Whole pen of chickens acting lethargic. Please help!!!

[MissLavender]

I know you already ran a course of CORID a while back, but it might be worth dosing again in case it ends up being cocciddiosis. The ruffled feathers, lethargy and diarrhea are pointing that way, and it can have a long incubation time.

Do you think maybe the organic topsoil from the garden center introduced a strain of cocci that they don't have an immunity to?

 

[Eggcessive]

Anything is possible. Taking some combined droppings in to a vet for a fecal test would rule out coccidiosis and worms, but many vets will refuse to do that without seeing one. The heat may be taking a toll on them as well. The Corid will not hurt them, though. My chickens are beginning to molt,mand they are listless, eating less, and just lying around.

 

[----------]

these chickens also seem to be overheated i would spray them with cool water . 2 years in a row i have dipped my chicken s in water to help them cool off they were panting too when they hold their wings like yours they are too hot and can have a stroke mine always do better when i cool them . 90 and above they need this . put some ice cubes in water too

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Not exactly the same, but when it's got and mine are in carriers, I throw a frozen earlier in with them since a.c. isn't always enough where I live. You could put ice in their waterers too. They may not like drinking hot water

 

[MissLavender]

Welp...I spent a good 2 hours in their run with them, and one just made a perfectly healthy looking poop...with a tapeworm segment in it. I've never had a tapeworm issue before. Thankfully, I keep valbazen on hand just in case.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any pictures? Valbazen can treat tapeworms, but praziquantel, the active ingredient in Equimax horse paste will treat them best. @dawg53 is a good person to help with that. Equimax dosage is 0.03 ml per pound, or 0.15 ml for a 5 pound chicken. Zimectrin Gold also has praziquantel, but the dosage is different. I think Dawg53 recommends multiple doses of Valbazen for tapes. There are many intermediate hosts for tapeworms, such as snails and slugs, beetles and darkling beetles, flies, and earthworms which eat the tapeworm larvae in the droppings, so keeping those away from chickens can help to keep from getting reinfested.

 

[MissLavender]

Do you have any pictures? Valbazen can treat tapeworms, but praziquantel, the active ingredient in Equimax horse paste will treat them best. @dawg53 is a good person to help with that. Equimax dosage is 0.03 ml per pound, or 0.15 ml for a 5 pound chicken. Zimectrin Gold also has praziquantel, but the dosage is different. I think Dawg53 recommends multiple doses of Valbazen for tapes. There are many intermediate hosts for tapeworms, such as snails and slugs, beetles and darkling beetles, flies, and earthworms which eat the tapeworm larvae in the droppings, so keeping those away from chickens can help to keep from getting reinfested.

I don't have any pictures but I do know what tapeworm segments look like. Flat and shaped like a grain of rice, kinda dragging itself along the surface of the poop.
They've been chasing down and eating these giant green beetles that have been EVERYWHERE for the past 3-4 weeks. They crawl in through the bird netting that I have over the run, so there isn't much I can do to stop them.
This is so much fun!!!

 

[piminuse]

Glad that there's a lead to what's ailing your birds tho...hopefully this is mystery solved!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

It's best to treat as soon as you can now that you know they may all have worms. Too many worms in a bird can result in death, plus they'll feel better after the whole ordeal

 

[NatJ]

You've said they were not drinking well with the medicine in the water, and I think you said they weren't eating well either.

You could try mixing some water with some of their usual food, and see if they like that. It can cause them to get more food and more water. (If you're doing any medicine in the water, use the medicated water when mixing with the food.) Do a small amount to see if they like it, and make sure you don't serve so much it has a change to spoil.

Won't cure any underlying condition, but helps stave off dehydration and/or starvation while they're not feeling well.