What should I do about this pullet?

[Primdaisy]

I have a 6 month old speckled sussex pullet, who for the last couple of days has fallen ill. I've googled and YouTubed my heart out trying to figure out what's wrong. I have come to the decision that she has botulism. It's the only diagnosis that fits. We were going to cull her this morning, but now she will occasionally stand and genuinely seems to be slightly improving, so we have decided to give it another day. From what I've read it is almost always fatal, the respiratory muscles weaken and they apparently die from respiratory failure. I don't want her to suffer, but how long would you wait? I try to give her electrolytes in water, but she takes very little and I don't want to cause her to aspirate. She looks great, not thin yet, comb and waddles are nice and red, she just isn't doing much.

 

[BGcoop]

One more day to see if she truly is improving or if it is just a fluke that she seems a little better seems reasonable. Especially since nothing is lab confirmed as far as her illness. It could be some weird random thing mimicking symptoms That is less fatal. I think as animal owners you kind of “know” when the right time is.

 

[coach723]

Why do you think botulism? Has she had access to anything rotting or spoiling? What symptoms are you seeing? Is she eating, drinking, pooping? What do poops look like?

 

[nuthatched]

What's her symptoms? Diet?

 

[Primdaisy]

Well, I've done my research with her symptoms, that's why I think it's botulism. Nothing else fits. She was found still on her perch after all the others had left ( I can't believe she was actually still on it) she can hardly walk, her neck is turned to the side (no it's not wry neck), she is not eating or drinking, she doesn't swallow very well when I try to give her fluids, and very little poop because she's not eating or drinking. The poop is runny, no blood. Her comb and waddles are red, she doesn't make any noises at all. She free ranges, so who knows what she got into. Her diet is just layer feed. Clostridium botulinum is in the soil, can be in rotted fruits, vegetables, & dead animals. She's been a loner since I got her, and she hasn't started laying yet. She will occasionally stand, which is why I thought she was getting better. But now at the end of the third day, she hasn't improved at all.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would be a little more suspicious of something like Mareks disease, but mold poisoning could be a bit similar. If her neck is turned to the side, that actually is wry neck or torticolis. Wry neck can be a neurological symptom of head injury, vitamin E deficiency, and sometimes diseases such as Mareks and a few others. In botulism the neck may become flaccid and lie on the ground. Normally the flaccid paralysis begins in the feet and legs and then progresses up the spinal nerves to the wings, chest, and eyes will become closed.

I prefer to offer fluids and foods from a small cup letting them sip it or take it on their own. Tube feeding is also something that can easily be done once you learn.

If you should lose her, your state vet can perform a necropsy so that you know what you are dealing with. Some national labs can also send you a kit to take a blood sample and send in for a Mareks test, but a necropsy is the best way for a diagnosis.

 

[Primdaisy]

I actually would like for it to be wry neck, at least it can be treated. She doesn't really walk around like a normal wry neck, she'll just stand there, or just lie there. She's not in any distress, at least it doesn't appear so. She can flap her wings at times, and her feet seem to be less contracted than at first. I hate to jump the gun, but if she doesn't improve tomorrow, we'll probably just cull her. Thanks for all your input.