She has no interest in her chicken food. She initially wanted the calcium pills, but she doesn't want any of it. No cooked eggs, oatmeal or dog food really either. She ate some grass yesterday and pecked at some eggs -- she ate some mash of feed because her crop had food in it. But the only thing she is really interested in has been egg yolk, uncooked. I was thinking of adding that to her food?

 

[FrankeFarm9394]

Did you give her the calcium citrate pills for 5 days? Has she still not laid an egg?

She has been offered calcium since Friday and she ate a lot of it Friday and some Saturday but wasn't interested sunday-today. Hoping the corid perks her up and we can get her to eat.

No egg, no. She isn't acting painful or anything -- no eggbound-ness or other weird reproductive issue symptoms. I read they stop laying when they don't feel good and it's obvious she's not feeling great and still isn't up to snuff. She's ok, alert, sweet and all that, but not great, you know?

 

[Lillith37]

When I have had issues with mild cases of coccidiosis in young chickens, they have recovered within a couple of days of treatment. I would syringe some water directly into the beak of the most affected one several times daily until I saw them drinking on their own.

It’s very possible for one chicken to be more affected than others. Treating the whole flock is good to reduce environmental populations of coccidia and stop more becoming becoming sick.

She will probably return to lay once she feels better.

 

[FrankeFarm9394]

Just am update for everyone! She was chugging the water yesterday qith the corid on it and she perked up a lot. She ate an over easy egg and some of her chocken food last night and is way more alert this morning.

She's holding her tail up more, pecking around her in the shower and on the glass of the shower (doing chicken things!), drinking water again, and has been pecking around in her food bowl with the last bit of egg in it. I'm going to make her another over easy egg this morning.

She seems a lot better!!!! She is so tired of being inside and being in the shower...she's a lot more antsy this morning and eager to be free. Thank you all for your feedback! No idea of this means she def had/has coccidia but she is feeling better and that's what matters to us.

 

[Relleoms]

I don’t know how to link articles from this site, but if you search Corid oral drench instructions by @casportpony! But glad to hear she’s doing better!!!

 

[FrankeFarm9394]

Hi all! So...I was inspecting her vent this evening and as I was looking closely at her I saw a tiny white bug. It seems we've been treating for all the wrong things. She has mites/lice

we are picking up spray from tsc tomorrow and putting her out to bathe in DE and whatever else we need to do. I feel like such an idiot. She is certainly feeling better, but the presence of the bugs, her ragged appearance, and the overall dullness of her feathers AS WELL as marks on her comb and her nasty vent feathers....I think mites explain it.

Will the birds bathe in the DE? I can't devote time to singlehandedly bathing all 20 of them a day by myself -- I'm six months pregnant and about to start work -- so what I can I do that will take care of it without having to be hands on?

Thanks all! Still planning to treat with the corid just in case, but I'm really leaning towards bugs now. :/ no other hens are showing signs of anything!

 

[Lillith37]

Keep up corid treatment and treat for the mites/lice as well.

If your chook is feeling sick from coccidiosis, she will be moving less, dustbathing less and preening less. Therefore she will be more susceptible to parasites.

I’m just saying that this is not necessarily an either/or situation, although it could be.

You need to treat your whole flock with a permethrin powder or equivalent. DE in the dust bathing areas works as a preventative, not a cure. You also need to clean out their coop, treat the structure and put new bedding in.

Depending on the severity of the mite/lice infestation and your weather conditions, you will need to retreat at intervals until they are gone.

This is a hands-on job unfortunately. Unless you can source Exzolt fluralaner. That will take care of all ectoparasites.

Is there anyone who can help you?