Yawning, Malaise, Sneezing, Sleepiness

[Portalguy]

G'Day Experts! Hope some of you have seen this before. One of our 23 chickens, a Sussex about 5 months old, is sick. Last night I saw her 'yawning' on her perch, thought she was tired, this morning she was definitely sick. Vent looks normal. Occasional sneezes, I can't hear any gurgling in her breath. Poop is very watery.

Other birds appear to be normal in all the above respects.

Wasted a couple of hours on the phone with the State (heard the words 'we used to', many times. Tried to find a veterinarian, there don't appear to be any that would examine and treat a chicken (Vermont is a resort area). My wife went to the farm boutique and bought Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride. No instructions on how to administer, except that the envelope said that you need a 'water proportioner' which the boutique did not sell. I did my best to guess at the proportions, put it in her drinking water. She is now eating and drinking a bit.

Searched topics on this forum, lots of interesting data but nothing conclusive.

For the moment we have her isolated; I'll put together a box for her; should she spend the night in a warm place (we go below freezing overnight)? I would love to take this bird to a vet. Although with clear instructions I might be able to manage, I would vastly prefer a real diagnosis.

Please advise, thanks in advance !

-Rob

PS Our 23 chickens live in an 8x10 coop with ample roosting space, but spend most of their time outdoors. The bedding is shredded pine or maple (not cedar). It has been changed recently.

 

[The Chickens' Maid]

bump

 

[Portalguy]

Two days on, no interest? Someone please tell me what I did wrong? I provided all the info that the moderators asked for.

Chicken is still alive and shows some signs of improvement, but the poop is still watery and white with bits of green, no blood.

 

[chickenlady]

Last night I saw her 'yawning' on her perch, thought she was tired, this morning she was definitely sick. Vent looks normal. Occasional sneezes, I can't hear any gurgling in her breath. Poop is very watery.

Do you have a better description of symptoms? All I get out of this is that her poop is watery. What are they eating? Do they freerange? Is the poop watery clear or watery brown? Have you seen this chicken eating? Where is she in the pecking order?

We can try and help you but may not be able to give you a completely accurate diagnosis.​

 

[Portalguy]

G'Morning ChickenLady !

Much appreciate your posting and your questions. I don't expect a diagnosis. Have yet to find a poultry vet in Vermont; there are 'large animal vets' but on the phone they say something like, 'We don't do chickens'.

> What are they eating?
Organic layer crumbles, leftovers, occasional bits of fresh meat when we cook; they also find lots of bugs & grass. They have a large paddock (next year's veg. garden) but also freerange occasionaly. It's hard to tell what they find!

> Do they freerange?
Occasionally.

> Is the poop watery clear or watery brown?
Watery clear with green bits. There's quite a bit of clear liquid that runs off it.

> Have you seen this chicken eating?
Yes. Sometimes she wakes up, eats reasonably well, then goes back to sleep, usually standing. She does not eat with great zest though.


> Where is she in the pecking order?
Fairly low. There are two roosters to 21 hens. One rooster is very aggressive and I've considered eating him.

Thanks!
Rob

 

[chickenlady]

Is she still isolated? Are all the same symptoms present? Any new ones? Have you checked her crop at all to make sure that 1) she is in fact eating and 2) that is has gone done by morning. If you have some poly vi sol baby vitamins w/out the iron, I would give her 1-2 drops into her beak daily for a week. At her age, i would not rule out cocci yet. Are any other birds showing any signs of illness?

 

[Portalguy]

Hiya Chickenlady,

Yes, I'm keeping her isolated in a separate pen. I have to anyway for the course of antibiotic treatment, the envelope says '3-5 days', because it's dissolved in her water.

Yesterday she seemed to recover her appetite; ate like one of my relatives, no more sneezing/yawining.

Poop went from watery green to slightly less watery brown; that is, brown chunks with clear liquid.

All other birds seem usually healthy.

As an aside, my son is down with pneumonia

Thanks for the suggestion of the vitamins.

 

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

I think you are doing what you should at this point. If she is improving, that is good. The watery poo could be diarreaha(sp?), which is a symptom of a whole bunch of illnesses. Is she still yawning? That could signal a few different things as well. Any respiratory symptoms? Try picking her up and listening with your ear to her chest. Has she ever been wormed? If so, with what? Chickens that free range usually have to be wormed on a regular basis. Also, examine her closely for lice or mites. They are not always obvious, and can cause her to be more suseptable to other problems as well.

 

[Portalguy]

Hello HidingInTheHenHouse,

Thanks for jumping into this thread !

No more yawning/malaise. She doesn't seem like a sick chicken anymore! Well maybe slightly tired. But much much better.

Cannot hear any rattling in her breath.

She was never 'wormed' and I know nothing about worming. I'll do some research on this...

Cheers,
Rob