Weak tired lethargic

[Srychickenmama]

I have two chicken, Kung Pao and Henrietta. They are little over 2 years old, free range never been wormed. Kung Pao has fallen ill. She is very weak and tired, dozing off, unable to get in her coop. Ive been placing her on her perch at night and taking her out in the morning. She's been drinking water and eating only after I place her in front of food and water. Im thinking she has a parasite or a bad case of worms but that's just a guess after reading some articles. They've been exposed to wild birds, compost, bugs of all sorts ect. Yesterday i put apple cider vinger in the water, I added cayenne pepper and garlic powder to the feed and put out plain yogart and some veggie soup. She seemed to like these things but its gonna take more then tlc, I think she's dying. After reading the articles I think I better worm both chickens but what should I buy for chickens who've never been wormed? Is it ok to give worm medicine to a sick chicken? Any other adivise might you have for me?

 

[azygous]

If you're very concerned about worms, first collect a fecal sample from Kung Pao and ask your vet to run a quick float test for worms so you can rule that out. I just did this this very week with a hen of mine. It cost $20. I've had chickens for over eleven years, and they've never had worms, and this latest test also came back negative. Contrary to popular belief, not all chickens will get worms, even the free range ones, which my chickens are. It's senseless to treat chickens who have no worms.

So, call your vet and ask if they can do this for you. Tell them you don't need any treatment advice as you have that handled should there turn out to be worms. Safeguard is a good all-purpose wormer. We will explain the treatment if the float test is positive.

First you need to rule out a crop disorder since that's one of the most common causes of a chicken coming down with the symptoms you describe. Check the crop now and again first thing in the morning. The crop needs to be empty in the morning. If it's still full, you are dealing with a crop disorder. To figure out which crop disorder and how to treat it, you can read through this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

If there's no crop disorder, and Kung Pao continues to decline, she may have a bacterial infection which would require an antibiotic. This is the sequence I follow when one of my chickens gets sick. If they don't respond to the antibiotic, I then conclude they have something far more serious going on, and many of those "somethings" are simply untreatable. In this case euthanasia may be your final resort. In that case, a necropsy can tell you exactly what made her so sick, and this could have consequences for Henrietta.

 

[Srychickenmama]

If you're very concerned about worms, first collect a fecal sample from Kung Pao and ask your vet to run a quick float test for worms so you can rule that out. I just did this this very week with a hen of mine. It cost $20. I've had chickens for over eleven years, and they've never had worms, and this latest test also came back negative. Contrary to popular belief, not all chickens will get worms, even the free range ones, which my chickens are. It's senseless to treat chickens who have no worms.

So, call your vet and ask if they can do this for you. Tell them you don't need any treatment advice as you have that handled should there turn out to be worms. Safeguard is a good all-purpose wormer. We will explain the treatment if the float test is positive.

First you need to rule out a crop disorder since that's one of the most common causes of a chicken coming down with the symptoms you describe. Check the crop now and again first thing in the morning. The crop needs to be empty in the morning. If it's still full, you are dealing with a crop disorder. To figure out which crop disorder and how to treat it, you can read through this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

If there's no crop disorder, and Kung Pao continues to decline, she may have a bacterial infection which would require an antibiotic. This is the sequence I follow when one of my chickens gets sick. If they don't respond to the antibiotic, I then conclude they have something far more serious going on, and many of those "somethings" are simply untreatable. In this case euthanasia may be your final resort. In that case, a necropsy can tell you exactly what made her so sick, and this could have consequences for Henrietta.

I can check the crop tomorrow though I'm not quite sure what a normal crop feels like. I actually just googled what and where a crop is on a chicken. But she is eating and drinking, it's just she's very weak, skinny and tired. That's why I'm thinking worms. I'm not sure when i can or if there is enough time to find a vet to do a fecal sample. I'm working a 12 hour shift now and was hoping to find something to order overnight online during my shift. Worm medicine is an antibiotic to help her and possibly to give to Henrietta also to prevent this from happening to her in a few days.

 

[Srychickenmama]

I can check the crop tomorrow though I'm not quite sure what a normal crop feels like. I actually just googled what and where a crop is on a chicken. But she is eating and drinking, it's just she's very weak, skinny and tired. That's why I'm thinking worms. I'm not sure when i can or if there is enough time to find a vet to do a fecal sample. I'm working a 12 hour shift now and was hoping to find something to order overnight online during my shift. Worm medicine is an antibiotic to help her and possibly to give to Henrietta also to prevent this from happening to her in a few days.

I don't want to get the wrong thing or make matters worse.

 

[azygous]

You can go ahead and worm her if you decide to. It won't hurt. If you are going to order the wormer, I suggest you order some amoxicillin while you're at it so you can start her if the wormer doesn't improve her condition. I suggest Safeguard and Fish Mox 250mg and you can get them here. https://pet-healthcare.revivalanimal.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&w=fish antibiotics They ship same day.

The crop is slightly to the right on the hen's chest. It will usually be only slightly full during the day, maybe a golf ball size lump. It will be firm but not rock hard. In the morning, if the same lump is still there, she has a crop disorder. Reading my article will fill you in on all the tiny details you need to know.

 

[micstrachan]

You are already receiving good advice from @azygous, but I just wanted to chime in but I think the crop is the first place you should look.