yellow diarrhea and lethargy?

[samy]

My 4 months old cockeral is having bright yellow watery poop and not been eating well. He has lost a lot of weight and i can feel his breast bone. He has been sitting away from his flock with his eyes closed.
I feel as if he is unable to process what he is eating.
Please tell me what this could be and what should i be giving him ?

 

[chooks4life]

Black Head is likely with bright yellow diarrhea. Anything that affects the liver severely can cause that but it's a pretty standard symptom for BH. If he's at the point where he's not eating, and is lying down, stop feeding him pellets and grain as this is making it worse, because they're hard on the liver. No corn, no red sorghum, no cooked fats or proteins.

Millet, green grass, rolled oats, raw proteins and some raw fats, are all good. But let him fast for now, don't forcefeed him, his liver is damaged. IF it's BH, that is, there are some other things it could be, but BH is the most likely.

If you can get raw cow's milk, get him some; give him a cupful of the milk, after you've let it sit for about an hour and scraped the fat off the top and mixed in a teaspoon of honey. That's what I used to treat my turkeys for BH, it worked in the vast majority of cases. The chooks never needed treatment, I think it's because I fed them hot things like garlic etc so regularly it burned the oocysts that usually carry BH into the body and protect it from digestion.

Because cooked fats and proteins are harder on the liver, and extra hard on a BH sufferer, I wouldn't recommend you try cooked cow's milk (the normal stuff you buy from shops that's homogenized and pasteurized). But, I'd theorize it's maybe the calcium-magnesium and honey that is more important than the fats and proteins in the milk, so you could try substituting those ingredients from elsewhere in water; however I don't know why the raw milk and honey drink works like magic so I can't really give you any substantial advice on an alternative.

You might have to dip his beak into it to get him started but most of them just go for it without encouraging.


Best wishes.

 

[casportpony]

My 4 months old cockeral is having bright yellow watery poop and not been eating well. He has lost a lot of weight and i can feel his breast bone. He has been sitting away from his flock with his eyes closed.
I feel as if he is unable to process what he is eating.
Please tell me what this could be and what should i be giving him ?

Can you take him to a vet? If not, you should bring him inside where it's warm and get him hydrated via tube feeding or subcutaneous fluids. I hate to say it, but he is *very* sick and does need prompt, emergency care.

-Kathy

 

[samy]

...

Black Head is likely with bright yellow diarrhea. Anything that affects the liver severely can cause that but it's a pretty standard symptom for BH. If he's at the point where he's not eating, and is lying down, stop feeding him pellets and grain as this is making it worse, because they're hard on the liver. No corn, no red sorghum, no cooked fats or proteins.

Millet, green grass, rolled oats, raw proteins and some raw fats, are all good. But let him fast for now, don't forcefeed him, his liver is damaged. IF it's BH, that is, there are some other things it could be, but BH is the most likely.

If you can get raw cow's milk, get him some; give him a cupful of the milk, after you've let it sit for about an hour and scraped the fat off the top and mixed in a teaspoon of honey. That's what I used to treat my turkeys for BH, it worked in the vast majority of cases. The chooks never needed treatment, I think it's because I fed them hot things like garlic etc so regularly it burned the oocysts that usually carry BH into the body and protect it from digestion.

Because cooked fats and proteins are harder on the liver, and extra hard on a BH sufferer, I wouldn't recommend you try cooked cow's milk (the normal stuff you buy from shops that's homogenized and pasteurized). But, I'd theorize it's maybe the calcium-magnesium and honey that is more important than the fats and proteins in the milk, so you could try substituting those ingredients from elsewhere in water; however I don't know why the raw milk and honey drink works like magic so I can't really give you any substantial advice on an alternative.

You might have to dip his beak into it to get him started but most of them just go for it without encouraging.

Best wishes.
[thanks a lot. Would youghurt gonna help]

 

[casportpony]

Hydration *must* be corrected before he is force fed.

-Kathy

 

[samy]

Sorry i am new to this website and forum. Do you think youghurt gonna help?

 

[casportpony]

Sorry i am new to this website and forum. Do you think youghurt gonna help?

If your bird is not drinking, no.

-Kathy

 

[chooks4life]

Sorry i am new to this website and forum. Do you think youghurt gonna help?

I don't know for sure, but because it'll be homogenized, it is possibly a bad idea.

Processed fats and proteins are very bad for animals with BH. We don't yet know if that's what it is, but processed fats and proteins are bad for animals with liver problems anyway, and it sounds like your bird has that, so best to avoid.

As Kathy said, if he's not drinking, force feeding is not a good idea. Is he drinking at all?

If it's BH or any other advanced liver condition you need to do something fast. I would think he's already at the crossroads, or really, that he had arrived there by the time you made your post about his condition, so do whatever you believe is best.

Wish you all the best with it.

 

[samy]

He is a bit better and started eating and drinking on his own. Two days back my father gave him metronidazole, perhaps that worked.
But he only likes to eat grains and doesnt eating any othet stuff. I am not force feeding him. Hope he recovers soon.
Thanks and will keep u posted.

 

[Michael Apple]

Hydration *must* be corrected before he is force fed.

-Kathy

X2. The proper treatment for Black head (Histomoniasis) which is caused by a protozoan, carried by the cecal worm, is Metronidazole. Metronidazole is also effective against Clostridium sp. of bacteria. A 5 lb bird should get 250mg once a day for 5 days. Always dose in the AM as it is most effective on an empty crop. If not acted upon quickly, enteritis occurs which causes damage to the intestinal tract. This is also a reason to worm your birds every so often. Spring and Fall are common times of the year to worm.